Poly Cord

[Tom I]

Originally Posted by Drivencrazy

What OD's did you guys use in the hollow and solid applications? I would think somewhere around 1/4" would be sufficient but then again I've never used them before.

Yeah 1/4" is what we used. It's the standard cheap yet effective stuff you can get from McMaster and other places

[RoboCat2005]

Are there advantages/disadvantages to using solid as opposed to hollow tubing or vise versa?

[mathking]

Speaking as someone who was on a team which had little trouble with the solid core, I think the hollow core with connectors is the way to go.
1. Easier to work with at competition (don't need heat source)
2. Less time consuming (no waiting for cooling)
We used the solid core largely because we had some, tried and it worked. So we had no reason to try the hollow. I have no idea if one of the two variations is more robust than the other.

[JellyMan]

Thanks everyone for the info concerning the "polycord". I will be placing an order for the 1/4" hollow Urethane Round Belting and barbed connectors.
Two more questions:
1) These round belts in are normally used multiple loops. So, are you machining custom rollers with multiple grooves, or are you stacking off-the-shelf pulleys? Is there a material of choice for the rollers. I suppose aluminum, UHMW polyethylene, or even wood could be used.
2) If we use the barbed connectors, are these actually reliable? Has anyone tried melting the ends in addition to the connectors? Is this overkill?