Thought we’d give OA a try. 5826 has certainly done some interesting things over the years. Missed worlds in 2023 by six inches. Built some things nobody had ever seen before. Made some mistakes that maybe nobody should ever try again! Looking forward to a busy season.
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Sounds promising! Sharing your mistakes helps others avoid them!
We need to get our first post organized…
We have a bunch of stuff in the works. Our “farm club” (non FIRST but very fun), a shop tour, probably laughable game predictions, etc.
First official practice! Software is enjoying a cup of java and design lead Brett is playing with his new shop sabre 23 cc router - product review coming soon! While new members are learning about max planetary gear boxes.
Just for fun, here’s a video from a couple of years ago!
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That was a heck of play-off run! I remember how excited I was when your bot was fixed, and you were able to get back on the field!
Who knows what could happen in Duluth this year 
Along with all the other things that need to happen (training, supplies, organizing) 5826 has been spending time on bumper research. This actually started in the fall when our middle school farm team built a KoP based machine and used a dense UVA foam over plywood for bumpers. Specifically we cut up a couple of these:
Not sure what the exact specs are, but it is pretty dense stuff, and our prelim testing looks promising. At one inch thick and only 21 by 14 this is not a practical way to source the item. We are also conversing with a rep from Federal Foam Technologies His name is Kyle Nelson and he welcomes questions. He had a couple of ideas for possible foams. For the outer layer: “XLPE polyethylene foam vs EVA”
“During the XLPE foaming process, a chemical agent is introduced to cross-link the molecules and form a three-dimensional cellular structure. This gives the foam a fine cell structure, smooth surface, high shock absorption and chemical resistivity. Thus, due to its closed cell nature, it does not absorb moisture, oil or other chemicals. For EVA, the manufacturing process is similar to that of XLPE and both are polyolefin-based materials, but EVA foam is an ethylene copolymer and contains a higher percentage of VA (vinyl acetate) additive, which increases softness and foam elasticity.”
“In other words, comparing the same density of both products, EVA has a softer, more “cushioned” feel compared to XLPE. However, the above does not make EVA better or superior to XLPE, nor does it directly affect the shock absorption capacity, since everything will depend on the applications that are required of the material.”
For the inner layer other good options exist, we have the same interlock floor tiles everyone else has been testing. Or, per Kyle, "I do have another foam in our Ellsworth plant that is an open cell foam and has a 100 ild factor. "
ILD btw is Indentation Load Deflection. This is industry standard way of testing, and probably factors into things like Sleep Numbers on mattresses.
We’ll be doing some serious Indenting next week. Here’s some materials waiting to be double sided taped onto .75 plywood…
Hope to have gleeful mashing of foam on video next week and smiting with comically large hammers the next.
I also agree with some over on the squishing foam thread that this may be an overkill response. Just having flat on flat instead of round on flat will improve the load dist significantly…
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