Hey everyone!
I just wanted to know if we could use fiber glass for our robot. We were thinking about using it for the shooting mechanism (Caseing/Cone). Any comments? 
Waialua, HI 359
Yep. Have at it. It not a restricted material, so it is legal to use on your robot.
That is as long as it doesn’t cover the entire field in Fiberglass…
Yup fiberglass is an awesome material to use. Its not quite as easy to machine and work with as aluminum and other metals but it has quite a few advantages. Its probably the highest performance material a FIRST team can use due to its relatively low cost and superb characteristics. Its just harder to find in useful forms than the more common building materials.
Yeah, I guess I wouldn’t suggest using fiberglass insulation…
I found an absolutely amazing site for fiberglass a couple months back and a google search of my email history brought it up. Fiberglass Tube and Rod - Max-Gain Systems, Inc.
I think Waialua is talking about using glass cloth and resin.
Yes! Its legal for our bots.
Forming objects with fiberglass cloth and resin is something that everyone should try at some point. Its amazing what you can do with the stuff.
Guards anyone?
I’m a luck SOB and got these for free(they were gonna throw the bloody[not literally] things away!) http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/9854/donation16em.jpg
I prefer lexan… heh… although I don’t think you can mold it like with fiberglass.
depending on the thickness, you can vacuum form it, and heating allows some pliability if you know what you’re doing.
I learn something new everyday…
Team 104 used fiberglass pultrusions for the arm in 2004 and 2005. Pultrusions are readily available and can be cut and drilled like wood. A piece of 1/4" birch plywood with a layer of glass laminated on both sides makes a very ridged and strong panel. Mixing some epoxy and some chopped glass fibers allows the casting of couplers and other parts. I would strongly suggest that if you use fiberglass cloth and epoxy you spend a little more money and use S-2 cloth. About 30% more strength for the same weight. The pultrusions are easy. Laying up composites takes allot more skill. If you don’t have someone experienced with composites I would recommend not going with it this year. Do your research and practise in the off season next year.
We are using fiberglass pultrusions for our chassis and some re-enforcements on our robot this year. We heard how great it is to work with and also how strong it is for the weight and decided to go with it. It’s a tad out of the ordinary, too, which makes it appealing to us.
What size fiberglass are you using for the frame? Also how are you joining the pieces?
Yeah, our mentor team has used protruded fiberglass for a few years and have never had a problem. Our team isn’t that weird.
How do you attach it and what size tubing?
We are planning on bolting together pieces of c-channel with brackets on top and bottom to secure every joint… This should be sturdy enough, but we shall see…
We are just a rookie team, so we have no idea how well this will work.
We have used fiberglass square tube in our last two robots,(2" for out first and 1" and 1.5" on our last) our source is the one listed further up in the post. What we learned is 1" square is a lot stronger than it looks. Put a small section of square steel tube or solid plastic in the ends where you need to drill through and you won’t have to worry about crushing the places where you bolt things together. The kit parts make good items to use for corners, or just an L of aluminium covering the joint with through bolts. Run a vacuum when cutting and just use a fine toothed hand powered hack saw, Power saws work but spread the dust all over the place. The tubes also come is sizes that will slide inside each other, both in round and square. Hope this helps
What exactly is lexan?