I have noticed on the Q&A forum that teams have been looking for ways to build curved or circular bumpers to match the perimeter of their curved or circular drivetrain, most recently a post from 1158.
It is possible to bend plywood by scoring it on the table saw approx 90% of the way through, then bending it into position and gluing it back up. The more scores, and the closer together they are… the tighter the radius.
Cut the scores at an angle and you start to get some really neat curves.
Is this legal? Perhaps another Q&A is in order. I do believe one Q&A stated that it was legal to bend the plywood, but another stated that it was not legal to laminate your own.
Good luck with the curved bumpers. I’m looking forward to seeing some gracefully styled streamlined robots tearing up the track.
Jason… posting this idea on behalf of another one of the 1346 teachers who showed me this trick. Makes great grippers, too.
I’m guessing not legal. They won’t let you lighten the plywood, even with holes that only go partway through. If you are considering this, you should definitely ask Q&A.
Bending (in a steam cabinet, for example) would be one way to go.
Well, they do have very specific instructions in the rules on how exactly to make the bumpers and cutting slots in the wood is not in the “instructions.” The minimum length of each bumper piece is 6", so you could make several 6" sections and then just mount them in a curved pattern.
You’d also have to make sure that the maximum dimensions of the robot with bumpers was the robot dimensions + 3 1/2" on each side. So your frame itself would have to be a few inches smaller than max dimensions to accomodate this.
You’d actually have to ensure that no part of the bumper extended more than 3.5" outside your frame, no matter the size of your frame. Making a smaller frame doesn’t allow you to make a larger bumper.
