Hello,
I was under the impression that the use of acrylic (instead of polycarbonate) was illegal because of how it can splinter if it breaks. However, looking through the game manual I don’t see any mention of it being illegal. Is acrylic allowed on 2018 FRC robots?
I ask because we have easy access to a laser cutter which can do great cuts on acrylic, but not polycarb, which would be awesome for a couple electronic and aesthetic parts.
It’s not illegal, it’s just generally seen as a poor design choice. If it’s not taking any load it’s probably okay.
Acrylic is not inherently illegal. It just greatly increases your chances of violating R08.
Also don’t think for a second it’s safe from shattering anywhere on the robot. If it’s supporting a load, it’s going to take shock loading with every bump and bang. And if it’s not supporting a load or guarding anything, what’s it doing on your robot anyways?
If your laser cutter does thick enough plywood, though, that’s definitely something you can make useful things out of.
Acrylic’s not illegal, it’s just a bad choice for anything that might be exposed to forces. Like, a robot.