My team is looking for a more durable tread for the IFI wheels (maybe we’ll try attaching it to the AndyMark KoP wheels too), and I saw that many teams recommended using Rough Blue Nitrile Conveyor Belting from McMaster, but when I look at their catalog the thinnest they have is 3".
Did everyone cut theirs to size?
Is there another supplier that has 2” available?
What tread materials you would recommend?
We had our standard IFI treads for a 6x2" wheel come off, so we are looking at using pop rivets with a wider head - will Aluminum Blind Rivet with Steel Mandrel Wide Domed, 1/8" Dia, .251"-.375" thick, (McMaster part #97517A323) work better than the standard from IFI?
Everybody has their own preference. Blur nitrile lasts longer. We have been using it for 2 years now. Next season we are going to switch to the ones from AndyMark or order a whole roll of rubber roughtop/wedgetop from McMaster.
We had our standard IFI treads for a 6x2" wheel come off, so we are looking at using pop rivets with a wider head - will Aluminum Blind Rivet with Steel Mandrel Wide Domed, 1/8" Dia, .251"-.375" thick, (McMaster part #97517A323) work better than the standard from IFI?
Wider head may help. It depends on how your chassis is built. We have had rivets pop out before. We just drilled through it again and put a new rivet in.
Sorry if I’m being a strickler on the rules. But this was clearly not allowed according to the manual. You can’t use parts off of previous robots.
Note: Maybe you bought a second set for this year, however when I read your post it sounds like it lasted long enough that you could use it for multiple years. Now, with that all being said, I’m not trying to be rude or anything I just want to make sure that someone doesn’t read your post as I do and try it themselves. It would be awful if someone had to find a replacement part at a regional because of a misunderstanding.
I agree, they won’t last 2 years. After just 2 competitions, our wheels are starting to look rough, and all the rivets are well worn down. We aren’t going to change them for IRI, but we will be bringing along spares! We have a small chunk missing off of one of the wheels… I wonder how that happened?
On Topic:
We did order our blue nitrile from McMaster. We ordered a very large sheet for spares, maybe too much. We had a complete redesign for wheels this year trying to lose some weight. We experimented with IFI wheels and with the AM Performance wheels (which are 1"). We ended up not liking the IFI wheels due to their screw it together style, and a small gap for the CIM motors to cool. We ended up using our trial IFI wheel for our grabber.
PINK will be running the same treads at IRI that have been on the bot since Feb 17th and they show very little wear. They have been to 2 regionals, Atlanta, a few demos and off season practice and testing too.
mike d
You can cut pretty much any type of traction tread quite easily with a vertical bandsaw, just go grippy side down otherwise it’ll usually grab the blade.
part #= 5994K851 for 3" wide nitrile roughtop
if your doing 2"wide wheels just buy the 4" wide stuff and cut it in half it works quite nicely
A little trick 60 told me way back, put the material grip side down like Aren said, but on a piece of paper. It let’s it slide easier on the bandsaw and makes cutting much more convenient. You’ll need paper big enough of course, but we have a huge 3’ wide roll of butcher paper.
That’s the same way we’ve cut conveyor belt where I work. Gives you a nice crisp, clean cut. Just make sure you have a good blade otherwise you’ll be tearing the material and the knife may keep “grabbing” as you try to cut it.
Indeed, having a sharp blade will make things easier and safer. We cut from the bottom side. All I have to work on is making straight cuts; I’m pretty shaky with knifes, wires, etc… (Probably not good since I’ll be an electrical engineer soon. I can see so many bad things from being shaky.)