carbon fiber

[suvv]

hi folks i need to shed some weight on my bot and i have found these on ebay:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2615050086...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
and i was wondering if anyone had used them before and if so are they any good

[Eventorizon]

There are better ways IMO to loose weight on a machine. The old Razer 'Swiss Cheese' style can be very efficient if you think carefully about where you drill the holes. Smaller battery perhaps? Can you loose weight in the wiring by making it more efficiently loomed? Downsize your weapon motor (if you have one)? Even removing the case off your RX can save 5g if that is what you need.

[overkill]

The CF sheet you linked to is only for looks and has very low mechanical strength - its not suitable for use in combat bots at all. CF can save weight in bots if you are careful; I use it for mounting all the electronics and Decimator uses it for top & bottom cover panels. It is really useless as armour and you have to be careful about mounting points; always use a washer to distribute loads or the CF can crack around the screw heads.

[cavecrusher]

Caaaaarbootanium!!

[Ellis]

Carbotanium: how does it work? Very simple. The strength comes from how awesome it sounds to say you have it on your robot. What a time to be alive.

[cavecrusher]

Well, at the end of the competition everyone was saying it, so it's strength was a mix between legendary and mythical.

Shame those don't work well in real world applications......

[Ellis]

They do, but only if you truly believe.

[suvv]

i was planning to use it for the top panel on my bot but from the sounds of it this would more be a waste of time and money

[overkill]

It depends on what the original panel weighed and how much CF saves. If the panel is just a cover and is not going to get direct hits then a better quality CF sheet would work. Have a look at Decimator's build log to see how it uses CF sheets to support the drive motors: http://www.robowars.org/forum/viewto...=2023&start=75 The CF is a little scuffed up after two events but still works perfectly.

Your other option is Garolite G10 sheets. This is a fibreglass composite sheet and is MUCH cheaper than CF. It is bit more flexible, a little heavier and available in a wide variety of thicknesses.

[suvv]

the problem i have is i have no top or rear made and its sitting at 1350kg ish (+/-2) and i have a choice or 6mm polly or 2mm polly i was originally going to have the whole thing out of 6mm with a 12mm front plate to absorb impacts and drive opposition ware i desire etc and i have got that far but i try to do the top in 6mm it will kick the weight way into out of bounds

[Max]

250g is about enough for an 180x180x6mm piece of polycarbonate, what are the dimensions of your robot?

[suvv]

quite big its 220mmx200mmx40mm its a 6 wheel drive pusher though i can see myself going back to basics and making something that works and going from there

[suvv]

that gives you some idea of its size

[beast]

Why do people cover their bots in so called armour , I just don't understand lol

[suvv]

i accept that its like using tinfoil to stop a tank but its the thought that counts