pros and cons of metal (steel mainly) and hdpe for robots?

[jonny]

Re: pros and cons of metal (steel mainly) and hdpe for robot

it depends entirely on your design

[mattsdragons]

Re: pros and cons of metal (steel mainly) and hdpe for robot

well, very compact and kinda like the new Carcinus re-build shape

[Roland]

Re: pros and cons of metal (steel mainly) and hdpe for robot

I think what Johnny means is you need to know the surface area you're going to need to cover, and then the weight of a certain amount of 10mm and 8mm hdpe so that you can times it up by whatever the ratio is. Then calculate the difference between the two weights, and whether or not it's worth sacrificing, pretty much based on your own opinion.

[jonny]

Re: pros and cons of metal (steel mainly) and hdpe for robot

yep, it also depends on the weight of your components. if you've got the weight for 10mm go for it

[leorcc]

Re: pros and cons of metal (steel mainly) and hdpe for robot

HDPE robots shells like our team uses on the Hannibalitos stand up to discs reasonably well. They look a mess after a tournament with lots of spinners, but nothing a hot air gun or old soldering iron cant fix. The key is thickness and flexibility. Our armour is mounted in such a way that it can absorb impacts rather than deflect them. It is best however to have HDPE made out of one solid piece. You can weld HDPE together with hot air and HDPE welding nozzle and material, but those welds are the weakest at all times.

Hardox is heavy, and very durable. It is not as easy to work with as HDPE but when working with Hardox you can get a more accurate sleaker design, as HDPE tends to warp a bit. If you going to weld or angle grind Hardox, try to keep the Hardox as cool as you can, as heat destroys the positive properties of Hardox.

[mattsdragons]

Re: pros and cons of metal (steel mainly) and hdpe for robot

i have got some checkered mild steel, everything from 2mm to 6mm (minus some 4mm) for the sides and i will probably have 8mm hdpe for the lid