Base Plate Materials

[Eventorizon]

What materials and thicknesses do people use as the base of their machines? I am looking to replace my Nylon 66 base, that NST shattered, with something else and I am debating over the material and thickness.

I have considered 3-5mmm Alu, a 2mm Ti and also this material called Cellite 220 which is 13.7mm thick (or 1/2 inch)

Here is the Cellite material link... http://www.trbls.com/buy-online.html

[harry hills]

Re: Base Plate Materials

i used 5mm alu, got pretty badly bent. 12mm hdpe has never failed me

[Eventorizon]

Re: Base Plate Materials

Ah yes, some of your wheels no longer touched the floor!

[maddox10]

Re: Base Plate Materials

We don't use a baseplate as structural member in our feathers.

A minimalistic frame and everything bolts to that.

For bottom armor, we have found that 5mm HDPE suffices.

[tweedermeister]

Re: Base Plate Materials

I'm using 15mm HDPE for mine

[craig_colliass]

Re: Base Plate Materials

With this type of question the answer really depends on the construction of the rest of the robot.

For example Tiny Toon has been constructed with a steel armour box that sits on the base plate as a result the base can be made out of relatively weak material. All it has to do is support the weight and hold all the pieces in position, the impact of any attack is carried round the welded box.
My robot Tron has a similar construction and has a base plate made from 6mm polycarbonate which is cracked! but the box that fits over this is 5mm welded steel sides and 3mm steel top.

Looking at your machine it looks like the armour parts are bolted direct to the base plate and so a lot of impact stress is transferred directly to the base plate, hence it's failure.

If you have the weight you may want to consider Hardox steel or equivalent, if not I would go for 12mm UHMWPE, this is the same material used on the wheels of Saint HW.
I would also consider some method of tying the armour together with steel plates.

Hope this helps

Craig

[typhoon_driver]

Re: Base Plate Materials

Can't beat some titanium. I use 2mm thick grade 5 on boner. Picked it up cheap on ebay.

[Eventorizon]

Re: Base Plate Materials

you are very right craig, it is almost entirely down to the build of the rest of the robot...

As far as we can tell from the damage, the 3 video angles we have of the fight, NST scored a direct hit on the base plate after he took my rear wheel off but the transfer of energy probably did not help.

The side pannels were held on by screwing them to a piece of 2mm Alu Angle, they are going to be replaces at 2 pieces came out without a single 90 point along their length.

Isn't UHMWPE similar to Nylon in its minimum crack size and its hardness, making it quite brittle as a result?

Would 2mm grade 2 Ti be sufficient?

[typhoon_driver]

Re: Base Plate Materials

well it works with boner because it's a relatively small rigid bot and the titanium stiffens everything up nicely. It can also take the hits on top from any axes going atm. It would probably bend or be cut through from a directly spinner hit to the 2mm but it's easy enough to hammer back into place with a decent sized hammer

[Eventorizon]

Re: Base Plate Materials

If I went with the Ti I would save enough weight to go from 20mm to 30mm of HDPE on all sides so it would make it much harder for a spinner to get through to touch the base itself...

When is the next full featherweight combat event? Is it the Robots live in september?

[jonny]

Re: Base Plate Materials

nope, the only uk full combat events are robochallenge ones.

[typhoon_driver]

Re: Base Plate Materials

if you are having to use 30mm HDPE then I would suggest a redesign of the bot.

[maddox10]

Re: Base Plate Materials

If I went with the Ti I would save enough weight to go from 20mm to 30mm of HDPE on all sides so it would make it much harder for a spinner to get through to touch the base itself...

1mm Ti= 4.5mm HDPE

When is the next full featherweight combat event? Is it the Robots live in september?

For us on the main land it's may 6th. In Antwerp.

[maddox10]

Re: Base Plate Materials

if you are having to use 30mm HDPE then I would suggest a redesign of the bot.

Hannibalito 3 uses a 10mm belt, and 20mm strips welded on reinforcing strips on the back corners.

[Eventorizon]

Re: Base Plate Materials

if you are having to use 30mm HDPE then I would suggest a redesign of the bot.

I am using 20 mm out of choice, the HDPE absorbed everything inertia xl could throw at it and, though it got ripped off cos of my poor attachment methods, withstood a full on NST hit as well. The extra 10mm would allow me to bolt rather than screw the base to the sides making it both stronger and easier to replace if damaged.

The design is very strong at the rear due to all of the interlocking and a joining parts, the front needs work to prevent pieces from being ripped away by spinners. The issue was the nylon did not provide a suitable material to bolt to as it was to brittle, Ti woill definatley work but the alternative is to turn to HDPE as a base