Newbie starting out

[raidei]

Hi Im a new to creating robots and me and my older brother are very interested in this I was wondering what kind of tools and materials will I need to start off making a robot?

[tunna]

Newbie starting out

Usual garage tools drills, welder is usefull,
pedestal drill very usefull,saws,vice,and tons &tons of enthusiasm, for those long cold nights
of winter,
Der Boyz

[typhoon_driver]

Newbie starting out

honestly?

Any power tool u can get your hands on. Use whatever you have, school workshops etc and material wise depends what you wanna build

[jeremy_cuss]

Newbie starting out

Cameron,

There are a lot of links to roboteers websites on the Technobots site (http://www.technobots.co.ukhttp://www.technobots.co.uk), and I would advise you to look there for good ideas. Youll also get an idea of the cost of new components from the Technobots site. There are a lot of second-hand items advertised on this forum.

[typhoon_driver]

Newbie starting out

A great source of info

http://www.teamkiss.com/builder.htmhttp://www.teamkiss.com/builder.htm

[babeth]

Newbie starting out

And do not hesitate to ask questions. (Youve already made a good impression by asking a very very sensible question instead of the obnoxious how do I build a robot ?.) You will find people here will be glad to help.

Tools: see the above answers of other people.
Materials: that depends on what you want to build and how you can manage to keep the robot under the weight limit. It also depends on the size of your wallet or your contacts with people who have access to certain things like parts for your robot.
We advise not only metals but also plastics (like HDPE or polycarbonate) for armour. Try out combinations.
Go for a sturdy frame and - for instance - a way to make steel beams lighter without losing their strength is by drilling holes, every single gram counts. Youd be amazed. The best metals are also the most expensive but you can combine things. There is no law that says your robot has to be built completely with hardox. Titanium is another expensive example of stragically placed armour bits. Even aluminium has its place.
Shock-mount your electronics for they are the most vulnerable to bangs and hits even when completely encased in a protective box deep inside of your robot.
And what I have just written is not a gospel. Find your own way. Try experiments. Visit live events and watch and ask. Learn. Build. Develop.

[Guest]

Newbie starting out

My 2 pence worth

Build it around what you know.

Renforce all joints. (eg. the right angle bracket.)

Bolt armour to the frame. (use counter sunk heads wear possible)

put edging strip along the edges of the armour. (this makes a big differnce, more so with bolt-on armour)

Get the best motors you can aford.

If you are making a spinner weapon make sure the blade is balanced.

Make the armour thicker wear you think the most damage is going to happen.

For structural design use box, I, T, L or tube section as the strenght of the rod is in the surface not the core (though is section walls are to thin it can be deform and thus loss its strength).

If you are going to use steel try and see if you can get it case harden.
If you have access to flame weilding gear, use a mild steel or one with a higher carbon content, a 02 (oxerdizing) flame torch heat untill the surface is cherry red then cover with water (if it is a large area then you will have to have some pour the water behind the torch as you go a long)
PS. make the case small if its to big it will get ripped to peices