Moore Clans - Project Alfie

Project Alfie Featherweight Class... hey don't blame me, my kids picked the name, but i figured its their robot so they can call it what ever they like! :lol:

My kids spent some time doodling some designs they wanted for their robot in fact they chewed up over 30 sheets of printer paper doodling since the start of the school holidays on a design they liked jointly... which is saying something since an 11 year old and a 9 year old brother and sister can never get on :mrgreen:

so here's what they came up with.... ( no trolling my kids efforts please, that's my job!)

Attachment 6000 My daughters obsession with cheese is quite something, but you get the idea its a flipper...
Attachment 6001My Son's got a mean streak, guess he wants full drum carnage, can't say I blame him either.

I'm all one for building what the kids want, its just not very original, although nothing wrong with the base designs and i'm sure they are used effectively by others. I Want to make sure this machine is different, so with my kids i sat them down and did a fair few doodles myself and incorporated some of my own ideas and the kids in there.

So no laughing at my concept doodle... i'll CAD it up later once I can 'liberate' Rhino5 from work.

This is what we have come up with, two alternate versions depending on weight usage ( and if i can get the kids to stop arguing and agree, although at this rate i'll be building one of each just to shut them up!).
Either a Pneumatic flipper, or actuator lifting arm ( i'll work something out ) or flywheel spinner, we have based this machine to be 4 wheel drive using skid steering, and a huge plow type scoop at the front, mixing up a ram bot with a weapon of some kind, were still undecided on armor type, i'm feeling the need to just use 10mm HDPE with a steel scoop, but if we have the weight left over then i'll look at something more substantial.
I do understand that at present the machines ability to self right is probably non existent, which is something I'll look into but i'm actually not really concerned with either
This is overall the base concept to which our build will evolve from.
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Open to suggestions on possible changes, if I've ripped off an idea from someone else, apology's but tough, (you should know imitation is a sign of flattery)

Next up is a cardboard mock up ( kids want to build not play with cad, so i'll have to draw up later :p)

Loose the cut outs on the side, more corners for a spinner to latch onto. I'd round off edges where possible.
I'd also have the lifter scoop closer to the ground, but overall looks good

Some good suggestions there, I will definitely look more into the wheel housing 'cutouts' and rounder edges.

As for the scoop/lifter, i'm actually happy with its position, the scoop itself will have quite a sheer so if is running flat to the deck it should have no issue pushing under another bot, which in turn will allow the arm to come into play, this is also a bit of a design feature to reduce damage to the lifting arm done by spinner bot's, I've seen one to many spinners grab hold and chew up the leading edges of wedges and scoops which if the arm is part of the low point risks seriously damaging or ripping the arm clean off.

I've no idea if this will be effective so its trial and error, which i guess i'll find out for sure once the kids take it for a test drive, but for now I am under the impression its going to reduce my repair work and allow the arm to function correctly regardless if the scoop edge is torn to hell.

On a side note i did base this on the way some of the flipper bots use their flippers by pushing the bot back onto itself rather then up in the air, to which adding some protection to the lifter/flipper.

But please keep suggestions coming or improvements coming, it helps!

Clearly the kids gave up after about an hour of arguing over the scissors, tomorrow the wifes going to pick up a 2nd pair... so while the kids decided to go play in minecraft they left me alone to mess about on autodesk.

To which I've started to mock up the front scoop, i think i'll refer to this as a dozer blade since that more accurate in representation. I think i'll try to get this model 3D printed if a friends printer bed is 260x400 since the robots base dimensions are working out to roughly 240x380mm. If not, i'll old school wooden template mockup.

Attachment 6009

I like how everyone mocks up in wood n I build the finished item in wood :-(

Don't be to discouraged, all my model (boats) are wood!!! i guess wood on a combat robot will only serve so far, budget & ability's all come into play when taking on any project regardless of what it happens to be, one thing i know... no matter what you do in any hobby, if your having fun then nothing else matters!!

Fyi...you can laminate ply wood with Carbon fiber cloth or kevlar it will make your 'wood' last a lot longer & tougher, weight addition is subject to testing, as epoxy add's weight ( and it can be a lot if your not careful), but if you get a good laminate going, possibly using a vacuum lamination technique or a decent application method in using rollers to squeeze out as much excess as possible the weight addition compared to strength it no doubt worth the effort, which was actually my first though going into this project, making up a mold and making new shells out of GRP & CF would cost me nothing but time.

I am half tempted to pull out my foundry and cast parts with recycled soda cans, free aluminum, casting is the 'poor mans' CNC machine in today's world!, just youtube casting, you can use your ''''wood''''' as former's if your going to sand cast, or if you got some left over foam board, u can make up parts can cast using the loss wax technique.

Other options if your like me and can recycle things effectively, youtube again... look up recycling HDPE, something you will have access to freely, milk cartons, bottle tops, just slice em up put on grease proof paper on a baking tray then in the oven for an hour at 175C, till is pliable ( like gum), you can make patterns if you keep turning the plastic, then form into blocks buy compressing the very hot gum like consistently into a mold, do it fast mind ( more use for your wood again) and let it cool, break out the mold and then just use it as you would a sheet, hand tools, power tools w/e.

Recycled robots... cheap but still effective!

If you ever wanted to move on from wood just go to HDPE. Same tools work in exactly the same way, you basically work HDPE as you would wood.

First set of basic models are done for the flipper/lifter version, once the kids are settled on which they want i'll start the more detailed CAD version in an attempt to build in details.

So here's the overall view of what we have so far... enjoy

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Updated post.... i did a quick render of the Spinner, i'll work on it ...
Attachment 6014

again any advice, improvements, suggestions please post. learning from your experience only betters my kids kicking ya butts

The kids have settled on which robot they want, fortunately they have picked the lifter/flipper version which pleases me no end as its easier to build given the weight restraint.

This magic weight limit although sounds very large 13.6kg isn't that much once you start adding armor to, well a brick of a machine to be honest.

So keeping that in mind, I've had some sample materials arrive in the post, i was aiming to use hardox for the armor but its not easy getting hold of the correct thickness 3-4mm is near impossible at the moment, unless someone knows a source.

SO my samples that arrives are a sheet of polycarbonate, a sheet of lexan ( both in 3 and 5mm) and some sample 1.5mm titanium as well as some titanuim zink mix which has been anodized to take colour.

I can now experiment with each material to see which one of these maybe a good choice for armor. it also gives me some practice welding on titanium (something I've not done before)
These are purly samples to experiment with to which i can judge to see which material will make a suitable armor.
I am looking to use HDPE for the internal structure/bulkheads, and possibly an aluminum chassis. all subject to change at the moment. but for now this is my rough direction.

I'll know more once I've done some tests on the materials i have and I've spent some decent time in CAD making up a more detailed model of the machine.


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HDPE is great to work with, and super light. I really like it since I started using it. However once you've got your CAD designs down, you can order waterjet-cut Hardox from K-Cut in England. It was one-way delivery for me, and they're very good about turning diagrams into parts. They'll supply the metal.

My only concern with using Hardox or other metal is the weight, i've no experience with newfangled metals so its hard to judge if my design even CAD up and waterjet cut will be suitable once bolted together.

I've looked at using 'online material calculators' but again those are only a 'guide' to which still isn't overall helpful in determining the built machines weight.

There are also conflicting arguments on what thickness of materials to be using on parts, chassis, armor, bulkheads etc etc...

maybe someone could enlighten me from battle tested scars what works well for specific materials and sections/parts, alui chassis, HDPE, steel?

to be honest my very first though was to go in an make this entirely from HDPE with a steel dozer blade, or completely of 3mm steel sheet and Swiss cheese it to reduce weight.

anyones thoughts on that? again i'm aware spinners vs steel is a bit of a lost cause, but for the kids first robot to get them started its a cheap option but heavy duty option but also steel can be heat treated... so i'm leaning towards experimenting their too.

to many theory's... need some definitive answers...