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

[harry hills]

my reasoning is that if your steel sides get bent inwards after an impact it may cripple your drive, it would more likly take a chunk of hdpe and throw the robot a little. having the thicker sides would also help to keep the front plate on.

[mattsdragons]

ah, i do see your thinking, there are pros and cons to both set-ups and both are about the same, its just which i decide to choose

[jonny]

10mm hdpe + 2mm steel bolted onto that

[Roland]

If you were to slope the sides and have them made of steel would it not just deflect the blow? then your top could be hdpe for as you said for axe blows?

[mattsdragons]

i was thinking 8mm hdpe to keep weight down and that would still protect against most axes and 4mm angled steel. or would i get away with 10mm hdpe?

[jonny]

it depends entirely on your design

[mattsdragons]

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

[Roland]

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]

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

[leorcc]

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.