Society of Robots - Robot Forum

Mechanics and Construction => Mechanics and Construction => Topic started by: TK on February 07, 2007, 06:46:15 PM

Title: Is Styrofoam good
Post by: TK on February 07, 2007, 06:46:15 PM

Is styrofoam any good for buiding i have lots and i am just starting out

Title: Re: Is Styrofoam good
Post by: Admin on February 07, 2007, 07:00:24 PM

styrofoam for robots tutorial:
http://www.societyofrobots.com/materials_styrofoam.shtml

i dont really recommend using it except for robots in water

i built this robot boat using styrofoam:
http://www.societyofrobots.com/robot_thai_boat.shtml

Title: Re: Is Styrofoam good
Post by: TK on February 07, 2007, 07:07:22 PM

Will it make good protection in the sumo events and bot battles

Title: Re: Is Styrofoam good
Post by: Admin on February 07, 2007, 07:22:18 PM

styrofoam sheds when stuff cuts it . . . and i dont believe robots are allowed in these competitions to shed . . .

some foams are really hard . . . but it all depends on what kind of weapons you want to protect against. foam will stop blunt weapons, but nothing sharp . . .

Title: Re: Is Styrofoam good
Post by: Hal9000 on February 08, 2007, 05:38:07 AM

If you coat the styrofoam in a harder substance, then surely it wouldn't shed unless there were very large forces ripping it apart.

Sounds like a good idea, actually :)

Title: Re: Is Styrofoam good
Post by: wolfy_9005 on March 09, 2007, 06:57:26 AM

Styrofoam+fibreglass. Fibreglass takes the damage and transfers it to the styrofoam which absorbs some of it. Just watch you dont spill any petrol on it......we all know what that does(and even if u dont, im not gonna tell you and dont recomend it)

Title: Re: Is Styrofoam good
Post by: gamefreak on March 09, 2007, 12:37:30 PM

styrofoam melts when certain things touch it, and when it burns it lets of poisones fumes, when you cut it shavings go everywhere and get into the air.

Styrofoam might be good for shock absorbing but it is an eco disaster.

Title: Re: Is Styrofoam good
Post by: Admin on March 09, 2007, 04:28:25 PM

ive used styrofoam on a few robots and had no such eco-disasters ;D

my biggest complaint of styrofoam is that it has very poor precision . . .

Title: Re: Is Styrofoam good
Post by: gamefreak on March 09, 2007, 05:44:58 PM

well i mean styrofoam in general is an eco disaster.

Non biodegradable, non burnable, breaks into tiny little flakes, melts(and turns into something highly explosive, or so im told) when it touches gas. i dont think it can be recycled either.

styrofoam just is a bad idea, i see we go and get the person who invented it :D

Title: Re: Is Styrofoam good
Post by: Eco19R on March 09, 2007, 05:50:56 PM

You can make Napalm with it also.  :P

Most plastics are Eco disasters, recently they have come out with some biodegradable plastics but IDK if you can get any that come in sheet form.