Prototyping

Define

A crucial part of every season is prototyping, and doing so is definitely a very important skill to practice.

Learn about the different materials available to prototype, and how to utilize these
Analyze the 2017 game, Steamworks
- Design a entire-robot model, with included mechanisms
- Go through the whole prototyping process for a mechanism

Concept/CAD

To prototype this mechanism, we simply needed to create it in CAD and then cut it out to test. However, none of our group members were familiar with CAD making this a challenge. We recieved support from our CAD lead, Zoe, to complete this.

Sketch of the entire robot. Visible is a mechanism for an intake, a hopper, and a shooter at the very end.

This is our initial attempts at a sketch for a shooter. We used the game piece (black circle) and construction lines around it to create a shooter.

This is our final cut prototype. It includes 5 barrier walls on the outer edge to emulate a hood.

Implementation

Then, we needed to cut out and assemble the entire mechanism. We did this through a variety of clamping techniques in order to ensure that the shooter stayed together. Here are some pictures of the laser cutting process:

Final Assembly of the shooter

Test and Iterate

After assembly, we did a variety of testing to ensure that the shooter could shoot a desired distance away. We started out with minimal compression, which did not result in good shots. However, as we increased compression, the shots got better.

20251117_143923.mp4

IMG_0443.MOV

Both of the above videos showcase different compressions, with the latter showcasing better range. This is the final amount of compression we had on our balls:

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