Spring 2016 AdBot Materials Trade-off Study

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By Muhammad Maqbool (Manufacturing and Design)

There are many different types of material we used to finish our final design. The body and the arms of our AdBot were made of aluminum of 0.125” thickness that we obtained from McMaster. The reason for using aluminum instead of plastic was the size of our body and we wanted a strong and reliable material—something that would not fall apart. It was impossible to 3D print the body of our AdBot. Our president Ryland had access to welding tools and drill press; he helped us put the body together and did a pretty good job with it and we ended up saving a lot of money. Our major concern after the body was put together was the weight. The body is strong but it is heavy.

For our 3D printing material, we went with ABS plastic because:

  • ABS is stronger than PLA
  • Cost less
    • Easy to use
  • Heat-resistant
  • Water-resistant

Source: http://www.makergeeks.com