Robot packaging
Make room for moving mechanisms, game pieces, wires, tools, and repairs.
Packaging means arranging the 's parts so they fit and work together. It includes the empty space needed for motion, wiring, , and maintenance.
Start with a layout sketch, then check the design as a three-dimensional assembly. Two parts can look clear in a side view while occupying the same space across the robot's width.
Reserve space early
Place the battery, hubs, switch, large , and major before filling the remaining space with custom parts. Use simple when a detailed model would slow the work down.
Make each block large enough for the hardware you will install. A hub needs room for plugged-in connectors and cable bends, not just its case. A battery needs a path into and out of its holder. A slide assembly needs its carriage, string, mounting hardware, and moving cables.
Model a larger keep-out region around components where another part must not go. Keep-outs can represent a wheel's swept space, a cable bend, or the room needed to operate a latch.
Check the full motion
An is the space occupied by something over its intended movement. Inspect the positions between the start and finish, especially where an arm passes a frame rail or a cable changes direction.
Use a small table to choose the combinations that need checking:
| Robot state | Check |
|---|---|
| Stowed | Size limits, game pieces held on the robot, switch access |
| Pickup | Floor , opening, nearby wheels |
| Transfer | Alignment, movement of both mechanisms, support under the game piece |
| Scoring | Reach, field contact, cable travel, stability |
| Recovery | A safe way back after a miss or partial movement |
Also test combinations that permits. A wrist may fit with the lift raised but hit the frame while the lift retracts. Either change the parts to give it room or add and test a software interlock: a rule in the code that prevents that unsafe movement.
Leave room for variation
Clearance is intentional space between parts. is the permitted variation in a . A nominal 1 mm gap can disappear when manufacturing error, assembly play, and deflection act together.
For a simple example, suppose two parts can each shift 0.5 mm toward a gap and the loaded mechanism can deflect another 1 mm. Those contributions could consume 2 mm of the nominal space. Choose a margin for the remaining uncertainty and verify it on the robot; this is not a universal clearance recommendation.
Use Fits and tolerances for a more detailed check. Pay particular attention to flexible rollers, slide play, and loaded far from their .
Check assembly and repairs
Trace the order in which parts are installed. A trapped nut is useful only if you can insert it before closing the pocket. A shaft needs an insertion path and a way to remove its hardware.
Place a simple cylinder along a screw's axis to represent driver access. Include the real tool head and room to turn it where space is tight. Check how you would replace the intake roller or remove a damaged at an event.
Try a battery change with a cardboard mock-up if the arrangement is difficult to on screen. Test the cable route through the complete mechanism travel before securing the harness.
Review with the team
Go through the assembly with a builder and a programmer. Talk through how you will assemble it, find the mechanisms’ starting positions, drive it, stop it, and repair it. Fix any missing space or unclear movement before sending parts to be made.
Use Assembly and serviceability and Wiring layout for the next checks.