Black material

[Roboflex]

Hello! We are new to vex and we want to know how does this black material that everyone uses is called? What is the reason that everyone uses it? Can we build an intake without it or what we could use instead?

[nnolte]

This is the VEX supplied material: Anti-Slip Mat (2-types) - VEX Robotics
Any commercially available equivalent is OK.

[Hagan_60883A]

That’s anti slip matting, like @nnolte said, you can find it commercially at a cheaper price and it is still legal.

Also to answer your other question it is possible to build an intake without the matting, most teams just find their intakes better with the matting as well.

[Cagoss85]

@nnolte

This is the VEX supplied material: Anti-Slip Mat (2-types) - VEX Robotics
Any commercially available equivalent is OK.

While this is true, a ref told us at our regional comp last year that any piece needs to be smaller than the mat that vex sells. If a piece of the mat is bigger, its technically not identical to a vex sold product

[Got_a_Screw_Loose]

@Cagoss85

While this is true, a ref told us at our regional comp last year that any piece needs to be smaller than the mat that vex sells. If a piece of the mat is bigger, its technically not identical to a vex sold product

Clarification: A piece can be the same size as the Vex antislip. It does not have to be smaller.

[Vyx]

You can build an intake without it but the grip it provides is hard to match with alternatives

[action000]

@Cagoss85

While this is true, a ref told us at our regional comp last year that any piece needs to be smaller than the mat that vex sells. If a piece of the mat is bigger, its technically not identical to a vex sold product

It cannot be bigger. Last year at Worlds during inspection, they had us have the teams cut their matting to pass inspection. I told kids to just go back the pits and use zipties to create a seam to connect them back together.

[Hagan_60883A]

@action000

It cannot be bigger. Last year at Worlds during inspection, they had us have the teams cut their matting to pass inspection. I told kids to just go back the pits and use zipties to create a seam to connect them back together.

I was unaware of this limit. Does anyone know a good way to check if your matting is of legal size? We have a lot of matting in different parts of our bot.

[NyQuil]

@Hagan_60883A

I was unaware of this limit. Does anyone know a good way to check if your matting is of legal size? We have a lot of matting in different parts of our bot.

What action000 is saying is that you can not use a single piece bigger than the mat vex sells. You can use as much as you want, just as long as the pieces you are using are smaller than vex’s mat

[Hagan_60883A]

@NyQuil

What action000 is saying is that you can not use a single piece bigger than the mat vex sells. You can use as much as you want, just as long as the pieces you are using are smaller than vex’s mat

Thanks, I understand that part. The roll of matting we cut pieces from was 18” by 10’ I believe. This means some of our pieces while of the same area may have different dimensions, should we look into fixing that?

[Xenon]

antislip mat, one of the most useful things in vex.

[Got_a_Screw_Loose]

@Xenon

antislip mat, one of the most useful things in vex.

Anyislip mat: one of the most useful thinks in Vex that I don’t have at the lab. Along with rubber links, shoulder screws, and foam.

[Xenon]

@Got a Screw Loose

Anyislip mat: one of the most useful thinks in Vex that I don’t have at the lab. Along with rubber links, shoulder screws, and foam.

splendid. whats a shoulder screw tho?

[Got_a_Screw_Loose]

@Xenon

splendid. whats a shoulder screw tho?

Shoulder screws are those screws that you can use as joints in, say, a lift. But with screws that have less room to move around inside of square holes.

[Xenon]

@Got a Screw Loose

Shoulder screws are those screws that you can use as joints in, say, a lift. But with screws that have less room to move around inside of square holes.

ah okay thanks