Lego parts on a v5 robot

[Parker_wood]

Can you use Lego parts on a v5 robot ? It says you can use abs which is the material Lego is made of but need to know if Lego parts would be legal.

[lacsap]

Read the rules - then check that the thickness of Lego parts meets the requirements of the rules.

Please come back with specific rules you think satisfy your robot needs.

[Gigahertz.t]

I doubt legos are that thin

[nnolte]

Hi @Parker_wood, welcome to the VEX Forum!

@Parker_wood

It says you can use abs

You may be referring to item D in <R18>:

<R18> A limited amount of custom plastic is allowed. Robots may use custom-made parts cut from certain types of non-shattering plastic. It must be possible to have cut all of the plastic parts on the Robot from a single 12” x 24” sheet, up to 0.070” thick.

a. The intent of the area/thickness constraints is to limit the number of custom plastic parts used in Robot construction, not to define an absolute volume. For example, using a sheet which is 0.035” thick does not permit two 12” x 24” sheets’ worth of parts.
b. Plastic parts do not have to be literally cut from the same original 12” x 24” sheet. However, all individual parts must be able to “nest” or rearrange into a 12” x 24” area.
i. A collection of parts which theoretically have a total surface area of 288 in2, but cannot be nested onto a single 12” x 24” sheet, would not be legal. See Figure 36.
c. Plastic may be mechanically altered by cutting, drilling, bending, etc. It cannot be chemically treated, melted, or cast. Heating polycarbonate to aid in bending is acceptable.
d. Legal plastic types include polycarbonate (Lexan), acetal monopolymer (Delrin), acetal copolymer (Acetron GP), POM (acetal), ABS, PEEK, PET, HDPE, LDPE, Nylon (all grades), Polypropylene, and FEP.
e. Shattering plastic, such as PMMA (also called Plexiglass, Acrylic, or Perspex), is prohibited.
f. The PET Sheet Variety Pack (276-8340), sold by VEX, is considered “plastic” in the context of this rule, and is subject to the same limitations as “off-the-shelf” plastic sheets.
g. This rule does not apply to 3D printed plastic parts. 3D printed parts are not permitted in the VEX Robotics Competition, except as non-functional decorations (per <R8>) or as custom License Plates (per <R9>).

Note that the entirety of <R18> is about using legal custom plastic cut from a sheet. Lego parts would not be cut from a sheet, so even though they may be made of ABS, they would not be legal as functional parts on a VRC robot.

However, you are allowed to add non-functional decorations on your robot, and it would be legal to use Lego parts for that. Note that non-functional means that it cannot be used to provide any function to your robot, or in other words your robot must still function the same even if the decorations are removed.

[lacsap]

@nnolte

Note that the entirety of is about using legal custom plastic cut from a sheet.

Actually, recent Q&A permits pre-formed (bent) materials from previous game elements, so “cut from sheet” has wiggle room…

that said - thickness criteria is paramount in any use of plastic material.

[T1mH]

That QA about re-using a field element was from a previous year wasn’t it?

Using a field element made from a sheet of plastic of the appropriate thickness with a bend in it is a far cry from lego. Lego can only be used as a non-functional decoration.

[Tjorne.wesley02]

What is the application of the Legos? I believe that if they are just for cosmetic purposes only then they are allowed.