Plastic

VEX V5 General Discussion
1

So our team is using the flags from last years competition for our plastic parts because they fit within the thickness and they are non shattering so we were just wondering if it would ben allowed for us to paint over it or if the paint wouldn’t make it illegal just so we didn’t have the flags on the plastic the paint wouldn’t be thick just a thin coat but it wouldn’t make it not see through so just wondering if that would still work. (sorry for long run on question)

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That should be allowed. We did so last year without any trouble. I believe as long as it doesn’t interfere with any of the other bots systems and is purely for decoration it should be legal.

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As long as it serves no purpose other than decoration and isn’t painted a color that could interfere with other teams’ vision sensors (this year meaning shades of green, purple, or orange similar to those of the cubes), you should be good to go. Teams spray paint their robots all the time, so I don’t think painted plastic would be ruled on differently.

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I’m assuming that the flags are going to be in contact with the cubes. Would painting them change the surface of the flags in a way that would have an effect like more traction on them?

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I always just painted one side and used the non painted side to come in contact with field elements. I don’t really see a reason you’d need to paint both sides.

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thx yeah it’s not going to be any of the cube clots it going to be black or gray with a potato painted on it

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Now that it’s been well established that painting is legal, next, you need to make it work. Here’s how to paint polycarbonate so it doesn’t just peel off: clean the surface with soap and water, rinse with fresh water. Next, scuff sand the plastic with 120 grit sandpaper to a uniform roughness (a random-orbit power sander is best). Wipe the surface with a clean cloth and acetone, then use acrylic-enamel spray paint, preferably an “automotive quality.” Don’t try a latex or water-base pant, it will just peel.

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