Zip ties vs polycarbonate on trays

I’ve seen some teams use zip ties for their tray and I’m wondering how they compare to polycarbonate. Are they just as effective? Are there any drawbacks? Pros? Cons? U get the idea

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My team uses plastic from the turning point flags, which are the perfect size for our tray, and are probably stronger than zip ties… I’m not sure how well zip ties work, but I imagine they have very little friction if done right.

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I’m considering using zip ties for my tray since they are significantly cheaper and lighter, there is a limit to the amount of polycarbonate(lexan) that you’re allowed . The 11 inch zip ties are included in he super kit

Could anyone share a picture of zipties on a tray?

This is technically illegal just a fyi, the rules say you have to get all the lexan from the same sheet

No, it just says, the same amount as a certain size sheet, which ends up being just under 6 flags.

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https://www.robotevents.com/VRC/2019-2020/QA/360

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a single 12” x 24” sheet up to 0.070” thick .
This means you can only use one sheet cuz it’s a single sheet

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ummmmm…I don’t think you’re going to pass inspection with TP flags on your robot…

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We already did.

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Go to the Q&A link that I sent earlier in this thread.

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I know you did, I think it should be legal, I’m just saying someone could call you on it if u use more than one

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I’ll tell that to my team, we’ll probably change it just in case.

What is the best way to attach the zip ties, in addition, how are you suppose to keep them flat? I’ve tried multiple methods for attaching them to my L-Channels, but they don’t stay flat.

The rule reads “as cut from a single 12” x 24" sheet…" That “as” is important. Past interpretations have noted that a singe sheet source is not the limit you are constrained to. The limit is in total area and maximum single dimension.

Suppose your bot used a full sheet in multiple pieces and you were to break one of those pieces and need to replace it. Under your logic, you would need to re-cut every piece are rebuild.

Beyond that, how could an inspector know if one piece of plastic came from the same sheet as another.

You should be able to use as many TP flags as you can set into a 12"x24" rectangle.

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Nice, was just about to post that and the definition of “as”:

To be safe you should have a template drawing showing your usage.

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I feel as if the game manual should clarify on that rule.
It would clear a lot of confusion

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We used 3 flags this past weekend and easily passed through inspections.

To add on to this, during manufacturing VEX probably created the flags in one attached giant sheet of poly carb, and then laser cut them at the end of production. As a result, the flags did technically come from a single sheet of polycarb. Please dont judge this terrible logic :slight_smile:

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