Plastic Antweights - Revision history

RobotRobot: Fix dead links (Oct 2026 link check): replace moved pages, remove discontinued products and closed stores

2026-10-17T14:38:42Z

Fix dead links (Oct 2026 link check): replace moved pages, remove discontinued products and closed stores

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:38, 17 October 2026
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	===PLA===		===PLA===
	PLA is inexpensive, but brittle.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIH-HS-SScY] It is the most common 3D printing filament. It rarely warps in use and is great for tiny parts.[https://~~shop.prusa3d~~.com/~~fotky~~/~~PLA_TechSheet_ENG.pdf~~] It's a great starter material, and recommended for printing prototype parts. Many builders prefer other plastics, especially for their active weapons or armor. Pure PLA is made from cornstarch[https://all3dp.com/2/what-is-pla-plastic-material-properties/] and gives off a corn syrup odor which reminds some people of waffles.		PLA is inexpensive, but brittle.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIH-HS-SScY] It is the most common 3D printing filament. It rarely warps in use and is great for tiny parts.[https://prusament.com/materials/pla/] It's a great starter material, and recommended for printing prototype parts. Many builders prefer other plastics, especially for their active weapons or armor. Pure PLA is made from cornstarch[https://all3dp.com/2/what-is-pla-plastic-material-properties/] and gives off a corn syrup odor which reminds some people of waffles.

	===PLA+===		===PLA+===

RobotRobot: Add SPARC navigation box

2026-10-17T05:34:30Z

Add SPARC navigation box

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:34, 17 October 2026
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	===OTHER===		===OTHER===
	Individual events can allow other plastics that meet the intent of the rules. If you are really itching to use another kind of plastic like HIPS, contact your event organizer and see what they say. If you want to use a durable or high performance plastic like nylon, you should just build for the open-ant class.		Individual events can allow other plastics that meet the intent of the rules. If you are really itching to use another kind of plastic like HIPS, contact your event organizer and see what they say. If you want to use a durable or high performance plastic like nylon, you should just build for the open-ant class.

			{{SPARC documents}}

RobotRobot: Link current SPARC Plastic class rules; note allowed materials

2026-10-17T05:31:09Z

Link current SPARC Plastic class rules; note allowed materials

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:31, 17 October 2026
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	[[File:Plastic_Full_Body_Spinner.jpg\|thumb\|An example of a plastic ant full body spinner]]		[[File:Plastic_Full_Body_Spinner.jpg\|thumb\|An example of a plastic ant full body spinner]]

	'''[http://westernalliedrobotics.com Western Allied Robotics]''' introduced '''Plastic Antweights''' (also called "'''Plastic Ants'''" or just "'''Plants'''") in 2015. Since then they have rapidly gained popularity, and '''[~~https://sparc.tools/~~ SPARC]''' has adopted rules for their use.		'''[http://westernalliedrobotics.com Western Allied Robotics]''' introduced '''Plastic Antweights''' (also called "'''Plastic Ants'''" or just "'''Plants'''") in 2015. Since then they have rapidly gained popularity, and '''[[SPARC]]''' has adopted '''[[SPARC Restricted Class Regulations\|rules for their use]]'''.

	The spirit of the Plastic Ant class is to have an easy entry point for new builders, and to encourage creative designs by limiting materials to easy-to-use plastics that are commonly used in [[3D Printing\|3D printers]], which don’t have strength characteristics common in the standard classes. These limitations not only make the class easy to build for, but have encouraged a lot of creative designs not otherwise seen in the full-combat 1lb antweight class.		The spirit of the Plastic Ant class is to have an easy entry point for new builders, and to encourage creative designs by limiting materials to easy-to-use plastics that are commonly used in [[3D Printing\|3D printers]], which don’t have strength characteristics common in the standard classes. These limitations not only make the class easy to build for, but have encouraged a lot of creative designs not otherwise seen in the full-combat 1lb antweight class.
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	== Allowed Plastics ==		== Allowed Plastics ==
			The current '''[[SPARC Restricted Class Regulations\|SPARC Plastic class rules]]''' ({{SPARC Restricted Class Regulations}}) allow custom parts FDM/FFF 3D printed from PLA, PLA+, PET, PETG, PCTG, ABS, or ASA. Blends and composites such as carbon fiber PLA aren't allowed. Check your event's rules, since some events differ.

	===PLA===		===PLA===

Chklnk: Update links SPARC; printed vs not

2024-04-30T05:02:11Z

Update links SPARC; printed vs not

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:02, 30 April 2024
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	[[File:Plastic_Full_Body_Spinner.jpg\|thumb\|An example of a plastic ant full body spinner]]		[[File:Plastic_Full_Body_Spinner.jpg\|thumb\|An example of a plastic ant full body spinner]]
	~~'''Plastic Antweights''' <br>~~
	In 2015 [http://westernalliedrobotics.com Western Allied Robotics] introduced a new robot class called Plastic Antweights. The robot class has gained popularitity and the [http://sparc.tools/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/SPARC_Robot_Construction_Specifications_v1.3.pdf rules] set has been adopted by [http://sparc.tools/ SPARC].
	~~<br>~~

	~~The spirit of the~~ Plastic ~~Antweight classe is to~~ have ~~an easy entry point for new builders~~, and ~~to encourage creative designs by limiting materials to easy-to-work-with plastics that are commonly used in~~ [~~[3D Printing\|3D printers~~]~~], which don’t have strength characteristics common in the standard classes. These limitations not only make the class easy to build~~ for~~, but have encouraged a lot of creative designs which may not have been tried in the full-combat 1lb antweight class~~.		'''[http://westernalliedrobotics.com Western Allied Robotics]''' introduced '''Plastic Antweights''' (also called "'''Plastic Ants'''" or just "'''Plants'''") in 2015. Since then they have rapidly gained popularity, and '''[https://sparc.tools/ SPARC]''' has adopted rules for their use.

	It is ~~important~~ to ~~note~~ that ~~plenty~~ of non-plastic materials can be used in ~~parts~~ of the robot class. Foam is allowed for ~~wheels and~~ internal shock absorption. Metal fasteners can be used as long as they don't act as armor or weapon impactors.		The spirit of the Plastic Ant class is to have an easy entry point for new builders, and to encourage creative designs by limiting materials to easy-to-use plastics that are commonly used in [[3D Printing\|3D printers]], which don’t have strength characteristics common in the standard classes. These limitations not only make the class easy to build for, but have encouraged a lot of creative designs not otherwise seen in the full-combat 1lb antweight class.

			==Important Notes==
			Many if not most events will require plastic parts to be ''only'' 3D printed. This is primarily to prevent people fielding robots with solid milled plastic parts that are much stronger than a printed version of the same. However, other types of parts may be affected; for example, ABS sheet material might be disallowed as well. If in doubt, always check local rules or discuss with your event organizer.

			Plenty of non-plastic materials can be used in portions of the Plastic Ant robot class. Foam and other soft materials are allowed for internal shock absorption, as well as on wheels/tires for suitable traction. Metal fasteners can be used as long as they don't act as armor or weapon impactors. Where screws appear on the surface they should be countersunk or shrouded to meet this requirement.

	~~The [[3D Printing]] page lists numerous bot designs on Thingiverse that can be printed, but most events do not require the robots to be printed.~~

	== Allowed Plastics ==		== Allowed Plastics ==
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	===PET===		===PET===
	PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) is somewhat brittle so it isn't the best choice for robot parts that are likely to receive damage but it is very ~~ridgid~~ and can be useful for parts where rigidity is key.		PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) is somewhat brittle so it isn't the best choice for robot parts that are likely to receive damage but it is very rigid and can be useful for parts where rigidity is key.

	===PETG===		===PETG===

User: /* Allowed Plastics */ "Other" category.

2021-12-07T05:31:09Z

Allowed Plastics: "Other" category.

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:31, 7 December 2021
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	===ABS===		===ABS===
	ABS is a strong and reasonably impact-resistant material at a moderate price, but warps easily and smells worse while printing. Its low density makes it one of the lightest of all printable plastics (PLA is about 20% heavier for the exact same print). You'll probably need to print it in an enclosure for best results; this keeps its temperature even during printing, so that it only shrinks after printing instead of curling or warping during printing. Many hobbyists ventilate the enclosure to the outdoors with fan(s) due to the odor.		ABS is a strong and reasonably impact-resistant material at a moderate price, but warps easily and smells worse while printing. Its low density makes it one of the lightest of all printable plastics (PLA is about 20% heavier for the exact same print). You'll probably need to print it in an enclosure for best results; this keeps its temperature even during printing, so that it only shrinks after printing instead of curling or warping during printing. Many hobbyists ventilate the enclosure to the outdoors with fan(s) due to the odor.

			===OTHER===
			Individual events can allow other plastics that meet the intent of the rules. If you are really itching to use another kind of plastic like HIPS, contact your event organizer and see what they say. If you want to use a durable or high performance plastic like nylon, you should just build for the open-ant class.

Chklnk: Light editing

2021-11-13T20:22:44Z

Light editing

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:22, 13 November 2021
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	<br>		<br>

	The spirit of the Plastic Antweight classe is to have an easy entry point for new builders and to encourage creative designs by limiting materials to ~~plastics that are~~ easy to work with, commonly used in [[~~3D_Printing~~\|3D printers]] ~~and~~ don’t have strength characteristics common in the standard classes. These limitations not only make the class easy to build for, but have encouraged a lot of creative designs which may not have been tried in the full-combat antweight class.		The spirit of the Plastic Antweight classe is to have an easy entry point for new builders, and to encourage creative designs by limiting materials to easy-to-work-with plastics that are commonly used in [[3D Printing\|3D printers]], which don’t have strength characteristics common in the standard classes. These limitations not only make the class easy to build for, but have encouraged a lot of creative designs which may not have been tried in the full-combat 1lb antweight class.
	~~<br>~~

	It is important to note that plenty of non-plastic materials can be used in parts of the robot class. Foam is allowed for wheels and internal shock ~~absorbtion~~. Metal fasteners can be used as long as they don't act as armor or weapon impactors.		It is important to note that plenty of non-plastic materials can be used in parts of the robot class. Foam is allowed for wheels and internal shock absorption. Metal fasteners can be used as long as they don't act as armor or weapon impactors.
	~~<br>~~

	The [[3D Printing]] page lists numerous bot designs on ~~Thingaverse~~ that can be printed but most events do not require the robots to be printed.		The [[3D Printing]] page lists numerous bot designs on Thingiverse that can be printed, but most events do not require the robots to be printed.

	== Allowed Plastics ==		== Allowed Plastics ==

User: Added plastic description for allowed plastics

2021-11-13T04:09:14Z

Added plastic description for allowed plastics

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:09, 13 November 2021
Line 11:		Line 11:

	The [[3D Printing]] page lists numerous bot designs on Thingaverse that can be printed but most events do not require the robots to be printed.		The [[3D Printing]] page lists numerous bot designs on Thingaverse that can be printed but most events do not require the robots to be printed.

			== Allowed Plastics ==

			===PLA===
			PLA is inexpensive, but brittle.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIH-HS-SScY] It is the most common 3D printing filament. It rarely warps in use and is great for tiny parts.[https://shop.prusa3d.com/fotky/PLA_TechSheet_ENG.pdf] It's a great starter material, and recommended for printing prototype parts. Many builders prefer other plastics, especially for their active weapons or armor. Pure PLA is made from cornstarch[https://all3dp.com/2/what-is-pla-plastic-material-properties/] and gives off a corn syrup odor which reminds some people of waffles.

			===PLA+===
			Various manufacturers offer "PLA+" and/or "Tough PLA," which are modified PLA filaments that are meant to be less brittle. With an acrylic additive, for instance, it may show much better impact resistance.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAoZCpXoPWo] Inland and eSun claim their PLA+ products are 10x stronger than regular PLA.

			===PET===
			PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) is somewhat brittle so it isn't the best choice for robot parts that are likely to receive damage but it is very ridgid and can be useful for parts where rigidity is key.

			===PETG===
			PETG (a copolyester) is more heat resistant, more flexible, and less brittle than PLA.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAoZCpXoPWo] It is well suited for 3D printing mechanical parts. Since it is more likely to flex under impact its resilience may be useful to the bot builder, but it is 2-3% heavier than PLA. Observe manufacturer's recommendations when printing, as it tends to stick very strongly to smooth print beds. You'll notice a fairly mild hot-plastic odor when printing.

			===ABS===
			ABS is a strong and reasonably impact-resistant material at a moderate price, but warps easily and smells worse while printing. Its low density makes it one of the lightest of all printable plastics (PLA is about 20% heavier for the exact same print). You'll probably need to print it in an enclosure for best results; this keeps its temperature even during printing, so that it only shrinks after printing instead of curling or warping during printing. Many hobbyists ventilate the enclosure to the outdoors with fan(s) due to the odor.

User at 04:58, 20 October 2021

2021-10-20T04:58:40Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:58, 20 October 2021
Line 3:		Line 3:
	In 2015 [http://westernalliedrobotics.com Western Allied Robotics] introduced a new robot class called Plastic Antweights. The robot class has gained popularitity and the [http://sparc.tools/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/SPARC_Robot_Construction_Specifications_v1.3.pdf rules] set has been adopted by [http://sparc.tools/ SPARC].		In 2015 [http://westernalliedrobotics.com Western Allied Robotics] introduced a new robot class called Plastic Antweights. The robot class has gained popularitity and the [http://sparc.tools/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/SPARC_Robot_Construction_Specifications_v1.3.pdf rules] set has been adopted by [http://sparc.tools/ SPARC].
	<br>		<br>

	The spirit of the Plastic Antweight classe is to have an easy entry point for new builders and to encourage creative designs by limiting materials to plastics that are easy to work with, commonly used in [[3D_Printing\|3D printers]] and don’t have strength characteristics common in the standard classes. These limitations not only make the class easy to build for, but have encouraged a lot of creative designs which may not have been tried in the full-combat antweight class.		The spirit of the Plastic Antweight classe is to have an easy entry point for new builders and to encourage creative designs by limiting materials to plastics that are easy to work with, commonly used in [[3D_Printing\|3D printers]] and don’t have strength characteristics common in the standard classes. These limitations not only make the class easy to build for, but have encouraged a lot of creative designs which may not have been tried in the full-combat antweight class.
	<br>		<br>

	It is important to note that plenty of non-plastic materials can be used in parts of the robot class. Foam is allowed for wheels and internal shock absorbtion. Metal fasteners can be used as long as they don't act as armor or weapon impactors.		It is important to note that plenty of non-plastic materials can be used in parts of the robot class. Foam is allowed for wheels and internal shock absorbtion. Metal fasteners can be used as long as they don't act as armor or weapon impactors.
			<br>

			The [[3D Printing]] page lists numerous bot designs on Thingaverse that can be printed but most events do not require the robots to be printed.

User at 02:32, 18 October 2021

2021-10-18T02:32:13Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:32, 18 October 2021
Line 5:		Line 5:
	The spirit of the Plastic Antweight classe is to have an easy entry point for new builders and to encourage creative designs by limiting materials to plastics that are easy to work with, commonly used in [[3D_Printing\|3D printers]] and don’t have strength characteristics common in the standard classes. These limitations not only make the class easy to build for, but have encouraged a lot of creative designs which may not have been tried in the full-combat antweight class.		The spirit of the Plastic Antweight classe is to have an easy entry point for new builders and to encourage creative designs by limiting materials to plastics that are easy to work with, commonly used in [[3D_Printing\|3D printers]] and don’t have strength characteristics common in the standard classes. These limitations not only make the class easy to build for, but have encouraged a lot of creative designs which may not have been tried in the full-combat antweight class.
	<br>		<br>
			It is important to note that plenty of non-plastic materials can be used in parts of the robot class. Foam is allowed for wheels and internal shock absorbtion. Metal fasteners can be used as long as they don't act as armor or weapon impactors.

User: Add image and fixed some text

2021-10-18T02:24:11Z

Add image and fixed some text

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:24, 18 October 2021
Line 1:		Line 1:
			[[File:Plastic_Full_Body_Spinner.jpg\|thumb\|An example of a plastic ant full body spinner]]
	~~Robot Class~~		'''Plastic Antweights''' <br>
	In 2015 Western Allied Robotics introduced a new Plastic ~~Antweight class~~. The robot class has gained popularitity and the [http://sparc.tools/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/SPARC_Robot_Construction_Specifications_v1.3.pdf rules] set has been adopted by [http://sparc.tools/ SPARC].		In 2015 [http://westernalliedrobotics.com Western Allied Robotics] introduced a new robot class called Plastic Antweights. The robot class has gained popularitity and the [http://sparc.tools/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/SPARC_Robot_Construction_Specifications_v1.3.pdf rules] set has been adopted by [http://sparc.tools/ SPARC].
			<br>
			The spirit of the Plastic Antweight classe is to have an easy entry point for new builders and to encourage creative designs by limiting materials to plastics that are easy to work with, commonly used in [[3D_Printing\|3D printers]] and don’t have strength characteristics common in the standard classes. These limitations not only make the class easy to build for, but have encouraged a lot of creative designs which may not have been tried in the full-combat antweight class.
	<br>		<br>
	The spirit of these classes is to have an easy entry point for new builders and to encourage creative designs by limiting materials to plastics that are easy to work with, commonly used in [[3D_Printing\|3D printers]] and don’t have strength characteristics common in the standard classes.