Hi hackers,
I have this robot which comes with silicone tank treads:
I’m looking for a compound to paint onto the treads to increase their grip on a flat, painted surface (the sumo ring).
Any thoughts on what I could use that is:
Look at the RC car racing clubs. My brother used a light spray of wd-40 to break down the rubber and make the wheels stickier. Rubber renew used to refresh the rubber pullies in tape drives and turntables increases the flexibility of the rubber. Acetone may also work. Preheating (80-90 degrees) the rubber tires prior to an event also softens the material increasing grip. However, if you really want good solutions, you can buy the specialty tires they sell for R/C Formula 1 cars, or even mixing your own compounds.
I have also seen people post about using tacky glues. Check the rules of the event organizer as they may have limitations on what you can use to increase grip (it may make the arena unusuable)
Chalk.
You could also heat the rubber up so it’s softer and stickier.
Wouldn’t chalk have the opposite of the desired effect?
There are a set of smooth-on products that are castable silicones in sub-Shore-A hardnesses. They end up being very sticky due to lack of skin but shouldn’t leave any residue. Ecoflex comes in 5A down to 000-35 (as in, pretty much gell water). Probably something around 00-20 will be good though I don’t have experience yet working with them to know which will give the best results; possibly 000-35 will… i should test that…
To apply, I suggest adding a thickening agent (THI-VEX) to make the gell brush-on with less chance of it slumping off while it’s setting.
You also may have an issue getting it to adhere to the current belt - worst case you can glue it in place with a thin layer of E6000 but definitely test. Also platinum cure silicones will be inhibited by latex and lots of other things - test and be prepared to clean off the tread if that’s the case. You can always make a mold out of something else then cast a ring onto that and glue it into place once it’s set.
Regards,
Loial
Depends on the surface. Seems to work well for climbers.
Chalk is used by climbers as a drying agent (absorbs moisture and oils from both hands and climbing surfaces)
plastidip could work, but it’s more of a matte finish than rubbery
Don’t we have some plastidip at VHS in the chemical locker? It’s been a
while since I’ve seen it though.
Maybe some sugru? That stuff stays pretty tacky after it solidifies. Granted you wouldn’t be able to paint it on, but maybe if you attached little dots of it along the tracks.
Otherwise maybe it would be easier to just find softer rubber tracks.
There is stuff from Michael’s to put on the back of carpets to improve grip. Forget what it’s called though.
I just had a look at their online store, www.michaels.com, but did not see a listing to match my alleged memory. Worth calling the Broadway store. It’s been a while but I think they had that in stock at one point.
Another option might be to take a mold of the current treads and then
recast them out of silicon or polyurethane.
Any breakthroughs on this in the last 10 years? I have a couple Zumos I’d like to give a quick upgrade to if possible.