Build your first combat robot!
Tell me the steps
Want to build your own battle robot? Today is the day. Kerfuffle is a mini bot designed to inflict mechanical damage on other machines during cage fights. If you've ever seen BattleBots, you already have a pretty good idea of how these robots work.
Kerfuffle is a 1lb robot in the plastic ant class, which means it is not made with high quality metals or plastics, such as steel or nylon, that you can see being used on heavy robots on TV. Kerfuffle is designed as an entry-level robot using inexpensive 3D printable materials that allow many more people to take their first steps into the world of combat robots. For weapons, it relies on a wedge shape to get under opponents and a lift arm to turn them over, meaning it's safe for beginners to practice - and even fight others. Kerfuffles - without the need for a protective arena.
I originally designed the machine to fight in my school's competition and it has proven to be very effective. Since the first release in 2019, Kerfuffle has been tuned to become more competitive, which led to the success of the 2 release you'll be creating in this guide.
The first and most critical tool you will need for this build is a 3D printer. The Creality Ender 3 is one of the most popular and cheapest printers in the market with a price tag of around $200. Other quality printers like the Prusa i3 MK3S are also great options, especially for higher quality materials like nylon, but they cost closer to $1,000. For our Kerfuffle, an Ender 3 is more than enough since we will be using PLA or PLA+ filaments which are much cheaper and do not require a high level of tuning to print. These machines can be purchased online or in person at stores such as Micro Center. Or you can send the 3D files for printing through a service such as Shapeways.
In addition to the printer, be sure to take a roll of PLA+ filament in the color you prefer. Brands like Duramic3D and Inland have produced materials that have held up well to long-term use. Regular APL can also work, but I recommend APL+ because it's more difficult.
For print settings, I recommend around 4 walls and 50% infill. These settings may vary as you get more experience both printing objects and battling bots over time, but they'll be a good starting point.
BUILD YOUR KERFUFFLE FIGHTING ROBOTOnce you've printed your parts and received the components, we can move on to the fun part: building!
Project stages
1. SOLDER THE ELECTRONICS
Tell me the steps
Want to build your own battle robot? Today is the day. Kerfuffle is a mini bot designed to inflict mechanical damage on other machines during cage fights. If you've ever seen BattleBots, you already have a pretty good idea of how these robots work.
Kerfuffle is a 1lb robot in the plastic ant class, which means it is not made with high quality metals or plastics, such as steel or nylon, that you can see being used on heavy robots on TV. Kerfuffle is designed as an entry-level robot using inexpensive 3D printable materials that allow many more people to take their first steps into the world of combat robots. For weapons, it relies on a wedge shape to get under opponents and a lift arm to turn them over, meaning it's safe for beginners to practice - and even fight others. Kerfuffles - without the need for a protective arena.
I originally designed the machine to fight in my school's competition and it has proven to be very effective. Since the first release in 2019, Kerfuffle has been tuned to become more competitive, which led to the success of the 2 release you'll be creating in this guide.
The first and most critical tool you will need for this build is a 3D printer. The Creality Ender 3 is one of the most popular and cheapest printers in the market with a price tag of around $200. Other quality printers like the Prusa i3 MK3S are also great options, especially for higher quality materials like nylon, but they cost closer to $1,000. For our Kerfuffle, an Ender 3 is more than enough since we will be using PLA or PLA+ filaments which are much cheaper and do not require a high level of tuning to print. These machines can be purchased online or in person at stores such as Micro Center. Or you can send the 3D files for printing through a service such as Shapeways.
In addition to the printer, be sure to take a roll of PLA+ filament in the color you prefer. Brands like Duramic3D and Inland have produced materials that have held up well to long-term use. Regular APL can also work, but I recommend APL+ because it's more difficult.
For print settings, I recommend around 4 walls and 50% infill. These settings may vary as you get more experience both printing objects and battling bots over time, but they'll be a good starting point.
BUILD YOUR KERFUFFLE FIGHTING ROBOTOnce you've printed your parts and received the components, we can move on to the fun part: building!
Project stages
1. SOLDER THE ELECTRONICS
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