Team Forte / 2025 Reefscape
A proven FRC architecture, reworked around our robot’s geometry, local components, and build-season constraints.
My work spanned CAD adaptation, vendor fabrication coordination, and assembly. The central design decision was where this tall mechanism could actually fit.
The 2025 robot needed to raise its pivoting arm to the Reef’s L4 scoring level. A two-stage elevator was a practical starting point, but the reference geometry could not be dropped into our chassis unchanged.
I adapted the CAD, converted the structural and fastening details to parts we could source locally, prepared components for manufacturing, and assembled the elevator. The design had to fit beside the swerve modules and electronics while remaining light, stiff, and serviceable during competition.
The architecture drew from established FRC elevator examples, including two-stage and three-stage reference assemblies. This case study covers our robot-specific adaptation.
02 / System integration
A 50 × 50 mm crossbeam bolted to the chassis supported the elevator base. Moving the elevator farther forward would have shortened the pivoting arm, but the swerve modules and electronics occupied that space.
Keeping the elevator farther back forced a longer arm. That one packaging choice affected arm loading, stiffness, and the geometry of the entire robot.
03 / Mechanical decisions
The reference design used common imperial FRC stock and hardware. I rebuilt the structure around 25 × 50 mm rectangular tube and metric fasteners, bearing blocks, and plate dimensions. The 12.7 mm hex shaft remained because compatible FRC parts were available locally.
This changed hole patterns, bearing spacing, and support geometry; it was a component-level redesign rather than a unit conversion.
Custom bearing blocks guide the sliding stages around the rectangular tube. Side bearings constrain lateral movement; smaller bearings contact the broad face. The design targeted roughly 0.1 mm of clearance to limit wobble without making the mechanism bind when parts were imperfect.
PETG-CF printed blocks checked fit and assembly first. The final blocks were CNC machined from 6061 aluminum by a vendor and tapped by hand at school.
I used repeated triangular cutouts in the elevator beams, keeping material along the edges and primary load paths. The project notes estimate a 24–30% mass reduction per beam, depending on the cutout layout.
Two diagonal rods brace the top of the elevator back to the chassis. That triangulation reduced global movement without changing the sliding mechanism.
04 / Power transmission
Two Kraken X60 motors with 5:1 MAXPlanetary gearboxes drove the first stage through chain. Dyneema string actuated the second stage, keeping the upper assembly comparatively light.
The approximate full height was 1,596 mm from the bottom to the top of the mechanism. The exported project notes describe smooth travel and about 3 mm or less of wobble at full extension.
05 / What changed
Starting from an existing architecture let us focus on fit, sourcing, stiffness, and repairability under a competition schedule. The work linked a CAD model to manufactured parts and a physical assembly, while showing how the elevator’s location constrained the pivot arm and the rest of the robot.
Return to FRC mechanisms