<R9>

A limited amount of custom plastic is allowed. Robots may use custom-made parts cut from certain types of non-shattering plastic. It must be possible to have cut all of the plastic parts on the Robot from a single 12” x 24” sheet, up to 0.070” thick.
  • The intent of the area / thickness constraints is to limit the number of custom plastic parts used in Robot construction, not to define an absolute volume. For example, using a sheet which is 0.035” thick does not permit two 12” x 24” sheets’ worth of parts.
  • Plastic parts do not have to be literally cut from the same original 12” x 24” sheet. However, all individual parts must be able to “nest” or rearrange into a 12” x 24” area. A collection of parts which theoretically have a total surface area of 288 in2, but cannot be nested onto a single 12” x 24” sheet, would not be legal. See Figure 23.
  • Plastic may be mechanically altered by cutting, drilling, bending, etc. It cannot be chemically treated, melted, or cast. Heating polycarbonate to aid in bending is acceptable.
  • Legal plastic types include polycarbonate (Lexan), acetal monopolymer (Delrin), acetal copolymer (Acetron GP), POM (acetal), ABS, PEEK, PET, HDPE, LDPE, Nylon (all grades), Polypropylene, and FEP.
  • Shattering plastic, such as PMMA (also called Plexiglass, Acrylic, or Perspex), is prohibited.
  • The PET Sheet Variety Pack (276-8340), sold by VEX, is considered “plastic” in the context of this rule, and is subject to the same limitations as “off-the-shelf” plastic sheets.
  • This rule does not apply to 3D printed plastic parts. 3D printed parts are not permitted in the VEX Robotics Competition, except as non-functional decorations (per <R12>) or as custom License Plates (per <R24>).



    • Figure 23: Custom plastic parts must fit within a single 12” x 24” sheet of plastic.