Students Robots Battle It Out in New Arena Made of Makrolon® Polycarbonate Sheet from Bayer MaterialScience
Summary
The Makrolon® 15 polycarbonate sheet provides impact, abrasion and scratch resistance that can stand up to the demands of the robot arena, while retaining its optical clarity.The new arena needs to withstand this increased wear and tear without sacrificing clarity,” said Dennis Duff, managing director, Polycarbonate Sheet Business, NAFTA, Bayer MaterialScience LLC.Reinforcing Bayer MaterialScience’s commitment to supporting STEM education and initiatives, as well as the workforce of the southwestern Pennsylvania region, Bayer donated its Makrolon® 15 polycarbonate sheet for use in the BotsIQ arena for the 2014 competition at California University of Pennsylvania.The Makrolon® 15 polycarbonate sheet provides impact, abrasion and scratch resistance that can stand up to the demands of the robot arena, while retaining its optical clarity.Students participating in BotsIQ work with a robotics curriculum based on the National Curriculum Standards of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) mechanical engineering methodology.The new arena needs to withstand this increased wear and tear without sacrificing clarity,” said Dennis Duff, managing director, Polycarbonate Sheet Business, NAFTA, Bayer MaterialScience LLC.It’s virtually unbreakable and also has an excellent hard coat to protect against abrasions and scratching that could cloud spectators’ views.” The new arena is approximately 12.5 feet square, features a steel floor and is encased in half-inch-thick Makrolon® 15 polycarbonate sheet connected with steel supports.In addition to donating its materials, Bayer provided technical support for the new arena and overall support for the program.