Broken Solo-12 Leg - Close-Up Pictures

Mechanics
1

Hi all,

After more than two years without issues, we recently had the first major mechanical failure with our Solo-12 here at LAAS-CNRS. During the usual demo that we show to visitors or for public events, the leg suddenly broke near the shoulder. It was a classic walk on flat ground so I guess it is due to mechanical stress on the plastic over time. Note the small crack near the screw on the top picture (we have similar ones, albeit smaller, for almost all screws on the legs).

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PXL_20230711_0857029971920×1080 144 KB

I have made a directory with several close-up pictures for those of you who like to see broken parts :smile:

Best,
Pierre-Alexandre

2

Hi Pierre-Alexandre,

thank you for the pictures.
That certainly looks like a fatigue fracture of the PC-ABS material.

We like to use the PC-ABS material for prototyping because it prints well on our Fortus printer.
The same part printed on a SLS (selective laser sintering) machine has superior mechanical properties and a much longer life time. If you keep having issues with this material you might want to consider ordering the shells from a company that offers SLS printing services.

Best wishes.
Felix