iROBOT SUGV ROBOT

Parts engineered to meet exacting requirements and extreme conditions.

If there’s one thing that PTA Plastics team members love, it’s a challenge. So when iRobot looked to PTA to help them manufacture a ruggedized Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle (SUGV) that supports the safety of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, it’s no surprise that PTA was more than willing to roll up their sleeves and take on a real 21st Century challenge.

The SUGV is the next-generation robot in a series that is fast becoming a staple for military units in combat. It’s a tactical mobile unit that provides situational awareness in dangerous conditions, including bomb disposal and checkpoint explosives detection. Lightweight (30 lbs.) and extremely mobile, the SUGV is also extremely tough – it can survive significant impact, be immersed in water, and withstand extreme desert heat and sand.

Close collaboration between iRobot and PTA was critical in order to realize these exacting military field requirements. Anything less than perfect during the course of this project was simply not an option. It took over three years of teamwork between the two companies for a solution to be realized that is a combination of technology expertise and outside-the-box thinking -- a dependable, field-tested product that today, is helping keep our men and women in combat out of harm’s way.

PTA Plastics was pivotal in the design of the product, which demanded deviation from standard engineering processes and delivery of unique, original solutions. For example, the team developed a process to bond the unit’s molded plastic wheel to its stainless steel hub, insuring that desert sand won’t cause the wheel to separate -- this had never been done before. The team also designed a handle that can take the full impact of the 30-pound assembly when dropped without breaking – another first. Working side by side with iRobot, PTA orchestrated the move from machined components to plastic molded parts. Plastic materials were identified and files were then converted from machined parts to molded parts, while issues that arose during the conversion process as parts were put into assembly were also overcome. Material selection for many of the parts, another critical decision, was not arrived at in haste. It took over 3 years to develop the right materials that have proven time and again to perform to their rigorous standards. Along the way, one of the materials selected by the team was a nylon compound that helped reduce the weight of some components by 20%.