Rubber Bands

It is almost impossible to make a lift with out rubber bands. During the 2018-2019 VEX robotics season our team decided to use rubber band intake rollers like a lot of other teams were. After the season, all of the rubber bands were stretched out to the point of uselessness. Upon doing quite a bit of research, we realized that the rubber bands that we were using were made of a high rubber content. Rubber bands with high rubber content tend to stretch out a lot more than ones with higher silicone content. With that said, we decided to test and see which ones stretched the fastest and which ones could hold a heavier load.

MercerBots research suggests that for #32 rubber bands Alliance orange bands are the stretchiest, have a bigger max stretch, and do not break as quickly. Alliance bands are higher in silicone content and appear to pull harder. Universal rubber bands of this size seem to hold a heavier load for a longer period of time. Universal bands are made of a higher rubber content and tend to rot faster. Full research is available in Google Sheets.

Size Description

#32 rubber bands are 3 inches long and 1/8 of an inch wide.

#64 rubber bands are 3 1/2 inches long and 1/4 of an inch wide.