Non-Profit: FIRST Robotics
Product: Robotics Kits
Industries: STEM & Robotics
SendCutSend Services: Custom Laser Cut Metal Parts
For years, we’ve supported student robotics teams across the country, helping them turn their ideas into reality. This year, we’re providing over $200,000 in donated materials to help 2,500 teams build their robots for the upcoming FIRST Robotics Competition. As a sponsor of the 2025 Kit of Parts (KitBot), we’re not only supplying high-quality custom laser-cut metal parts but also offering vouchers to help teams further customize their builds.
The Power of FIRST
The FIRST Robotics program is a non-profit organization that inspires STEM education initiatives around the globe. Their mission is to provide young people with the skills, confidence, and resilience to build a better world. Through hands-on learning and mentor-based experiences, FIRST prepares high-school students for success in a future increasingly defined by technology and engineering.
In 2023, 88,000 students participated in the FIRST Robotics Competition, collaborating to design, program, build, and compete with industrial-sized robots in an action-packed game. These students don’t just learn how to code or build—they develop teamwork, critical problem-solving skills, and a deep understanding of the connection between good CAD design and precise manufacturing processes for achieving outstanding results.
This is where SendCutSend comes in! We provide the tools that bring these designs to life, helping these young innovators turn their ideas into reality.
Are you a manufacturing student in need of SendCutSend services? Check out our STEM Sponsorship program that offers cutting-edge manufacturing resources to students and educators, empowering them to bring their ideas to life.
The 2025 Kit of Parts: What is KitBot?
For many FIRST teams, building a competitive robot can be a challenge, especially for those who don’t have access to the resources or equipment they need. In 2024, FIRST introduced the KitBot, a curated collection of materials and instructions for a simplified design that guides new teams and makes it easier to get started on their competition build.
The KitBot provides students with a foundation—a basic robot platform that can be customized and upgraded as they progress through the season. While a KitBot might not be able to compete in every aspect of the annual challenge, it serves as a stepping stone, helping students learn the fundamentals of robot design while giving them the flexibility to innovate and improve their builds. A KitBot gets them in the game and gets them building!
SendCutSend is a critical partner in this process, providing custom laser-cut metal plates for the KitBot, giving students the precision and quality they need to build with confidence.
Virtual Vouchers: Making Laser Cut Parts Available for Everyone
SendCutSend first joined the KitBot project in 2024, delivering precision parts quickly. “There was a need for a large volume of custom-cut metal in a short lead time,” said FIRST staff. “SendCutSend provided all of the components in time to get the kits out to teams for the competition season.”
The partnership has expanded significantly this year, with SendCutSend supplying an impressive 27,500 laser-cut custom parts, utilizing more than 10,000 lbs of aluminum and requiring approximately 90 hours of cutting time to ensure each team has the components they need for a successful build.
Every team will now also have access to the same high-quality manufacturing tools thanks to SendCutSend’s product donation voucher in the Virtual Kit of Parts.
“SendCutSend is a great partner for custom-cut metal plates used in the KitBot design,” said FIRST staff. “Teams without access to CNC metal cutting equipment have a chance to design with confidence that their custom metal parts can be made quickly and correctly.”
How Teams Are Using SendCutSend
FIRST teams are known for their creativity and resourcefulness, and they’ll be able to use SendCutSend’s services to create custom metal components for their robots—everything from gearbox plates and structural gussets to brackets and mounting plates, and more. Not only elevating the quality of their robots but also learning about real-world manufacturing.
By utilizing CAD software to create their parts and seeing them come to life through laser cutting, students learn about the intersection of design, engineering, and manufacturing. A hands-on experience that sets them apart and prepares these students for future careers in technology and engineering.
Supporting the Future of STEM
With the 2025 FIRST Robotics Competition season underway, we’re eager to see how their creativity will unfold with each new challenge. At SendCutSend, we’re empowering the next generation of innovators to push boundaries and think bigger. The KitBot project is just the beginning!
If you’re interested in learning more about FIRST Robotics visit www.firstinspires.org/ or follow along @first_official on Instagram or FIRSTOfficial on Facebook for the exciting action this season. Maybe even catch a competition in person!
Do you have an idea that can make STEM education more accessible, impactful, and inspiring? We want to hear about it! Check out or STEM Sponsorship program!
