What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset
 

Our robot this year was mainly make of plywood, masonite and hockeystick. We did some welding and bend some steel to support our main aluminum column. Everything was bolted together.
It was a simple and effective robot and it got us to St. Louise.
In order to prepare for next year we would like to start building superstructure using extruded aluminum tube and rivets. We can certainly buy pre made gusset by vexpro but because we are in Canada, shipping cost and time is an issue. Vexpro Canada is out of stock a lot of the time. I have access to a CNC machine shop but I only want to bother them with the big ticket item. What is the easiest way to make/ cut your own .09" thickness aluminum gusset for a school with minimal resource. I can invest in some new tools if they are less than 1K. The school have a lot of equipment but they are all wood working machine thus the plywood masonite robot.

Re: What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset
 

We made our .125" thick 6061 gussets on a sheet metal shear. Really easy. And you could do a jig to drill on a drill press if you wanted to rivet or bolt them rather than weld. If you want to save weight, you can go through it with a big bi-metal hole saw.

Re: What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset
 

In order to cut small and complex shapes (like gussets and brackets) you'll need a vertical band saw. These are cheaper and can be purchased in table-top sizes. A tool like this in invaluable for cutting aluminum, wood, polycarbonate, and other common materials found on a robot. Out of all the tools that a team could have, a vertical band saw would be #1 on my list.

If you're going to be cutting tubing and extrusion then you'll need a horizontal band saw. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but a chop saw should work as well provided you use the correct blade.

Re: What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset
 

Some CNC routers can handle thin aluminum just fine. We made our lexan gussets and tubing on one for this year's game.

Gussets don't really have to be precise parts though. You could probably make do with a vertical band saw to cut the pattern of the gusset out and a drill for the holes. If you're doing a standard hole pattern you'll need a bit more effort than that, but it's just a matter of locating the holes accurately.

As sanddrag said a sheet metal shear will also do the trick quickly.

Re: What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset
 

The quickest way, by far, is a sheer. Give me a piece of aluminum and some desired dimensions, and I can have a gusset plate made in under a minute on our sheer.

That said, probably a cheaper route would be a bandsaw. You also have added versatility with a bandsaw, as you can cut your extrusion on it as well.

Perhaps the cheats route possibly would be with a pair of snips. Get a good pair, and just cut the aluminum by hand with them.

Re: What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset
 

Try making your gussets out of .125-.187 thk Lexan. Lexan is just as strong. You can be real creative with a router and using jigs to cut the outside shape and then transfer punch the holes. The Lexan can even be bent with a simple pan brake.

Re: What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset
 

If you want to go the cheap route, this Electric Sheet Metal Sheer from Harbor freight could do the job. Though it is only rated for 18 gauge metal (0.04" thicknes), you may be able to find a pricier one that could do thicker.

Using a large sheer like the others suggested is going to give you much better cuts, control, and variety of material, but at the cost of money.

Re: What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset
 

Lexan, a brand name for polycarbonate, has average tensile strength of 50-80 mpa. Aluminum alloys run the gamet of 5052-h32 at 193mpa to 6061 T6 at 300 mpa.

Lexan is a great material and its nearly unbreakable because it flexes, but it is not 'just as strong'. There are no airplanes made of polycarbonate.

Re: What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset
 

I think his point was saying a Lexan gusset of those thicknesses (>.125 in) is "just as strong" as a .09 metal gusset. Adequate for the job being done, probably won't fail in places that your rivets wouldn't fail first.

Re: What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset
 

We bandsaw ours. Just make sure the holes are drilled accurately (spacing wise). If you have a manual mini mill then I would use that for drilling the holes, as our robot had to have holes drilled on it, which is a pain.

Re: What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset
 

Shearing is the better way to go, but we band saw cut all of our gussets this season as well.

Re: What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset
 

Sorry I have no experience with metal work. When I google "sheet metal shear" there seems to be many different type of sheet metal shear. Can you point me to the one you're using. A picture or a link will be fantastic.
Thank you

Re: What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset
 

A gusset or bracket CAN be cut with a hacksaw or coping saw. It takes a few minutes extra to do it completely by hand. Buy good quality blades, and finish the edges with a sander (or by hand with a file and sandpaper).

Holes are made with an electric drill.

One step up is a Band Saw or a Jig Saw. A few hundred dollars for a good one. be sure it can run SLOW enough to cut metal (Most run fast for wood, you can change a pulley to slow it down). A little more dangerous, but certainly OK for a typical high school student.

Another step up is a metal shear capable of cutting 0.090 or .125 aluminum. As you found, there are thousands of choices, some costing as much as a car.

Beyond that are milling machines, CNC Routers, and more, all in the multi-thousand-dollar range. I agree, asking your CNC shop to cut gusset plates is like asking your doctor to wash your clothes: You surely can do a fine job yourself.

Re: What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset
 

Sorry I wasn't clear. This is what we use:
http://www.westauction.com/archive_i...34_1098203.JPG

Re: What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset
 

Ah we have one similar at the school but I'm not sure if it will cut 0.09". The teacher said the one we have is designed for 0.03". I have use it to cut 0.03" many time for this year's robot. I'll get the model number and look it up. Thanks for the quick reply.

Re: What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset
 

So, it seems like a lot of people are telling you to how to cut out pieces of metal, but as far as I'm concerned, that's not even your biggest worry. In my opinion, it's a lot more difficult to get the hole placement right than cutting a decent looking gusset.

For the shape of the sheet metal, use a bandsaw + sander. It'll let you make a large variety of shapes and be an all around good tool for the shop. Just measure twice, go slow, and you'll make some decent looking gussets.

For hole drilling, you can either use a drill press or clamp pieces together and drill through all of the pieces, creating a "perfectly aligned hole." Either method will require some patience and time to do cleanly and precisely.

Whenever we have gusseting needs that need to be met in house, we often just end up printing out a 1x1 scale model on paper and then gluing it to some aluminum. Then the kids/mentors go through and use the marked hols and lines to create the pieces. It isn't super pretty but the job got done.

- Sunny G.

Re: What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset
 

I plan to buy a bunch of vexpro gusset to be used as templates but I like the paper template idea. I plan to pre-drilled the gusset and than clamp on to the extrusion.

Re: What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset
 

Depending on where you're located, you could pay a waterjet (or laser or sheetmetal) shop to cut your gussets for you (or even better, get them as a sponsor). Depending on how many you want cut, you'll probably end up spending less than $150 to get them watejerjetted, which even over 4 years isn't all that much. You'll also get much better quality than you possibly could by cutting them yourself. We have all the equipment (except a sheetmetal sheer) mentioned in this thread, and even given the expense and extra lead time, having the gussets done right and quickly is so worth the extra money.

If you don't want to go the waterjet/laser/turret punch sponsorship route (and by the way, large numbers of relatively simple identical gussets is a relatively good use of a sheetmetal sponsors time), I'd try to buy some kind of CNC/DROed mill/router. If those are out of your price range, I'd suggest going the printout route for the holes and buying a nice band saw. Band saws are good tools for the shop anyway, for cutting tubing to length, prototyping, etc.

Re: What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset
 

A vertical bandsaw is a great tool for any FIRST shop, but for cutting sheets sometimes the throat is inadequate. A shear is a great tool too, but 0.090 aluminum is really pushing it.

For under $100 you can get a jigsaw at Canadian Tire that will cut 1/4" Al (or steel) to a high enough degree of accuracy for gussets. Yeah it takes a little time, but for the low volume it's the inexpensive way to go. Our team calls it the "Loyola Waterjet".

If you have the resourses for a CNC router that may be a good route to go, or finding a company which will water/laser/plasma cut parts is also great for quality parts. Doing the jobs in-house with student work is also viable and sometimes the faster way to go.

Re: What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset
 

Another way to duplicate gussets is by using a manual punch press and a pantograph attachment. Back in the old days before CNC we used this method to duplicate metal brackets.

The punch press can hold different shaped punches. Squares, rect, obrounds, rounds.

I like to teach the kids the old ways before I introduce them to the CNC.

Here is a video of a manual punch press:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4hrxcdlVf8

Re: What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset
 

Here's another way to cut the outside shapes of a gusset. Corner notcher. Works great for small brackets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYNpp2wV2KQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPvb6Rjhvuo