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Re: Stocking Parts
Polycarbonate's great stuff. Agreed. Try to stock some 1/8" and 1/4", if you can. The 1/8" is good for exterior shielding, and the 1/4" can do relatively heavy stuff (electronics boards, etc.)
In terms of aluminum, our team likes 1/4"x1" bar stock. Handy stuff to have around. 1"x1"x1/8" angle's good stuff, too. 1"x1"x1/8" box tubing is pretty standard. That's our really common stock. We also like 2"x2"x1/4" angle for the really heavy load stuff (axle mounts, primarily.) 1/4"x2" is good for bracing sometimes. Apparently 0.5" square tubing is good, but our team doesn't use it, so I'm not familiar with the exact specs. 1/4"x6" can also be useful, although largely only for machining parts out of (so if you've got a mill, pretty much.)
Sheet? It can be handy. We don't use it much, but if you've got the capabilities for it, I'd recommend it. 1/8" aluminum sheet will basically do anything you need it to if you can use it right. And if you need major structural support somewhere, a bit of 1/4" could save you (use it sparingly, though.)
In terms of hardware, standardize. Our team uses M6 because of our bosch frame, and, even when 1/4"-28 or something else could be used somewhere else, we use M6. It doesn't matter what set you use, so long as you're consistent. For imperial hardware, you should probably get:
4-40 (largely electronics)
6-32
8-32
10-32
10-24
1/4-20
1/4-28
3/8-16 (sparingly)
3/8-24 (sparingly)
Bolts and nuts for both of these. I recommend socket head cap screws (commonly referred to as SHCS), they're much easier to use than philips or flat-head. You might also want to invest in counter-sunk bolts in some of these sizes (6-32 to 10-24 would be good) if you have a countersink (if you don't, I recommend it.) I'd recommend nylock lock nuts for all of these, taps for them as well, and washers to fit them all.
Hope some of this helps!
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