[Phyrxes]

Originally Posted by Gary Dillard

For prototyping, Esto Connectors work really well, are reasonably priced (they also sell the square tubing on the website) and I've always gotten quick turnaround from them. We've used it for some framing on competition robots but generally it turns out to be too flexible for anything under load (especially dynamic loading). But still, the joints can be built up with the plastic connectors and then replaced or reinforced with shear plates once the design is firmed up. The tubing is very lightweight.

We take a similar approach with the esto connectors, using them in minimal load situations and for prototyping. The ability to put together a reasonably square structure in such a short time is handy. They will also powdercoat the tubing they sell if you order specific amount so it can also be handy for making displays and other structures, which is what the product is actually intended to be used for.

Edit:

We used 80/20 during our first two years (2007 and 2008) but found that keeping everything tight and in place was a challenge so we swapped to ESTO. We still have a decent amount in our shop but it only seems to be used for a linear motion prototype anymore