[Vikingtech2054]

Originally Posted by JesseK

We CAD the entire robot, but we shell rather than extrude the box aluminum (etc). We've never used weldments, but I wouldn't mind learning what they're useful for. I'd particularly love to know if there's a way to predict the tendency for a frame to warp in a certain direction if a weld is placed on one corner vs. another.

I generally spend a few hours taking CAD models and making dimensioned drawings for the assembly. It's pretty straightforward: 1. Conjoined edges are welded at the welder's discretion (he knows more about strong welds than I do) and 2. Don't weld over holes.

I know that there is stress analysis but that wont tell you where to weld or how it will warp. Although that more comes down to who is building the frame. I say its not hard to weld its hard to manufacture. Your welder needs to know to clamp down as much as he can and clamp braces across corners to keep it square. I would say problems with warping would be solve easier during building.