Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesCH95
To play devils advocate: I can replace every instance of PC in your post with aluminum and everything would still be true. I say this owning my own CNC router that I routinely cut aluminum with and having cut plenty of aluminum with a jig saw.
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You can definitely get away with a much crappier CNC router when cutting polycarb. Not every CNC router is good with aluminum, but I've yet to find one that isn't good with polycarb.
It's certainly a material that is for the most part easier to work with.
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I like polycarb intakes. I like them to be a bit stiffer than 1678's 2014 intake (that violent shaking back and forth gives me the heebie jeebies even though it was fine), so I like to use either Vex's 2x1 polycarbonate tubing or McMaster's 1x1 tubing for some structure. It certainly can be strong enough to do the job - a rough rule of thumb is to double the thickness of the equivalent aluminum part.
Aluminum can work too, it just likes to stay bent and doesn't absorb impact energy in the same way.