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Re: Welding Advice
Everyone is pretty much saying what I would've said.
As for learning to weld: aside from partnering up with local welding companies, any local technical colleges or universities (that have machine shops) should have a certified welder working with them who might be interested in helping out (my welding mentor is from the University of Wisconsin based in Milwaukee).
Also check with teams in the area and see if they can teach you guys. If you're willing to make the hike, we (1675) could probably work something out and we could do a saturday of getting you guys up to speed, but thats a distance and you seem to have plenty of resources close by.
Things to know:
Wire brushes are your friend.
Never underestimate the value in Proper Surface Preparation. Oxidation with TIG is a BIG DEAL. Too much (some might argue any) Oxidation makes welds that are both ugly and weak(er than clean welds).
If you get to "welding the robot" ready this year (but this applies always), make sure you always do a test weld on a different piece of the exact same material to dial the machine (but you'll probably learn this).
Now I'm digressing into welding tips and not general advice.
What has not been said though: Make sure you have a clean level surface of a different type of material (if you're just welding Al, a steel table does the job). If you have tables with bumps and the like, you're not going to get the piece you want.
Also, you have to have a bit bigger of tolerances with welding, because the heat warps the metal. There are "tricks" (but not really tricks) that you can do to "control" (but not really control)/minimize warping, but its important to keep in mind that you don't have absolute control over the final piece.
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