What is the easiest way to cut make aluminum gusset

[lamk]

Our robot this year was mainly make of plywood, masonite and hockeystick. We did some welding and bend some steel to support our main aluminum column. Everything was bolted together.
It was a simple and effective robot and it got us to St. Louise.
In order to prepare for next year we would like to start building superstructure using extruded aluminum tube and rivets. We can certainly buy pre made gusset by vexpro but because we are in Canada, shipping cost and time is an issue. Vexpro Canada is out of stock a lot of the time. I have access to a CNC machine shop but I only want to bother them with the big ticket item. What is the easiest way to make/ cut your own .09" thickness aluminum gusset for a school with minimal resource. I can invest in some new tools if they are less than 1K. The school have a lot of equipment but they are all wood working machine thus the plywood masonite robot.

[sanddrag]

We made our .125" thick 6061 gussets on a sheet metal shear. Really easy. And you could do a jig to drill on a drill press if you wanted to rivet or bolt them rather than weld. If you want to save weight, you can go through it with a big bi-metal hole saw.

[Orion.DeYoe]

In order to cut small and complex shapes (like gussets and brackets) you'll need a vertical band saw. These are cheaper and can be purchased in table-top sizes. A tool like this in invaluable for cutting aluminum, wood, polycarbonate, and other common materials found on a robot. Out of all the tools that a team could have, a vertical band saw would be #1 on my list.

If you're going to be cutting tubing and extrusion then you'll need a horizontal band saw. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but a chop saw should work as well provided you use the correct blade.

[Chris is me]

Some CNC routers can handle thin aluminum just fine. We made our lexan gussets and tubing on one for this year's game.

Gussets don't really have to be precise parts though. You could probably make do with a vertical band saw to cut the pattern of the gusset out and a drill for the holes. If you're doing a standard hole pattern you'll need a bit more effort than that, but it's just a matter of locating the holes accurately.

As sanddrag said a sheet metal shear will also do the trick quickly.

[Jon Stratis]

The quickest way, by far, is a sheer. Give me a piece of aluminum and some desired dimensions, and I can have a gusset plate made in under a minute on our sheer.

That said, probably a cheaper route would be a bandsaw. You also have added versatility with a bandsaw, as you can cut your extrusion on it as well.

Perhaps the cheats route possibly would be with a pair of snips. Get a good pair, and just cut the aluminum by hand with them.

[roystur44]

Try making your gussets out of .125-.187 thk Lexan. Lexan is just as strong. You can be real creative with a router and using jigs to cut the outside shape and then transfer punch the holes. The Lexan can even be bent with a simple pan brake.

[hrench]

Originally Posted by roystur44

Try making your gussets out of .125-.187 thk Lexan. Lexan is just as strong. You can be real creative with a router and using jigs to cut the outside shape and then transfer punch the holes. The Lexan can even be bent with a simple pan brake.

Lexan, a brand name for polycarbonate, has average tensile strength of 50-80 mpa. Aluminum alloys run the gamet of 5052-h32 at 193mpa to 6061 T6 at 300 mpa.

Lexan is a great material and its nearly unbreakable because it flexes, but it is not 'just as strong'. There are no airplanes made of polycarbonate.

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by hrench

Lexan, a brand name for polycarbonate, has average tensile strength of 50-80 mpa. Aluminum alloys run the gamet of 5052-h32 at 193mpa to 6061 T6 at 300 mpa.

Lexan is a great material and its nearly unbreakable because it flexes, but it is not 'just as strong'. There are no airplanes made of polycarbonate.

I think his point was saying a Lexan gusset of those thicknesses (>.125 in) is "just as strong" as a .09 metal gusset. Adequate for the job being done, probably won't fail in places that your rivets wouldn't fail first.

[asid61]

We bandsaw ours. Just make sure the holes are drilled accurately (spacing wise). If you have a manual mini mill then I would use that for drilling the holes, as our robot had to have holes drilled on it, which is a pain.

[JohnFogarty]

Shearing is the better way to go, but we band saw cut all of our gussets this season as well.

[lamk]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

We made our .125" thick 6061 gussets on a sheet metal shear. Really easy. And you could do a jig to drill on a drill press if you wanted to rivet or bolt them rather than weld. If you want to save weight, you can go through it with a big bi-metal hole saw.

Sorry I have no experience with metal work. When I google "sheet metal shear" there seems to be many different type of sheet metal shear. Can you point me to the one you're using. A picture or a link will be fantastic.
Thank you

[DonRotolo]

A gusset or bracket CAN be cut with a hacksaw or coping saw. It takes a few minutes extra to do it completely by hand. Buy good quality blades, and finish the edges with a sander (or by hand with a file and sandpaper).

Holes are made with an electric drill.

One step up is a Band Saw or a Jig Saw. A few hundred dollars for a good one. be sure it can run SLOW enough to cut metal (Most run fast for wood, you can change a pulley to slow it down). A little more dangerous, but certainly OK for a typical high school student.

Another step up is a metal shear capable of cutting 0.090 or .125 aluminum. As you found, there are thousands of choices, some costing as much as a car.

Beyond that are milling machines, CNC Routers, and more, all in the multi-thousand-dollar range. I agree, asking your CNC shop to cut gusset plates is like asking your doctor to wash your clothes: You surely can do a fine job yourself.

[sanddrag]

Sorry I wasn't clear. This is what we use:
http://www.westauction.com/archive_i...34_1098203.JPG

[lamk]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

Sorry I wasn't clear. This is what we use:
http://www.westauction.com/archive_i...34_1098203.JPG

Ah we have one similar at the school but I'm not sure if it will cut 0.09". The teacher said the one we have is designed for 0.03". I have use it to cut 0.03" many time for this year's robot. I'll get the model number and look it up. Thanks for the quick reply.

[ttldomination]

So, it seems like a lot of people are telling you to how to cut out pieces of metal, but as far as I'm concerned, that's not even your biggest worry. In my opinion, it's a lot more difficult to get the hole placement right than cutting a decent looking gusset.

For the shape of the sheet metal, use a bandsaw + sander. It'll let you make a large variety of shapes and be an all around good tool for the shop. Just measure twice, go slow, and you'll make some decent looking gussets.

For hole drilling, you can either use a drill press or clamp pieces together and drill through all of the pieces, creating a "perfectly aligned hole." Either method will require some patience and time to do cleanly and precisely.

Whenever we have gusseting needs that need to be met in house, we often just end up printing out a 1x1 scale model on paper and then gluing it to some aluminum. Then the kids/mentors go through and use the marked hols and lines to create the pieces. It isn't super pretty but the job got done.

- Sunny G.