Questions about 80/20

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We've been using 8020 for years, and it's definitely easy.

Building is a snap. You just throw together what you need/want. This can be both a blessing and a curse.

But here are some tips:

(1) 8020 is easy, but it's no substitute for good design habits. Be sure to still CAD and prototype like you would regularly.

(2) 8020 is heavy, but the trade off between weight and ease of use is worth it to some teams.

(3) It's a pain in the butt to drill holes in 8020, especially ones that are off the longitudinal axis.

(4) Don't be afraid to go out of the 8020 product line for various solutions. One particular case being linear motion. Find a solution you like, and then interface it into 8020.


As far as ordering is concerned, really try and order what you need. Obviously, you'll need long bars. I think our teams order it in tens of feet at a time. Other things are screws, drop in, slide ins, angle gussets, box gussets, flat gussets.

Don't be afraid to go looking into the 8020 catalog. They have some neat solutions in there, and over the years, you're sure to develop a nice storage room full of parts. But keep suggestion (4) in mind.

For the past 2 years, I've been trying to convince my team to move out of 8020 because of its weight and because how lazy it has made our team. But it's just so darn easy.

- Sunny G.