where can I get info on extruded aluminum?

[Wayne C.]

www.parker.com sells it

[Jay H 237]

Don't forget that if you're planning on using the gussets and other hardware for extruded aluminum they can run up the cost (and weight) quickly also. Also, these fastners are specific to each manufacturer of extruded aluminum and in most cases will not work with another brand.
It's also possible to carefully TIG weld the extrusion together.

As a side note.
Even if you decide not to use extrusion to build your robot it's always nice to have some on hand for prototyping. With the extrusion only bolted together it's very easy to change and modify it as you try different designs and theories. You can also easily move brackets around to try different ideas for drivetrain, for example. Once you have the extrusion frame set to how you want it all you have to do is copy the dimensions to use on your real frame and build it out of whatever material you want.

[Doug G]

We used 8020 extrusion for the first 3 years on our robots - and it really helps a team to quickly get a base (chassis) up and tested. And if your team lack the ability or skill to weld - this stuffs the ways to go. But be careful, the T-Nuts (gussets), brackets, and hardware can be twice the cost of the aluminum. Get both regular T-Nuts and the drop-in type. We always find a piece to add on and really need those drop-ins!!

We also chose 8020 since you can fit 1/4" carriage bolts (slightly grinded off for a good fit) inside the 1" extrusion. For a quick prototype, this greatly reduces the cost of the hardware. I also heard you can get 5/16" carriage bolts to fit in the BOSCH 30 series extrusion.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by Doug G

We also chose 8020 since you can fit 1/4" carriage bolts (slightly grinded off for a good fit) inside the 1" extrusion. For a quick prototype, this greatly reduces the cost of the hardware. I also heard you can get 5/16" carriage bolts to fit in the BOSCH 30 series extrusion.

We went to Osh and bought a ton of toilet bolts. They were much cheaper, and fit into the 10/10 8020 series perfectly, and they were long enough that you could use them for whatever you needed and cut them down if necessary

[Tristan Lall]

Originally Posted by Doug G

I also heard you can get 5/16" carriage bolts to fit in the BOSCH 30 series extrusion.

The Bosch 30 mm extrusions are designed to accomodate an M8 bolt in the centre hole (which is 0.315"--or as close to 5/16" as one would likely need). The 1" series can take a 1/4-20 bolt in the centre instead.

[Greg Needel]

also www.itemamerica.com they offer FIRST team discounts

[Gamer930]

ITEM is 930's Major Sponsor. We work out of their shop to build our robot. Here is some previous posts about ITEM:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1775
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1680

Feel free to e-mail loren@item-midwest.com and he could get you any information you need. Mention that you are a FIRST team also.

P.S. He just moved to a new shop so the phone number from the old posts will not work

[Gdeaver]

Beware of shipping costs. UPS will get you on shipping if the length is over 8 ft. You should be able to find a local supplier in most major metro areas. 8020 maybe great for proto typing and specific mechanism, but the weight will hurt if you try to use it for the whole robot. It also has terrible torsional stiffness. T6061-t6 aluminum in angle, box and tube may be a better choice. Welding aluminum can anneal aluminum and induce stress. High strength steel pop rivets have preformed well on team 104's frame.

[Peter Matteson]

Originally Posted by Jay H 237

It's also possible to carefully TIG weld the extrusion together.

Very bad memories coming back...
Pipe welder not removing andodized coating on extrusion...
Sound of dying cats coming from weld booth...
Lights diming in the factory!

Seriously I don't recommend this based on the above true incident and it defeats the whole purpose of a modular extrusion frame. But if you do weld the extrusion for the love of your ears, Grind off the coating.

Pete

BTW - I'm not kidding about the sound it ranked up there with the dry ice & aluminum trick.

[aaronbr28040]

We used 80/20 extrusion for the past three years obtained from Bertelkamp. They are usually great about getting us our parts fast if we are in a pinch. Extrusion can be combined with lightweight square aluminum tubing to build a very strong/sorta lightweight frame. To cut weight last year I rebuilt the inside platform of our frame with aluminum brackets that I cut to match the extrusion frame and riveted the frame together as we dont have welding capabilities as of yet (I do at home but thats four hours away haha it doesnt help too much). Extrusion is great because they have so many different hinges and joints that can be used. The only problem is that it can get outrageously expensive for some of the hinges and fastening plates. You can talk to some of the distributors and sometimes they will help you out with some discounts.
-Aaron