80/20 Slides

[Nate Laverdure]

This thread has some good info on this topic.

[Justin M.]

80/20 is a great material for a linear track system.

Go to http://www.8020.net and search for your local dealer. 80/20 is sold wholesale from the factory so you have to go through a middleman. Tell him about FIRST too, and maybe you'll wind up with a sponsorship or a discount.

The pieces you will need will be, obviously, two pieces of 80/20. One serving as a track, the other as a moving piece. Then you will need connecting slides. To make the moving piece, well, move, you will need to figure that one out on your own. Ways done in the past: pnuematics, bolt a moving chain, etc.

[Éowyn]

I saw a team do this in the past, and they had some throuble with the 80/20 sticking. But if it works for you, go ahead!

[KTorak]

Look for the 8020 Linear Motion systems. I could give you some page numbers for the catalogue, but its in my Jeep at the moment. However, they making polyurethane (?) bearing systems. Basically, one piece of 8020 is connected to a bracket that houses a bearing. The bearing connects to the other piece of 8020 on three sides. Similar to this - http://www.8020.net/Images/Application-Thumb-106.jpg . We built a forklift in 2005, however, we used rollers (which were not the greatest).

[KTorak]

Page 302 has the start of the Linear Motion systems. You can speak with you distrubutor regarding pricing. (I posted a new post becuase the edit wouldn't bump this up again).