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80/20 Aluminum T-slot Building Systems – Build your Idea

8020.net

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Re: 80/20 Aluminum T-slot Building Systems – Build your Idea

#101

Post by idiotsecant »

cwillu wrote: post #46
alanbernstein wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For lighter duty, there is maker pipe: https://makerpipe.com/ . it's nice because the bulk of the system is electrical conduit, which I think is one of the cheapest type of beam/tube available.

Hmm, especially handy given how simple emt is to bend (hand tool available from any hardware store that sells emt)

There is definitely an art to making accurate bends, especially in more than one plane! I have never had more respect for the conduit work electricians do every day with EMT than when I tried to learn how to do it myself.

Re: 80/20 Aluminum T-slot Building Systems – Build your Idea

#102

Post by acyou »

londons_explore wrote: post #97
acyou wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You used to be able to buy a basic extrusion die in China for $500 and off to the races at $0.80/lbs extrusion cost with 500kg MOQ. Wonder if there's patent protection on the US sale of that profile? You still have to cut it, ship it, distribute it, sell it. If you were buying 500 kg, you too could probably find a way to get it cheaply made. As a counterexample, I will say: The cost of typing characters on a keyboard…

The patent expired in 2013. (US5429438A) I wonder if just nobody noticed?

I imagine most users are engineers employed by companies. This would tend to decrease the price sensitivity while increasing the desire to go with a brand name.

I see now McMaster-Carr has their own knockoff, they for sure can successfully leverage their reach, reputation and brand recognition to compete. I imagine price must go down once enough people catch on that this is a relatively unprotected commodity and enough reputable players have cross compatible offerings.

https://www.mcmaster.com/products/t-slotted-extrusions

Re: 80/20 Aluminum T-slot Building Systems – Build your Idea

#103

Post by thetinguy »

phasetransition wrote: post #24

If 80/20 is new to you, then you might also be unfamiliar with its steel channeled cousin, Unistrut. https://www.unistrut.us/ Unistrut is used extensively in the US to build support structures for electrical switchgear and process equipment. You can get grades suitable for outdoor and corrosives exposure. Unistrut is the Kleenex term, there are a number of work-alike / fit-alike systems. Then for round tube, there is…

Also open builds v-slot is excellent https://openbuildspartstore.com/v-slot-linear-rail-1/

Re: 80/20 Aluminum T-slot Building Systems – Build your Idea

#105

Post by harryvederci »

maineiac wrote: post #53

Signed back in for the first time in... years... to add that a lot of DIY van / overlander builders are using this stuff! I opted for the cheaper but almost-as-good TNutz.com manufacturer for my build. Slightly different alloy but totally valid for my needs. If you're considering building a van, check out Seven-O-Savage on youtube: How to build a van with 80/20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqiroMdqZ0Y

Puts wooden chair in house.

How to build a wooden house!

Re: 80/20 Aluminum T-slot Building Systems – Build your Idea

#106

Post by mturmon »

phasetransition wrote: post #24

If 80/20 is new to you, then you might also be unfamiliar with its steel channeled cousin, Unistrut. https://www.unistrut.us/ Unistrut is used extensively in the US to build support structures for electrical switchgear and process equipment. You can get grades suitable for outdoor and corrosives exposure. Unistrut is the Kleenex term, there are a number of work-alike / fit-alike systems. Then for round tube, there is…

Unistrut (“strut”) also has trolleys that roll in the track (1). Very useful for overhead roller systems in a workshop. Be very mindful of fastener clearances if installing one.

I don’t have the handheld, portable bandsaw (“portaband”) that tradespeople usually use to cut strut, so I use a grinder with a cutoff wheel (noisy) or a sawzall with a metal cutting blade (more civilized).

(1) https://unistrutstore.com/1-58-metal-framing/unistrut-p2750....

Re: 80/20 Aluminum T-slot Building Systems – Build your Idea

#107

Post by saalweachter »

idiotsecant wrote: post #101
cwillu wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hmm, especially handy given how simple emt is to bend (hand tool available from any hardware store that sells emt)

There is definitely an art to making accurate bends, especially in more than one plane! I have never had more respect for the conduit work electricians do every day with EMT than when I tried to learn how to do it myself.

DIY is a great way to learn what you're willing pay someone else to do a job faster and better.

Re: 80/20 Aluminum T-slot Building Systems – Build your Idea

#108

Post by jorts »

maineiac wrote: post #53

Signed back in for the first time in... years... to add that a lot of DIY van / overlander builders are using this stuff! I opted for the cheaper but almost-as-good TNutz.com manufacturer for my build. Slightly different alloy but totally valid for my needs. If you're considering building a van, check out Seven-O-Savage on youtube: How to build a van with 80/20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqiroMdqZ0Y

So weird I for the first time ever was looking at 80/20 for overlanding and this ends up on HN.

Re: 80/20 Aluminum T-slot Building Systems – Build your Idea

#109

Post by s1mon »

If you need to build a CAD model of 8020 frames, Onshape is a collaborative, cloud based system which is a bit like Google docs and Github for mechanical CAD. There's a bunch of tools to create frame systems and they have the 8020 frame profiles built in.

https://www.onshape.com/en/features/frames https://www.onshape.com/en/blog/announcing-onshape-frames

Re: 80/20 Aluminum T-slot Building Systems – Build your Idea

#110

Post by jbay808 »

jbay808 wrote: post #82

In Japanese hardware stores last year I spotted a new type of aluminum extrusion called "G-fun" by the "SUS" company, which is vastly superior in terms of rigidity and interconnection options: https://g-fun.jp/ However, I can't find it anywhere in North America.

(Addendum: If you're wondering what makes it more rigid than traditional X-shape extrusions, it's partly because the joints are well designed, but mostly because the torsional rigidity of a thin-walled section is proportional to the square of the enclosed loop area):

https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/16-20-structural-mechanics-fall-...

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