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AngleLock, improvement on T-slot aluminum framing system (2022)

anglelock.com

1–10 of 16 posts

Re: AngleLock, improvement on T-slot aluminum framing system (2022)

#5
post #4

"Hey, I have an idea! You know that extruded t-slot stuff?" "Yeah" "OK, cool. Now, you know how USB plugs AREN'T symmetrical and everyone really hates that?" "Yeah" "So, let's make NON-SYMMETRICAL t-slot!" "Umm, ok, sure. (?)"

It looks symmetrical. Note that the bottom of bore (?) is a curve, so the bolt can insert at 20 degrees in any direction.

Re: AngleLock, improvement on T-slot aluminum framing system (2022)

#6
post #4

"Hey, I have an idea! You know that extruded t-slot stuff?" "Yeah" "OK, cool. Now, you know how USB plugs AREN'T symmetrical and everyone really hates that?" "Yeah" "So, let's make NON-SYMMETRICAL t-slot!" "Umm, ok, sure. (?)"

It looks symmetrical. Note that the bottom of bore (?) is a curve, so the bolt can insert at 20 degrees in any direction.

The entire gimmick of the product is that the bolt is on an angle. This means that the nut and plates are not symmetrical and both the designer and assembler must pay attention to the direction the bolt points so that the wrench is not blocked by another component. It also makes it impossible to have a mounting point in any sort of "deep well" since all angles except perfectly perpendicular will be obstructed.

The 20 degree angle should be accommodated by a ball-end hex wrench, but it still must be taken into consideration in more situations than a perpendicular bolt.

I'm also not a fan of the fact that the angled bolt will apply unequal loading to the flanges of the nut.

Re: AngleLock, improvement on T-slot aluminum framing system (2022)

#7
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It looks symmetrical. Note that the bottom of bore (?) is a curve, so the bolt can insert at 20 degrees in any direction.

The entire gimmick of the product is that the bolt is on an angle. This means that the nut and plates are not symmetrical and both the designer and assembler must pay attention to the direction the bolt points so that the wrench is not blocked by another component. It also makes it impossible to have a mounting point in any sort of "deep well" since all angles except perfectly perpendicular will be obstructed. The 20…

Also not clear why you couldn't get 90% of the way there by just filling the conventional T-slot more completely. We'll have to wait for some ME types to chime in, I guess, but I don't get this at all.

I could see this solution being better if you only had one fastener along the length of the pieces being fit together, but in many/most cases there will be more than one fastener. Seems like a real-world T-slot system will end up with fewer unwanted degrees of freedom than the ad is telling us to expect.

Re: AngleLock, improvement on T-slot aluminum framing system (2022)

#10
It seems that you could add mechanical rigidity and remove the freedom of rotation by adding washers into the mix: washers that have small extrusions to for into the slots next to the bolt. Parallel, perpendicular, or at dome fixed angle.

But I imagine these aren’t needed since everyone who builds with nails or t slots realizes the rotation must be countered not in the joint, but in external bracing. (Aka triangles)

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