8020 Extruded Aluminum Question

[OFC Ranger]

I need two 96" pieces.

I can acquire these without issue of course if I don't have a local place to get them the price is high due to the shipping charge which in turn is mainly due to the oversized penalty.

48-in pieces are readily available for common purchase even on places like Amazon and every profile and every color I could want to choose from.

These specific two pieces would be load bearing my question is this. Due to the nature of these items there are substantial amount of connector choices in which case I could take two 4-ft links and hard lock them together on all four sides. For those of you familiar with and have used this material how much rigidity will I be compromising by fusing two pieces together versus one single unit.

This is going to be my first foray into this material. I don't know how tight the tolerances are on the connectors but by the method they used I'm assuming the t nuts will draw the pieces into each other for quite a rigid connection however again I have no experience it would like to hear from some of y'all.

@Msfitoy I believe you have mentioned me in the past that you have worked with the stuff?

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[Fordup]

I have bought quite a bit of it from 8020 directly and one piece is the way to go for a straight rigid part. The shipping is expensive but most of that is from the packaging they use to protect it during shipping. Remember aluminum reacts with other metals so be careful at the connecting points with the hardware you choose. Their cuts are extremely accurate and if the proper connections are used it will be an extremely rigid assembly. I would definitely recommend looking at their catalog for the strongest type of connectors and for a slight charge they have some machined in one's that will give you a factory look. There are a couple similar extrusion manufacturers now also. This one is near me with high quality along with carbon fiber variants https://www.framingtech.com/ so check for local options also. It's expensive but worth it. Remember the slots will hold water in an outdoor use so design your structure to deal with that.

 

[Trigganometry]

One piece for sure. The double channel is seriously rigid and won’t twist or droop. I would find out who your local distributor is and buy from them. You can pick it up at their dock and avoid the shipping charges. They also sell it black anodized. For outdoor use I would go with that. If you dig deep into their catalog you can find lengths offered with only 2 sides channeled and the other blank or just use the plastic channel fillers and call it a day.

 

[OFC Ranger]

One piece for sure. The double channel is seriously rigid and won’t twist or droop. I would find out who your local distributor is and buy from them. You can pick it up at their dock and avoid the shipping charges. They also sell it black anodized. For outdoor use I would go with that. If you dig deep into their catalog you can find lengths offered with only 2 sides channeled and the other blank or just use the plastic channel fillers and call it a day.

I think we have a grainger somewhere in town I can order from. Hopefully.

Hows this for pricing?

https://www.grainger.com/product/80-20-Framing-Extrusion-10-Series-2RCR2?opr=ILOF

 

[Dgc333]

Over the past 16 years I have used several tons of 8020 for bench frames, various holding fixtures and carts. What I have found anything that moves around a lot like a holding cart the 8020 clamps and brackets tend to loosen over time. Initially I put PM schedules on the carts so every couple of months the PM tech would go around and check to make sure everything was tight. Eventually we just started welding everything together.

 

[Trigganometry]

I think we have a grainger somewhere in town I can order from. Hopefully.

Hows this for pricing?

https://www.grainger.com/product/80-20-Framing-Extrusion-10-Series-2RCR2?opr=ILOF

Seems a touch on the high side. Use this online distributor search tool and hit someone local that has better pricing https://8020.net/distributorlookup/

 

[OFC Ranger]

Seems a touch on the high side. Use this online distributor search tool and hit someone local that has better pricing https://8020.net/distributorlookup/

Yea nothing near me but global distributors like Fastenal & Grainger.

 

[Trigganometry]

Yea nothing near me but global distributors like Fastenal & Grainger.

Grainger it is then. You’re going to find the cavities are nice for snaking wires. We drill intersecting holes for feed through without compromising strength

 

[OFC Ranger]

Grainger it is then. You’re going to find the cavities are nice for snaking wires. We drill intersecting holes for feed through without compromising strength

Oh yeah one of the first things I noticed. Do you happen to have a link on hand for documentation related to weight and stress ratings for this stuff. One of the first things I need to figure out is if it can handle the steel side panels in my current platform or if I need to make some inquiries with RCI about aluminum versions.

In the long run I'm trying to figure out if I can package something together that can break down for shipping to sell to people. I'm not really aware of anyone on the market who offers a universal style over the cab monolithic platform that can pretty much interact with any bed rack already on the market.

I am kind of looking at the same sales format that that coastal has with their do-it-yourself off-road bumpers except obviously my system won't require welding.

 

[Trigganometry]

Oh yeah one of the first things I noticed. Do you happen to have a link on hand for documentation related to weight and stress ratings for this stuff. One of the first things I need to figure out is if it can handle the steel side panels in my current platform or if I need to make some inquiries with RCI about aluminum versions.

In the long run I'm trying to figure out if I can package something together that can break down for shipping to sell to people. I'm not really aware of anyone on the market who offers a universal style over the cab monolithic platform that can pretty much interact with any bed rack already on the market.

I am kind of looking at the same sales format that that coastal has with their do-it-yourself off-road bumpers except obviously my system won't require welding.

Yield Strength	35,000 psi
Modulus of Elasticity	10,200,000 Lbs

So shit tons. What will really determine the type of strength you’re looking for is length. Longer is more rigid and won’t droop. Your existing steel panels will interface nicely and the additional 80/20 will only stiffen it up more. Beauty is your mating of the two is limitless for mounting points using a rail system. Location is easily changed just loosing the joining fasteners and the recinching after repositioning

 

[OFC Ranger]

Yield Strength	35,000 psi
Modulus of Elasticity	10,200,000 Lbs

So shit tons. What will really determine the type of strength you’re looking for is length. Longer is more rigid and won’t droop. Your existing steel panels will interface nicely and the additional 80/20 will only stiffen it up more. Beauty is your mating of the two is limitless for mounting points using a rail system. Location is easily changed just loosing the joining fasteners and the recinching after repositioning

Do you think the single wide 10 series will be sufficient for framing or do I need to go up?

 

[Fordup]

You really should provide a sketch of loads, brackets, spans, and overhangs to get accurate responses. Best thing actually is to run it by a 8020 engineer if you are developing a product and they can guide you in the right direction. That lighter stuff is basically for machine enclosures and the shock loads of off road is probably going to require testing to get an insurance company to cover your product liability. Real easy to have laser cut bent sections made these days that may eliminate a lot of brackets, 8020 and hardware.

 

[Trigganometry]

Do you think the single wide 10 series will be sufficient for framing or do I need to go up?

For what I have seen you do before with your setups I would say do it right the first time and use the double wide channel you gave the link to. You can order it black anodize finish as well. You can also cut this stuff yourself using a chop saw and a new carbide blade. Use a little wax on the blade to keep the aluminum from sticking. You’re going to get nice square cuts that way. If you pickup from Grainger you save the shipping charges.

 

[dmeyer302]

I'm a little late to the game here. I use a ton of "name brand" 80/20 at work. However when it comes to personal projects these guys have a better value. Almost any brand of extrusion is interoperable, so if Automation Direct doesn't have a bracket or something that you need, you can still buy the 80/20 brand and use that.

Be mindful of the "Series" of extrusion that you're buying as well as the accessories. It's like normal Lego vs Duplo. They have different base sizes.

Somewhere above it was mentioned about fasteners coming loose. I recommend using the good T-nuts with the notch to keep it in the center of the slot. Stainless screws for corrosion resistance and a dab of loctite. I don't think you'll ever have an issue.

 

[OFC Ranger]

For what I have seen you do before with your setups I would say do it right the first time and use the double wide channel you gave the link to. You can order it black anodize finish as well. You can also cut this stuff yourself using a chop saw and a new carbide blade. Use a little wax on the blade to keep the aluminum from sticking. You’re going to get nice square cuts that way. If you pickup from Grainger you save the shipping charges.

Yea I am going to use double wide for the box framing and single for the cross slats. Going to be a minute to build my war chest because after about 3 years and many mods (attached to it) I need to order brand new duraslat as my current sections are banged up from various things.

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