July 2017New sletter

How To Use A Deflection ChartChoosing The Right Bar IssueUnderstanding Pivots,

What 80/20 Extrusion To UseCommon Screw TypesBracket AssembliesNew ProductsQuick Frame

Choosing The Right BarThis edition of EBN provides information about how to choose the right bar or profile for a particular project. Every bar shape has a specific strength at a specific length. Understanding some basic concepts about bar strength will help you design safer, more effective framing structures.

There are two main factors that point us towards the right bar for a certain project: Deflection Rate and Safety Margin:

Deflection Rate: Deflection Rate: The amount of deflection or sag a bar will exhibit when weight is placed on that bar in specific locations. There are many different ways to measure deflection, but we tend to use the worst case scenario which is when the weight is directly in the center of the bar, and the bar is supported on both ends. Under most real life circumstances, the weight will be more spread out so using a centered weight approach adds a degree of safety. When any bar shows about 1/10” of flex or deflection, that’s when we start thinking about moving up to a stronger bar. The chart on the next page shows maximum weights for 36“ 80/20 profiles based on this 1/10” deflection limit.

Safety Margin:Safety Margin: In any engineering project, a safety margin is built in. This means even if a bar is rated for up to 500 lbs., we probably don’t want our structure to depend on it. Consequently, many designers add 25% - 50% all the way up to 100% safety margins into the design. While critical safety structures should be reviewed by a structural engineer, we generally design with at least a 25% safety margin. Another way of looking at designing is, “The more dangerous a structural failure could be, the more safety margin should be added to the project”.

ExtrusionBuilder News is a free newsleer for people that build frames using T-sloed aluminum extrusions and components. It is designed to be both informave and helpful for both professional builders/assemblers and “do-it-yourselfers”.

EExtrusionBuilder News is published by F&L Industrial Soluons, Inc. - a designer and builder of professional industrial framing using T-sloed aluminum extrusion. F&L Industrial Soluons uses 80/20’s line of aluminum products, and is proud to be an authorized full-service, Tier-1 80/20 distributor. We feel 80/20 offers the largest, most complete line of T-slot components in the world, with the higheworld, with the highest quality at the best price. So even though you may find references to 80/20 T-slot profiles and components throughtout this newsleer, most informaon should be applicable - even if you use a different brand/line of T-sloed aluminum extrusion. Our goal is to publish a newsleter that is useful for everyone that builds using T-sloed aluminum eextrusion. Thanks for reading and enjoy!

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What’ Inside? Choosing The Right Bar By Strength . . . . . . . 2Reading A 36” Bar Deflecon Chart . . . . . . . 3Other Bar Consideraons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Common Screw/Bolt Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Pivots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5BracBracket Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7New Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Project Of The Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Quick Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BCStore Discount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC

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Let’s say we wanted to have a 36” x 36” x 36” rolling cart that could hold 300 lbs. The top of the cart will be composed of 4 horizontal bars, held up by 4 vertical bars. So in both cases, 4 bars need to hold all of the weight of the cart. As we do not know where the weight will land on the cart, we cannot simply divide 300 by 4 and say that each bar needs to support 75 lbs. If the 300 lbs. is placed in the center of a horizontal bar, as far away as possible from the vertical bars, then the one single bar may be holding all or most of the 300 lbs. As our cart will have a tabletop on it, the tabletop will help spread the weight a bit but our cart’s bars should be able to hold something close to 300 lbs. for safety reasons. Remembeshould be able to hold something close to 300 lbs. for safety reasons. Remember, to add a level of safety margin, we always “over-engineer” our design a bit.

Looking at the 36” Bar Deflection chart above, we can see that the 1515-L bar is rated 193 lbs. and the 1515 bar is rated 265 lbs. While 1515-L would be fine for weight that is spread out like an aquarium, we would probably want to specify 1515 for a general purpose cart that may have an unknown 300 lb. object put on it. Ultimately, the choice is up to you. A 1/10” deflection is no where near the failure range of a bar (where there is risk of the bar failing), so you can deviate from this chart a bit. But when F&L designs a structure, these are the steps we go through to make a recommendation. A free deflection calculator from 80/20 Inc. is located here on our website: located here on our website: http://fandl8020.com/downloads/

The chart below shows the weight at which each individual bar will bend about 1/10” if weight is placed in the middle of the bar. These weights do not include any safety margin, so we recommend you back off of these weights when choosing the proper bar for your project.

36” Bar Deflection Chart

Other Considerations When Choosing A BarFinish: Most 80/20 t-slot aluminum extrusions or bars come in 2 or 3 different types. The traditional “Align-A-Groove”, which hides scratches the best, the “Smooth” finish, which is a cleaner look, and for some bars - close-sided bar shapes are available.

Color:Color: Standard t-slot bars are clear anodized in accordance with MIL-A-8625, MIL-DTL-5541 and AMS-24D4. 80/20 Inc. also stocks black anodized and yellow powder-coated bars, so these are available for fast shipping. Other colors of anodizing coatings and powder-coatings are available but they will add 1 - 2 weeks to your delivery date.

Channel: If you want to run wires, hydraulic lines, or pneumatic lines on the inside of the bar, you will want to look at our double or triple bars (width is twice or triple the height). These bars all feature a large internal cavity that can be used to route hidden wires and tubes, or they can even be pressurized. Pressurized cavities require manifold plates to pressurize the cavity. Once pressurized, a simple manifold access plate located anywhere on the bar will provide access to the pressurized air - a cool way to hide air lines in a shop environment.

Length:Length: While cutting bars is relatively straight-forward with a standard chop saw, the length can have an effect on shipping costs. Long 100” - 145” stock bars must travel by truck - which will be the least expensive method if you have a sizable quantity of bars. But if you only need 1 or 2 bars, it may be expensive. Bars that are 100” or less can ship by UPS or FEDEX, which may be faster and less expensive. So having us cut your bars down to the size you need may actually end up saving you money. Once your cut bars reach 60 - 70 lbs., then truck shipping will probably be more cost emore cost effective.

Fasteners: If you have your heart set on using a specialty fastener, then make sure it is compatible with the bar you plan on using BEFORE you order. We recently had to inform someone that wanted to use the 90 Degree Inside Corner Connector, that it wasn’t available for 10 series bars. Same for Central Connectors and Hidden Corner Connectors - they are not available for 1” bars. We recommend you check your intended fastener compatibility before finalizing your bar choice. Click here to read the EBN Fastener Issue.

Smooth

Closed-Sided

Black ZincFlanged Button Head Socket Cap Screw

Stainless SteelFlanged Button Head Socket Cap

Black Zinc Button Head Socket Cap Screw

Bright Zinc Button Head Socket Cap Screw

Stainless Steel Button Head Socket Cap Screw

Black Zinc Flat Head Socket Cap Screw

Stainless Steel Flat Head Socket Cap Screw

Black Zinc Socket Head Cap Screw

Bright Zinc Socket Head Cap Screw

Stainless Steel Socket Head Cap Screw

Black Zinc Low Head Socket Cap Screw

Align-A-Groove

Internal Cavity

80/20 Common Screw/Bolt Types

Internal CavityInternal Cavity

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Structural vs. Dynamic Pivots

Pivot Joints

Structural PivotsStructural pivots are used in place of angled bars Structural pivots are used in place of angled bars when building a frame that includes connection angles over or under 90 degrees. They are designed to be tightened and provide good structural strength. They are not made for continuous movement and would wear out quickly in this type of environment.

Dynamic PivotsDynamic pivots are made to facilitate a moving Dynamic pivots are made to facilitate a moving part of the structure. They include nylon thrush washers and lubricated bronze bushings that provide high-strength pivot points for repetitive movements. Dynamic pivots cost more than Structural pivots, so make sure you need a Dynamic pivot before finalizing your choice.

The two pivots below look and operate very similar, providing movement for any frame you build. But they are made for different purposes. Both of these pivots are designed to connect to the slot side of the bar (either parallel to the bar, or perpendicular to the bar. If you want similar capability from the end of a bar, see Pivot Joints below.

Pivot joints are designed to provide a pivot at the end of a bar, or from the slot side of a bar. So they are very flexible as far as placement goes. The axis screws can be kept loose to allow movement, or tightened to provide a stable structural connection. They include tabs for slot alignment that can be removed when mounted on bar ends. Pivot joints are slightly more expensive than Pivot joints are slightly more expensive than structural pivots, but less than dynamic pivots.

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Standard Universal Dynamic Pivot Assembly with Dual Straight ArmsPart No. 4178 horizontally connected to a 1020 “arm” and vertically mounted on a 1010 bar with black zinc flathead screws and economy t-nuts.

This would be a common design configuration for a This would be a common design configuration for a monitor or scanner arm where movement is needed on a regular basis.

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Using Bracket Assemblies With Pivots

Two new butcher block table tops are now available for mounting to t-slot frames. These high-quality wood blocks are made from maple with a urethane-based satin finish. They come in 2 sizes and are NSF certified food safe.

AA new lightweight black nylon door stop, monitor mount, cup holders and concealed hinges also just arrived.

1P4359Maple

Butcher Block30” x 48” x 1 3/4”

1P4360Maple

Butcher Block31” x 60” x 1 3/4”

1P4505Door Stop

1P2092Monitor Mount

1P20991P2093 1P41431P41421P4141

1P41401P41391P4138

180 Degree Right Hand Pivot Bracket Assembly with Black T Handle

Part No. 4451

New Products

Bracket assemblies allow you to lock the position of a bar that is attached to a dynamic pivot. Bracket assemblies come in 90 degree or 180 degree configurations - allowing you to determine how much movement the bar/pivot can travel. They come in different sizes to fit different bar/pivot sizes, left or right orientations and you can design them with one side or dual sides (for additional holding power).

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Remote Control Sailboat Standby Bob Hirsch of San Diego Argonauts

RecentlRecently, Bob Hirsch of the San Diego Argonauts, a local hobbyist group that promotes radio control model boating and racing, talked with F&L Industrial solutions about building a sailboat stand out of 80/20 t-slot aluminum extrusions. The Argonauts meets regularly at the San Diego Model Yacht Pond on Vacation Isle in Mission Bay, and it is not uncommon to see a group of them sailing there on any given weekend day – especially Saturdays.

With San Diego being an active Navy port and a location where many retired military make their home, RC sailing and power boating is a popular pastime here. (continued on next page)(continued on next page)

DIY Project Of The Month

Remote Control Sailboat Stand (cont.)Bob was looking to design and build a very sturdy stand that could hold his large RC sailboat upright when Bob was looking to design and build a very sturdy stand that could hold his large RC sailboat upright when the boat was out of the water while at the park. Most boat owners lay their boats on the lawn or use camper stools to prop up their boats when they are not sailing; this is deemed less than ideal if you need to work on or move the boat. As the boats are not unusually heavy (60% of the weight is in the bottom bulb of the keel), we recommended 10 series or 1” x 1” extrusions. The 10 series of 80/20 t-slot extrusions offers a wide selection of fasteners, and Bob had no problem sketching out the design he was thinking about.

After receiving and building his 80/20 brand aluminum t-slot frame, Bob added two sets of straps. “The After receiving and building his 80/20 brand aluminum t-slot frame, Bob added two sets of straps. “The internal 2” black webbing supports the boat while it is in the frame, and the yellow straps are used for moving the frame and boat together after the sail rig is removed.” Internal anchor fasteners were used to allow some adjustability of the frame to fine tune it for stability. Final touch was adding end caps to the end of the vertical 1” t-slot extrusions. As you can imagine, handling these large fragile boats is awkward and a strong, stable stand makes a day on your local waterway safer and easier.

WWe just had to ask, how much do these sailboats cost? Bob told us that an entry level sailboat can be had for about $200 – but the larger boats can reach into the thousands.

For more information about the San Diego Argonauts, visit http://www.sandiegoargonauts.com.

Send Us Your PhotosWant your project featured in a future issue of Extrusion Builder News?

Anything is possible! Just send us an email with a description of your project with some attached pictures and you might be famous in the very near future!

Send high quality photos and descriptions to info@fandl8020.com and someone will contact you directly.

DIY Project Of The Month

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Quick Frame For Quick ProjectsThe 1” x 1” square tube extrusion line from 80/20 is called Quick Frame, and its perfect for building lightweight frames that are not required to hold up much weight. QuickFrames are often used for signs, tradeshow displays, kiosks, awning frames, literature holders, stands, bookcases, robot frames, etc.

Quick Frame is the lightest and least expensive tube system we sell, and it is worth consideringif your project doesn’t need a lot of strength. The other big advantage of the Quick Frame system is that it uses nylon connectors that are installed with a simple rubber hammesystem is that it uses nylon connectors that are installed with a simple rubber hammer.

Multiple Quick Frame extrusion shapes are available - many with flanges. Single flange profilesare great for mounting lightweight graphic panels with velcro, while double flange profiles canhold a graphic panel securely without velcro or any other fastening system.

The clean, clear anodized aluminum look makes them attractive for showroom and tradeshowenvironments. If you are interested in building with Quick Frame, bars are available in 145” and 97”, but remember these bars are not as strong and consequently, they will not ship well insmall quantities at full length. Bars under 60” inches can be easily shipped by UPS or Fedex.small quantities at full length. Bars under 60” inches can be easily shipped by UPS or Fedex.Call or email us today to get a quotation for your new Quick Frame project.