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T Slot Size

This document covers a simple method to decide what size and shape of 80/20 t-slot bar is required for a particular project – based on the weight the structure must support. There are infinite ways of engineering a t-slot aluminum structure, but the method outlined below is simple and straightforward – and should be easy to understand by non-engineers. Although we reference 80/20 brand t-slot extrusion data in this article, you could draw usable conclusions for other t-slot aluminum profiles if their size, weight and shapes were similar to 80/20 Inc. t-slot products.

The basic principle of choosing the right bar is understanding when a bar starts bending (commonly referred to as deflection) under a specific weight load.

T Slot Cutter Size Chart

  • T-slot nuts are also used with T-slot structural framing to build a variety of industrial structures and machines. A T-slot bolt is generally stronger than a T-slot nut and hex-head cap screw. A heavy-duty T-slot nut with a M12 bolt is rated to support 10000 N (about 1 imperial ton).
  • These plates have three T-slots for use with T-slot nuts, bolts, and setup studs. T-Slot Fixturing Tables Mount workpiece holders, light machinery, collaborative robots, and other components onto these tables to create custom workspaces, no drilling or tapping required.

T Slot Sizes

T Slot Size

80 20 T Slot

There are 9 common methods for calculating deflection for t-slot aluminum bars as outlined below:

The T-slot channel dimensions for the Yakima HD Crossbars # Y01158 are 11mm (7/16') wide on top, 8mm (5/16') deep, and 22mm (14/16') wide at it's bottom. I attached a picture of the HD crossbar's diagram as well as a video with our review on the crossbars!

Today, we will be looking at the Two-End Supported method using Load Centered weight (circled in the chart above). While the two-end fixed test method is closest to the common vertical corner post method of design, it assumes an unbreakable connection with the vertical post. As fastener strength will play a role in any fixed design strength, we will use the two end supported method to better illustrate independent bar strength. In general, bars will bend easier when supported on each end versus being actually fastened between two vertical posts; consequently, the data and conclusions provided here will have a magnitude of safety if used in a two end fixed configuration.

T Slot Size On Blp Bx4x Carb

How strong is each extrusion type or bar? We get that question all the time. As outlined above, it all depends on what you do to the bar. But in our opinion, the cleanest, simplest way to judge bar strength and deflection is to look at how far a bar will bend if we put all the weight in the middle of the bar while supporting both ends.

At F&L Industrial Solutions, we use a target defection of 1/10” or under for most t-slot structures. If a bar has a chance of bending more than 1/10”, then we usually redesign with a stronger bar. So it is important to remember that target – a tenth of one inch or under.

Look at the chart below.

Maximum Weight Loads for 36″ Long 80/20 T-Slot Aluminum Bars

As you can see, the 80/20 t-slot called 1010 (which is a 1” x 1”) bar will bend 1/10” when 46 lbs. is applied to the center of a 36” long bar, while both ends are supported. If we were building a simple table, we might say that this table could hold a maximum of 184 lbs. (4 horizontal bars forming the table top) on the edges of the table (how much the center of a tabletop could hold would be dependent on the tabletop material and thickness – a good subject for another day). That same table designed with the 2020 series (2” x 2”) could hold up to 2,304 lbs on the edges.

Note: It is important to realize that some of the weaker fastening methods can only hold 200 – 400 lbs., so using a heavy-duty fastener is imperative to achieve the same strength as the bar. For example, there would be no reason to spend money on strong 2020 bars and match them with inexpensive and fairly weak corner brackets as the fasteners would break before the bar bent 1/10”. By using stronger connectors like end fasteners and anchor fasteners and external gussets, one can easily create connections that are as strong or stronger than the bar.

Click here to read about fastener strength in a past issue of Extrusion Builder News.

The graph above is a good starting point, but it is only one data point – for 36” long bars. A longer bar would bend at a much lower weight, and a shorter bar will bend a higher weight. Usually when we are designing a t-slot aluminum structure, we will add additional supports so that there is rarely long unsupported bars. For example, if a table top was 8’ feet long – we would normally put two additional cross braces under the table top, and at least 6 vertical legs – thereby eliminating any long bar from carrying too much of the load.

One last thing to think about when designing t-slot aluminum structures or frames with 80/20 or any other brand of aluminum extrusions is maximum load. While the cart or table or frame you are designing may only be used for holding a 50 lb. piece of equipment, what will happen if a large person stands on it and uses it as a way to change a high light bulb? When designing, you should design for the very worst case scenario that you want your frame to survive.

In summary, here are the 4 simple steps to determining the t-slot aluminum bar you need for your frame:

  1. What is the maximum load or weight that the structure will be exposed to?
  2. What is the longest bar length that will be used in your design?
  3. Find a deflection calculator for the t-slot aluminum bars you are using. An online deflection calculator for 80/20 is here.
  4. Using 1/10” or under as a target, what is the proper bar type to use at the length identified in Step 2.

Still confused? F&L Industrial Solutions offers free design and quotation of high quality 80/20 t-slot aluminum extrusion framing – so don’t be afraid to contact us to help. Click here to contact us to discuss your next project.

Ready to buy – visit our online Extrusion Shop.

Or call 858-602-1500.

If you would like to download and use the 80/20 Inc. deflection calculator that we used for this article, just click here to download.

  • Metric T Slot Aluminum Profiles
Slot
  • Connectors
  • Fasteners
  • Accessories
  • Frame to Floor
  • Panel Accessories
  • CarboSix Carbon Fiber

With T-Slot Aluminum, you get more value than you ever would with welded steel. Need flexibility? You've got it with t-slot aluminum. Need Versatility? Extruded aluminum has that too. Strong in the hot or the cold, corrosion resistant, extruded aluminum has everything you need to get a project done quickly and efficiently. No need to paint or weld unlike steel parts. Get whatever you need built fast and strong with our metric series profiles of extruded aluminum framing.


The T-slot Extruded Aluminum Advantage

For thousands of years humans have been fabricating useful, pleasing furnishings and other structures for the home and workplace out of an impressive range of materials, including straw, mud, stone, wood, brick, iron, steel, and other metals of various sorts. But it is only within the last hundred years or so that aluminum the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust has been utilized in an ever-increasing number of day-to-day applications. Partly this is because a cost-effective process for extracting aluminum from bauxite ore was not perfected until about 1920.

So there is one great advantage of employing aluminum for structural design purposes: it is plentiful. Its other advantageous properties include strength, lightness, formability, high ductility, and excellent corrosion-resistance. The innate utilitarian value of those properties is vastly magnified when the metal is formed into T-slot aluminum extrusions.

In a nutshell, T-slot aluminum forms the basis of a framing system for creating three-dimensional structural assemblies made with a variety of extruded and fabricated aluminum parts. With this system, each length of extruded aluminum contains one or more T-shaped indentations, or slots, into which various attachments (with ends also shaped like a 'T'?) conveniently fit and can slide up and down as needed. This allows you to interconnect other T-slotted aluminum parts into even the most complex configurations without having to clamp and weld them together as you would have to do with steel components.

Here are a few of the key advantages of adopting T-slot aluminum solutions to meet your structural design needs.

Strength

True, steel is harder and 'stronger.' But by the same token, aluminum is among the lightest of metals used for modern engineering purposes, with a molecular density one-third that of steel. As a result, it possesses a strength-to-weight ratio that is actually superior to that of steel . Contrary to what you might think, extruded aluminum is strong enough to handle most structural design and assembly applications.

Once you factor in the inconvenience of moving and positioning heavy pieces of steel not to mention the added labor cost of welding or riveting them together, drilling and tapping holes for mounting bolts, and then cleaning, prepping, priming, and painting the surface of the metal then T-slot aluminum becomes an increasingly attractive option if you are seeking cost-effective structural framing solutions.

Durability

If it's tough enough for trucks, military combat vehicles, and commercial airliners, then rest assured that aluminum is tough enough for more prosaic, everyday purposes. One key aspect of this durability is its resistance to rusting. Rust is to steel as rot is to wood. Unlike steel, for all intents and purposes aluminum doesn't rust at all. A microscopic layer of oxide (which is responsible for the silvery-gray color of anodized aluminum) naturally forms on the surface of the metal and prevents that from happening. You don't even have to prime and paint it in order to protect it! If any of your project's aluminum extrusions or other parts never rust, then you'll never have to replace them saving you money and down-time in the long run.

Versatility

Finally, one of the most important advantages to using T-slot aluminum extrusions and accessories is that, unlike permanently welded steel, the system is modular by design i.e., it is easily changeable. You can connect, position, and fasten together the aluminum profiles however you'd like, using the appropriate fasteners , connectors , and desired accessories . Later on, as needed, you can then adjust and rearrange them in any configuration you like.

The most common type of aluminum fastener used to fasten parts together is the T-nut: just drop it into the T-slot and then twist it into a locked position. That is so much easier than welding!

But where the real magic happens is in the versatility of our aluminum connectors. Just a partial list would include:

  • quick connectors
  • T-connectors
  • tilt connectors
  • milling connectors
  • bolt connectors
  • cube connectors
  • angle connectors
  • slotted gussets
  • corner brackets

Once you've put the finishing touches on the assembly with end caps, casters, cable blocks, machining jigs, tool hangers, cabinet siding, doors, or any of a number of other accessories that we carry, you're good to go!

For maximum versatility for both both our international and domestic customers, be aware that our T-slot aluminum extrusions come in both metric profiles and inch profiles .

T-slot Cutter

From carts to aquarium stands , from shelves to enclosures , and from ergonomic workbenches to eye-catching signs , Framing Tech T-slot aluminum extrusion systems are designed, machined, and assembled for versatility—and they are built to last.


Metric T Slot Dimensions

T-Slot Aluminum FAQs

How To Measure T-slot Size

  • What is T-slot Aluminum Extrusion?

    T-slot aluminum extrusion is a structural fabrication material that utilizes an engineered cross-sectional profile that is both strong and versatile in its use.

  • Will T-slot Aluminum Extrusion corrode?

    Our aluminum extrusion is non-corrosive. This is mostly due to the clear anodized finish that comes standard on all of our extrusion, but also due in part to aluminums natural ability to oxidize. The oxidation process creates a secondary layer of protection from corrosion, similar to how copper will patina.

  • Is T-slot Aluminum Extrusion considered a “Green” material?

    Yes! Due to excellent recycling practices most of the aluminum ever produced is still in use today. In fact, aluminum is 100% recyclable and of the most common materials recycled aluminum is the ONLY material that is infinitely recyclable. It is also much lighter than glass and steel per cubic inch, and has a much smaller carbon footprint during fabrication, processing, and shipping.

  • Why choose aluminum extrusion over steel?

    The main advantages are that aluminum extrusion is more versatile, modular, easier to work with, and costs less than steel. Building with aluminum extrusion is as simple as inserting a connector into the t-slot and tightening it into place with standard hand tools. No need to clamp, weld or paint aluminum extrusion. T-slot aluminum extrusion makes it easy to re-locate pieces or add onto your current structure at any time.

    What is aluminum extrusion used for?

    Currently, T-slot aluminum extrusion is widely used in automation, material handling, safety guarding, manufacturing and laboratory applications. However, many people are adopting t-slot aluminum extrusion for use in a wide variety of projects. Some have even built their own machines such as 3D Printers and CNC machines using our aluminum extrusion.

  • What is a T-slot, and how do I use it?

    A T-slot is what we call the channel that runs the length of our aluminum extrusion shapes. The T-slots are designed to a specific depth and width depending on the material. The T-slot is used mostly for mounting and fastening a wide variety of accessories and panels to the aluminum extrusion. Often, panels will be inserted into the T-slot to quickly create a wall or enclosure.