For my robotic projects I need some aluminium parts. Currently I am looking for a way to build a chassis including simple gear box. So I need relatively high precision. Which options do I have to machine aluminium without investing in expensive tools?
This is what I could think of so far.
- Design parts in CAD and send them to a third party company for fabrication. The problem with this is that hobby projects almost never need large quantities and piece production can be still expensive.
- Buy cheap tools to work aluminium by hand. I don't know which tools would fit this task best. Moreover, the results might be inaccurate, which is a problem for designs with moving parts.
- Find someone with a CNC who let's me machine my parts. This would most likely result in very slow prototyping cycles though.
A method that I can do at home with not too expensive tools would be perfect, but I'm looking forward to every solution.