So I know that Cody and a lot of us are very very happy to see 1x3x1x35 c channel. I like it very much. I always thought that 2 hole c channel as chassis is a little bit to flimsy, while full blown 5 holes are kinda overkill. So first of all, thanks VEX product development for this great product.
One little flaw is that I do not see any CAD file download link available on the page of this product. As I cannot wait to get my hands on it, I just made my own version of the part:
And I figure it is a nice part to add to your library before you get the official copy.
About this design:
Sorry, this is not sheet metal because first I don’t have the exact material type in inventor’s default library and second, I am still working on my sheet metal skills…
Material and appearance is just regular aluminum, which I like. I remember when our team first received the 1x5 aluminum c channels, we were just so happy and can’t stop saying: it’s so white… it’s so smooth… dang…
All surfaces for imates are added correctly, but the way I prefer is to leave those surfaces visible while not adding any imates. No offense to imate lovers, I just personally don’t really dig the graphics and the nonadjustable insert offset. I prefer to directly perform inserts on the surfaces that are visible.
The cut corners are not necessarily accurate because this is not a sheet metal. This is just a revolve cut. I apologize for that, but it shouldn’t affect too much.
Finally, I see that the CAD discussion section is gone. Which is not bad, not bad, because there’s generally little CAD discussion going on here. But it’s just when somebody asks for a CAD library, I always instinctively go there and grab Jordan’s thread’s link. Now I have to type and search for that. Which is actually not that bad. Something neater and more efficient is good for the forum.
Hope that this file is helpful! File attached below.
It’s weird that it’s not there since VEX had to do one to get it made.
That is one of the things I like about VEX/VEXIQ is they are engineers and they make drawings of things before they get made. So having CAD files for all the VEX/VEXIQ products has been a great help.
From what I can tell, they will be useful for drive trains when it comes to mounting motors vertically. If you were using the 1x2x1x35 you’d have to use a pillow block bearing. Also, they’ll work better with lifts from what I’ve been told.
I don’t see this being something you would have to invest in if you have the other c-channels, but if you have the money it could be a very useful product to add to what you already own. They’ll be more sturdy compared to the 1x2x1x35(or whatever length you’re using.)
For large amounts of structure that’s gonna work under stress, like chassis structure, I imagine the 1x3 c channel will be a very nice complement to existing parts. It seems to be a very nice balance of strength and size.
yeah I know, I know, but would save me a bunch of time, if he’s willing to attach. And I think it would be useful to others that are struggling with imates. Anyway found this youtube tutorial that shows how to create these surfaces on the model that’s provided by Vex.
