Gantry design and FEA analysis

[Kitwn]

Hi Kitwin, do you mean like this ?


My main question is where did you perform the welds for the two pieces of 50x100?, A seam weld covering the entire length would lead to significant warp id imagine and tack welds wouldn't hold up, bolts would work I suppose. How did you make yours ?

That's about it. just two pieces of 50 x 100 welded together to give 200 x 50. The whole is then welded to the gantry uprights.

Bear in mind that this gantry was the first time I ever tried welding, I bought a cheap stick welder specifically for this job. To minimise the warping I clamped the pieces together and used a series of short welds alternating between the front and back seams. I use a welding technique I've called "Bird Poo" since that's what the result most resembles. Copious use of an angle grinder, gobs of car body filler and a layer of paint make it look much better than it is. The front surface was flattened (not very well) using epoxy.