T nut slot channel

Evening,

I’m looking for a supplier of t channel that will take a t nut.

Length needs to be at least 2 meters, although we will need almost 10 meters so machining it ourselves will be a pain!

The aluminium profile such as Rexroth won’t really be strong enough.

I’m unable to find anything, thanks.

Try Unistrut channel - they do various sizes and you may find what you need.

I’ve been told not to use unistrut as it was my first idea!

Thanks.

Chris, I find it difficult to understand why anyone would object to the use of a product designed for the intended purpose.

Emgee

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Not knowing the use that Chris proposes, it's difficult to judge ... but [to the best of my knowledge] all unistrut is formed from sheet ... The dimensional tolerances may not be good enough, and it may not take sufficient localised loading.

MichaelG.

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http://www.unistrut.co.uk/index.php?part=p1000

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 07/05/2019 21:37:54

Aluminium sections are available up to at least 100mm square with T slots. A bit more info on what it is for may get a more focused response.

Mike

Unistrut is really an architectural / electrical-installation material, is folded or rolled from sheet as Michael says; and the applications I have seen rely on simple plain square nuts rather than T-nuts. Perfectly good for its intended purposes and could be used elsewhere if suitable, but it's not intended for precision-engineering or holding very heavy concentrated loads.

Regarding point-loading, it might be possible to overcome that by using long nut-strips, but this starts to get messy. (I have used this principle for the T-slots on my EW 2.5" lathe's boring-table and vertical slide, making not separate T-nuts but T-strips the lengths of the slots, to spread the load.)

Aluminium- alloy T-slotted channel is made, as Mike Poole says. To help search for possible suppliers, it is for such purposes as electronics cabinet assemblies and among what are sometimes called collectively, "transport sections" (for vehicle bodywork). However, Chris123 seems to need it to take quite heavy loads so these might not suit.

If all else fails, whatever this is for, the profile might have to be fabricated.

One wonders if a fresh look at the design is called for!

For steel guides carrying heavy loads you may need to consider something like one of the products at the link below. Not cheap though.

T nuts are not really intended to hold heavy loads in suspension in any case.

**LINK**

More info on the application would be helpful if Unistrut wont do the job.

It looks like the link provided by MichaelG is for end supported loads given that they show a deflection. In practice, Unistrut provides support for much greater weights, given that you fix to horizontal substrate (ceiling) or vertical substrate (wall), at the correct fixing spacing. In a concrete building (modern Hospital) , I'm happy for suspension of 200mm/8" heating main to be suspended from Unistrut at 1Mtr centre. In reply to postings as to the nut fixing, it is not a tee nut, it is a Cam nut which aligns two slots/grooves to the rail therefore applying both inward and downward pressure as the fixing screw is tightened. Nathan.

When you don't know the design how can you possibly 2nd guess the solution....

Perhaps whoever said not unistrut has only just seen the slotted version

You can hang heavy loads on unistrut. I used to fit X-Ray machines. It was normal to bolt the slide rails to the unistrut.

Unistrut is big boys Meccano, a modern car factory uses miles of the stuff in bringing all the services to the machines, double sections are available for heavier applications. The Bosch Rexroth aluminium extrusion system is used by the ton. All sorts of jigs, conveyors, handover stations and guarding are made from it, available up to 160mm x 300mm sections apparently.

Mike

Hi, thanks for the replies.

Must for use in plastic extrusion, for holding a jig into a table. It needs to be quite strongly fixed down so it doesn’t move. Location accuracy doesn’t matter as the table is moved my motors.

We have loads of unistrut, but don’t want to use it. Other machines use this t slot channel but we don’t know where to buy it!

Thanks.

Aahh ... Is this the sort of thing you are looking for, Chris: **LINK**

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aluminium-600mm-24-Inch-T-Slot-T-Track-Miter-Track-Woodworking-Tools-Alloy-Tool/123284142941

MichaelG.

Sort of, but much much stronger.

Imagine an aluminium bar 80mm x 80mm x several meters long, with a slot to take a M12 t nut.

I suggest you go to the "8020inc" store on ebay to find your extrusion and then look closer to home. Nathan.

I am imagining a long length of aluminium bar 80mm square but if the T slot is in one face only it must be an unusual product or custom made.

Ian P

So you know what you want exists, you have some, maybe a photo would help people know exactly what you want?

Chris, in my working life I used "Halfen" steel channel, this is about 50mm wide, 30mm high and will take tee nuts up to 12mm thread. this is much stronger than the rolled steel channels. I believe other sizes are available.

Chris Gunn