Hi everyone, I wanted to know if I could replace the aluminum plates with some other material, since it is very expensive to get them.
Regards!!
We have made prototypes out of laser cut acrylic before, though the machine was very flimsy and the acrylic was prone to cracking. Considering FarmBot is a large structural device that requires decent precision, we don’t recommend using any soft/flexible materials like acrylic for the plates. Aluminum is honestly your best bet if you want a reliable machine that will last forever.
@jmLafarga You can reduce the cost by ordering mass-produced plates from AliExpress. I was able to find plates that work perfectly fine (good quality, solid) and pretty reasonably priced. See below.
I also bought other mass manufactured plates hoping to use them as gantry plates, but so far I had no luck with those.