Robotics & UAV

Structural and drivetrain parts for robot arms, mobile robots and unmanned aircraft.

Weight and stiffness are the argument in this industry, and both are decided by geometry as much as by material. A part that is 20 % lighter but 40 % less stiff is not an improvement, which is why we ask what the part does before quoting the pocketing.

Airframe brackets, arm segments, joint housings, gearbox parts, motor mounts and landing hardware are typical. Aluminium and titanium dominate; carbon-filled plastics appear where the drawing allows.

What we make here

Parts that come through this department.

Arm segments and joint housingsAirframe brackets and mountsGearbox and actuator partsMotor and propeller mountsLanding gear hardwareBattery and payload frames

Typical work: prototype to small batch, where the first article is inspected and the fixture is kept for the next revision.

How the work runs

From drawing to shipping, in this order.

Weight and stiffness reviewWhere the mass sits and which mode the part must survive decide the material and the wall thickness.

Rough and stress-relieveThin parts are roughed, allowed to move, then finished — the sequence is what keeps them flat.

Machine the interfacesBearing bores, motor mounts and hinge points machined in one setup where possible.

Finish and weighAnodised or passivated, then weighed and recorded where the customer's spec asks for it.

Materials, equipment and inspection

The practical detail.

Materials and environment

7075 and 6061 aluminium, Ti-6Al-4V, 17-4PH, carbon-fibre plate and engineering plastics. Hard anodising and passivation arranged to the drawing.

See the full material list

Inspection

CMM for position and profile, wall thickness checked on thin sections, and first-article reports with measured values rather than a pass stamp.

Quality and documentation

Capacity

What the department can actually hold.

Part family	Typical material	What decides the price
Arm links and joints	7075, 6061, Ti	Wall thickness, setup count and finish
Motor and gearbox mounts	7075, 4140	Bore tolerance and concentricity
UAV frame plates	7075, carbon plate	Flatness, weight and edge finish
Gimbal and camera housings	6061, POM	Thin walls and cosmetic finish
Landing gear and hinge parts	Ti, 7075, 17-4PH	Strength callout and tolerance
Battery and avionics trays	6061, 5052	Weight, openings and anodising

Every gram is a machining decision. Pocketing a 7075 link down to a 0.6 mm wall is a different job from milling the same link at 2 mm — and it is priced as one.

Parts we have machined

Real components, photographed on our own bench.

Where the money goes

What actually drives the price of this work.

Wall thickness Below 1 mm the part moves during machining. Stress relief, light passes and longer cycle time are all part of the price.
Material 7075 costs more than 6061 and machines slower; titanium costs several times more and machines much slower.
Tolerance A bearing bore at ±0.01 mm needs boring or reaming after milling, not just an end mill.
Finish Anodising adds a dimension change on tight bores; that has to be planned before the part is cut.
Batch Small prototype runs are priced on programming and setup; a 500-piece run is priced on cycle time.

Straight answers

Questions buyers ask about this work.

Can you machine thin ribs without distortion?

Yes, with the right sequence: rough leaving stock, stress-relieve where the geometry demands it, then finish with light radial cuts. The drawing has to tell us which walls are structural and which are not.

Do you work from a mesh model?

We prefer STEP. Meshes can be machined, but the surfaces have to be rebuilt first, and that work is quoted rather than hidden.

Can you anodise and still hold tolerance?

Hard anodising adds thickness and can move a tight bore. Where the tolerance is critical we machine to the pre-plate size and state that in the quotation.

Keep reading

Where this usually leads next.

CapabilityCNC Milling CapabilityGear Cutting ReferenceMaterials

Request a quotation

Tell us the part and the environment it works in.

Industry fit is checked before the price is argued. Send the drawing with the service conditions and we will answer on both.

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