What the part has to do
- Carry the electronics stack, the battery and the arms.
- Stay flat after seventy percent of the material has been removed.
- Give every fastener enough material to hold a thread.
- Take weight out where the load is not.
Material and finish
6061-T6 for nearly every plate. Stiffness comes from geometry, so a stronger alloy buys little, and 6061 welds, bonds and anodises better.
Type II anodise, or as machined and deburred for internal plates nobody sees, which costs less and weighs the same.
The features that decide it
Tolerance these. Let everything else on the drawing run to the general tolerance, because it costs money and changes nothing.
Flatness after pocketing
A process answer, not a tolerance. Rough both sides, let the part rest, finish light.
Hole pattern position
Interfaces with everything else on the aircraft, so it is the feature that has to interchange.
Fastener bosses
A pocketed web with an unsupported M3 boss pulls through long before the plate fails.
Minimum web thickness
0.6 mm in 6061 and 0.8 mm in 7075 on short walls, quoted case by case when they are tall.
What we hold
| Feature | Held |
|---|---|
| Hole pattern position | ±0.05 mm, tighter on called out features |
| Flatness | 0.1 mm across a typical plate, tighter on request |
| Web thickness | ±0.05 mm |
| Profile and pockets | General tolerance |
Normal production figures for this shop, not a best case. Full tolerance reference.
What we need to quote it
- Whether flatness is critical, and over what area
- Fastener list, with which holes are serviced in the field
- Stack height constraints
- Whether the plate carries a ground path
- Quantity now and the likely annual quantity
Send what you have. A STEP file and a quantity are enough to start, and the rest sharpens the number.
Read before you draw it
Tools for this part
Run your part through them and send the answers with the model. It makes the quote sharper and the questions fewer.
Questions about plates and chassis
How flat will a 2 mm pocketed plate actually be?
It depends on how it is held and how the stress in the stock releases. Roughed both sides, rested and finished light, a small plate holds around 0.1 mm across its face. If your design needs better, say so at RFQ, because it changes how the job is planned and it belongs in the price.
Can you machine carbon fibre plate instead?
No. Composites are not machined here. We cut the metal and plastic parts that mount to your carbon plate, and we place composite work with a partner when a job needs both.
Quote this part
Send the model and the quantity. Price, lead time and any question that would cost you money if we guessed come back within 24 business hours, EXW, in USD.
Need the full form with tolerances, finish and documents? Open the RFQ page.
Other parts we cut
Arm and boom clamps
The joint that holds the arm on. It has to grip a tube that is never the diameter the catalogue says, without crushing it, and come off again after a season in the weather.
OpenMotor mounts and bells
A plate with four holes that decides whether a motor runs cool and whether the replacement one sits the same way the first did.
OpenGimbal brackets and yokes
A small part with a hard job. The camera has to point where the controller says it is pointing, through vibration, while weighing as little as possible.
OpenEnclosures and housings
The parts that keep water, dust and spray away from electronics, and the place where most ingress ratings are lost before the gasket is even chosen.
Open