I’ve just finished building my LowRider 4, and I’m loving it so far! For now, I’ve used 3D-printed XZ plates in PLA, but I’d like to upgrade to aluminum for better durability.
The thing is, I don’t have experience cutting aluminum myself, so I’m not confident in trying to make the plates on my own. Buying directly from the official store is an option, but with shipping and customs fees, it ends up costing me around €100, which is a bit steep for me at the moment.
I was wondering if anyone in Europe has an extra set of aluminum XZ plates they ordered from the official site and would be willing to sell? It would save me the trouble of dealing with customs and shipping from overseas.
They don’t really need to be CNC cut - you could 3D print a template for drilling the holes and the only feature that interacts with another part is the tab the z end top hits. You could make them with basic metalworking tools.
That said trochoidal milling makes it really very easy.
Thank you so much for your help and the references you shared—I really appreciate it! After reading through everything, I’ve decided to give cutting a try myself. For drilling the holes, I’m planning to create a jig with my 3D printer and then use a drill press to make the holes.
Currently, I only have a 3mm positive-cut bit for metal, but I think it should work fine for now. As for the plate, I’ve purchased a 6mm 6061 aluminum sheet. Fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly!
If things don’t work out, my backup plan is to order the XZ plates from the official store. To make the shipping and customs fees worthwhile, I’d also add a few bits to the order. For the controller, I’ve already purchased the Jackpot from here, as recommended by the store for international users. It’s a pity there isn’t something similar available for the plates too!
Thanks again for all the support—this community is awesome!
