Mechanical
Acorn uses a MIG welded aluminum frame built from aluminum tubes and CNC plasma cut aluminum plate. With a little practice and careful study of free welding tutorial videos online, anyone can learn aluminum MIG welding.
See also Frame Design
Equipment Required
Note that plasma cut parts flat pack nicely, so the CNC plasma cutter, the most expensive tool, could be omitted if one wanted to source those parts from an outside shop.
Major tools:
3D printer $1000
welder $500
plasma cutter $8000
drill press $200
bench grinder $200
welding table $200
Other useful tools:
Metal files
Drill bits
Orbital sander
Screwdrivers
Wrenches
Locating design files
The design files are in onshape, a free cloud based CAD program. As of mid-2024, the mechanical designs are highly in flux, and the mechanical design folder structure has not been organized. By the end of 2024, our mechanical designs should be stabilized, and design released will be created. When that occurs, the design files will be organized. For now, feel free to browse the design files as a reference. More information is available here: