Creating custom parts for your bot can be a daunting task. That is, if you don’t know about Pololu’s Custom Laser Cutting Service. I recently needed some custom parts created for the upper torso of one of my bots for Mech Wars, and after look around a bit I decided to try out their service.

I have to give my highest recommendation to this service provided by the great folks at Pololu. I personally can’t afford a CNC or Laser Cutting machine, but now I don’t need to. I sent in a 2D CAD file of my design (they can also create one for you from a drawing), selected what type of plastic I wanted it cut from, and they got back to me promptly with a price quote which made my jaw drop. Extremely affordable, prompt and courteous service, and the results were fantastic. Again, I can’t recommend their service enough, it should literally be considered another tool in your toolbox. If needing a custom part for your project ever held you back, look no further.

Here are some pictures of the parts I ordered (Click to Enlarge):

Here’s the assembled upper torso with Airsoft guns mounted.

And here’s the frame of the Mech, Hagetaka, put together (for the most part, needs a lot of work and a paintjob):