Chassis Frames
The structural base — bottom plate, side walls, and cross-members formed and joined into a unitary frame that carries the payload and supports the wheel and drive mounts.
Robotics · Automation
Robot & AGV
Robot & AGV
Chassis
Fabrication
Lightweight aluminum and stainless steel chassis for robots, AGVs, and AMRs — frames, decks, battery bays and sensor mounts. The robot OEM defines sensor datums, accuracy targets and acceptance criteria; DRAmetal fabricates and inspects the released sheet metal scope.
✓ Lightweight aluminum
✓ Sensor CTQs defined by OEM
✓ Integration-ready
⅓ steel weight
CTQ
Sensor-Mount Acceptance
OEM
Mass Target
ITP
Inspection Plan
RFQ
Payload Input
01 / What We Fabricate
The Chassis Structure — Where Robot Performance Starts
Half of a robot's performance is set by its chassis. We fabricate the precision sheet metal structure — the frame, decks, bays, and mounts that carry the load and locate the sensors that let the robot navigate.
Decks & Load Platforms
Top decks and load-bearing platforms sized to the payload — the surfaces that carry shelves, conveyors, lift mechanisms, or toppers in your application.
Battery & Electronics Bays
Separated compartments for batteries and electronics (motor controllers, PCBs), with detachable cover panels for protection and easy maintenance access.
Sensor & LiDAR Mounts
LiDAR, camera and safety-sensor mounts fabricated to the datums and acceptance criteria on the released drawing. The robot OEM validates navigation performance.
Our scope: the sheet metal chassis structure
We fabricate the chassis structure — frame, decks, bays, panels, and sensor mounts — laser-cut, formed, joined, and finished, ready for integration. Bought-out components such as wheels, drive motors, motor controllers, PCBs and electronics, LiDAR and cameras, batteries, and the control system are integrated by you or your assembly partner. We build the structure with mounting provisions sized to your chosen drives, sensors, and components.
02 / Chassis Types
Structures for Every Mobile Platform
We fabricate the chassis structure for the full range of mobile robots and automated vehicles, to your design.
AMR AMR Chassis
Autonomous mobile robot chassis with precision sensor mounts for SLAM navigation, separated electronics bays, and the lightweight structure that extends battery life and payload.
- Use Autonomous navigation
- Material 5052/6061 aluminum
- Feature Sensor-mount precision
AGV AGV Chassis
Automated guided vehicle chassis for fixed-route material transport — robust load platforms and frames for payloads from light totes to heavy pallets.
- Use Guided transport
- Payload Defined and validated by the robot OEM
- Feature Robust load deck
Heavy-Duty Heavy-Duty Platforms
Reinforced chassis for high-payload pallet movers and tuggers — stainless or heavy-gauge aluminum frames with the rigidity heavy loads demand.
- Use Pallet/heavy transport
- Material Stainless / heavy Al
- Feature Reinforced frame
Service Service & Delivery Robots
Compact chassis for service, delivery, and indoor robots — lightweight frames with cargo bays, sensor mounts, and clean finished surfaces.
- Use Service / delivery
- Material Aluminum
- Feature Compact, finished
03 / Technical Capabilities
Lightweight, Precise, and Rigid
A robot chassis has to be light (for battery life and payload), precise (for sensor accuracy), and rigid (for stable navigation). Here's what we fabricate to.
| Materials | 5052 / 6061 aluminum (lightweight); 304 / 316 stainless (heavy-duty) |
|---|---|
| Why Aluminum | Lower density than steel; the robot OEM selects material from mass, stiffness, fatigue and payload calculations |
| Sensor-Mount Accuracy | Drawing-defined CTQs; the robot OEM validates sensor alignment and navigation accuracy |
| Cutting & Forming | Fiber laser cutting + CNC press-brake forming; integrated bending to reduce parts |
| Joining | Welding, riveting, and self-clinch hardware per design |
| Structure | Frame, decks, cross-members, stiffeners, battery/electronics bays, sensor mounts |
| Access | Detachable cover panels for maintenance of bayed components |
| Finishing | Anodizing (aluminum), passivation (stainless), powder coat |
| Validation Boundary | Mechanical chassis built to released drawings; robot safety and system validation remain with the OEM |
We fabricate the chassis structure to your drawing and tolerances, with mounting provisions for your drives, sensors, and electronics. Wheels, motors, controllers, sensors, batteries, and control systems are integrated by you or your assembly partner.
04 / Manufacturing Process
From Aluminum Sheet to Robot Chassis
A robot chassis lives or dies on weight, precision, and rigidity. Our process delivers all three — and integrated bending cuts parts, cost, and assembly time.
01
DFM & Material
Review the chassis for weight, rigidity, and manufacturability; confirm alloy (5052/6061 or stainless) and plan integrated bends to reduce parts.
02
Laser Cutting
Fiber laser cutting of frame plates, decks, panels, and mounts — including sensor cutouts, lightening holes, and mounting patterns.
03
Integrated Bending
CNC press-brake forming — using integrated bending in place of welds where possible to halve part count, cut assembly time, and hold sensor-mount accuracy.
04
Joining & Hardware
Welding, riveting, and self-clinch hardware insertion to form the unitary frame, with mounting provisions for drives, sensors, and electronics.
05
Finishing
Anodizing for aluminum, passivation for stainless, or powder coat — corrosion protection and a clean finished appearance.
06
Inspection
Dimensional inspection of the frame and sensor-mount positions, fit check, and finish inspection before delivery for your integration.
05 / Why It Matters
The Chassis Decides Battery Life, Payload, and Navigation
"Half of a robot's performance is determined by its chassis." Four things make the difference between a chassis that helps the robot and one that holds it back.
Light = More Battery & Payload
Lower chassis mass may support the OEM's energy and payload targets, but the effect depends on the complete robot, duty cycle and controls. DRAmetal does not claim a fixed battery-life or payload improvement.
Precise = Accurate Navigation
LiDAR and camera datums can affect perception and navigation. The robot OEM sets and validates the required mount accuracy; DRAmetal inspects the drawing-defined CTQs.
Rigid = Stable Operation
A rigid frame keeps the wheels, drives, and sensors in stable relative position as the robot moves and carries load — the foundation of safe, repeatable performance.
Integrated Bending = Lower Cost
Integrated bending can remove separate brackets and welds when geometry, tooling and service access permit. Any part-count, cost, weight or stiffness benefit must be calculated from the released design.
Customer Project
AGV Chassis: Wheel Alignment and Battery Access
Materials, fabrication decisions and results for an anonymous customer project.
Component reference image
The Customer Challenge
The frame deflected under load, nonparallel wheel mounts caused tracking errors and battery replacement was difficult.
Project Measurements & Details
≥500 kgLoad test
≤5 mm/mStraight-line deviation
≥12 hoursOperating duration
Results apply to the project configuration described on the linked page.
Read the Customer Project → 07 / Why Choose Us
Why OEMs Trust DRAmetal for Robot Chassis
01
Lightweight expertise
Aluminum chassis at ⅓ the weight of steel, with lightening features that extend battery life and payload.
02
Sensor-mount precision
Sensor-mount datums and tolerances follow the released drawing and agreed inspection plan.
03
Integrated bending
Integrated bends can reduce separate joints where the OEM design permits; any cost, mass or assembly benefit must be evaluated against the released design.
04
Integration-ready
Bays and mounts sized to your drives, sensors, batteries, and electronics, with maintenance access.
05
Aluminum & stainless
5052/6061 for light AMRs, stainless or heavy-gauge for heavy-duty pallet movers and tuggers.
06
Prototype to volume
From first-article prototypes through production runs, with DFM feedback to optimize weight and cost.
08 / Related
Explore More
09 / FAQ
Robot & AGV Chassis FAQ
Do you build complete robots or just the chassis?
We fabricate the sheet metal chassis structure — frame, decks, battery and electronics bays, panels, and sensor mounts — laser-cut, formed, joined, and finished. Wheels, drive motors, controllers, PCBs, LiDAR/cameras, batteries, and the control system are integrated by you or your assembly partner. We build the structure with mounting provisions sized to your chosen components.
Why aluminum for a robot chassis?
Aluminum and steel have different density, stiffness, joining and corrosion trade-offs. The robot OEM owns material selection, payload, battery-life and structural validation; we manufacture to the released material and design.
How accurate are your sensor mounts?
The OEM defines sensor datums, tolerances and navigation acceptance criteria. We inspect the released mount features only to the RFQ-defined method and sampling plan; the integrator validates perception and movement on the complete robot.
What is integrated bending and why does it matter?
Integrated bending can replace some separate welded features when the released design permits. Part count, stiffness, mass, assembly time and cost remain design-specific inputs for the OEM to evaluate and validate.
Can you match our existing chassis design?
Yes — send us drawings or a sample and we'll fabricate the structure to match, including bay layout, sensor mount positions, and mounting provisions for your drives, electronics, and battery.
What's your minimum order quantity?
We support everything from a single prototype to volume production. Send us your chassis design and requirements and we'll confirm MOQ and pricing for your project.
Get Started
Need a Robot or AGV
Need a Robot or AGV
Chassis Fabricated?
Send the chassis design, payload inputs and drive, battery and sensor interfaces. We will review the manufacturability, inspection scope and information needed to quote the sheet metal chassis structure.
✓ RFQ-based DFM review ✓ Lightweight aluminum ✓ OEM-defined sensor CTQs ✓ Integration-ready