The 2.4m Metal Astrodome is manufactured from laser cut panels of either 0.9mm stainless steel or 0.9mm zincalume and held together with stainless steel nuts and bolts. It has the advantage of not needing heavy lifting to erect and is flat packed for cheaper delivery and shipping. It is often less than $700 AUD to deliver anywhere in Australia.
This is the only Astrodome that comes without motorisation as standard. However motorisation can be added for the rotation and shutter.
The shutter motor is a 12DC powered by a deep cycle solar charged 12V battery to eliminate expensive electrical slip-rings. The Azimuth drive can utilise 12dc, 220-240v or 110v motors depending on customer's requirements. The dome rolls on nylon or urethane wheels for smooth quiet operation and a rack and pinion set up is used is engineered for reliability and free of maintenance. The rack and pinion allows for accurate encoding of position if automation is added. Each motor is controlled with a control box that uses a soft start feature to eliminate the wear from jarring or the customer has the option have the dome automated.