Enclosures
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From: D Yuniskis on 19 Mar 2010 13:32 Hi, I need a small quantity (~20) of small {plastic,aluminum} enclosures. But, I'm looking for something other than a simple rectangular prism shape. So far, I haven't found anything "stock" that looks appropriate (I did find a COTS "console-like" case but the angle is too shallow). If push comes to shove, I can have a friend mill them out of blocks of aluminum but that seems terribly wasteful! I'm wondering, instead, if I can't hack together something with a sheet metal skeleton (or, maybe even a cardboard or wooden form!) and fiberglass? This doesn't need to be terribly strong, structurally. And, I could no doubt come up with a way of mounting everything to a *base* (i.e., to eliminate the need for fasteners *in* the skin). Has anyone done this sort of thing before? Pointers to helpful tips as well as things to avoid... :> Thanks! --don
From: Jeremy Bennett on 19 Mar 2010 14:01 On Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:32:42 -0700, D Yuniskis wrote: > Hi, > > I need a small quantity (~20) of small {plastic,aluminum} enclosures. > But, I'm looking for something other than a simple rectangular prism > shape. > > So far, I haven't found anything "stock" that looks appropriate (I did > find a COTS "console-like" case but the angle is too shallow). > > If push comes to shove, I can have a friend mill them out of blocks of > aluminum but that seems terribly wasteful! > > I'm wondering, instead, if I can't hack together something with a sheet > metal skeleton (or, maybe even a cardboard or wooden form!) and > fiberglass? This doesn't need to be terribly strong, structurally. > And, I could no doubt come up with a way of mounting everything to a > *base* (i.e., to eliminate the need for fasteners *in* the skin). > > Has anyone done this sort of thing before? Pointers to helpful tips as > well as things to avoid... :> Have you considered 3D printing in plastic. I have a friend in a university lab who routinely does this for prototype enclosures. Jeremy
From: Rich Webb on 19 Mar 2010 13:58 On Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:32:42 -0700, D Yuniskis <not.going.to.be(a)seen.com> wrote: >Hi, > >I need a small quantity (~20) of small {plastic,aluminum} >enclosures. But, I'm looking for something other than a >simple rectangular prism shape. > >So far, I haven't found anything "stock" that looks >appropriate (I did find a COTS "console-like" case but >the angle is too shallow). > >If push comes to shove, I can have a friend mill them >out of blocks of aluminum but that seems terribly wasteful! > >I'm wondering, instead, if I can't hack together something >with a sheet metal skeleton (or, maybe even a cardboard or >wooden form!) and fiberglass? This doesn't need to be >terribly strong, structurally. And, I could no doubt >come up with a way of mounting everything to a *base* >(i.e., to eliminate the need for fasteners *in* the skin). > >Has anyone done this sort of thing before? Pointers to >helpful tips as well as things to avoid... :> Some possibles from my bookmarks list: http://www.polycase.com/ http://www.rose-bopla.com/Main_Pgs/Table_of_Contents.htm and of course http://www.hammondmfg.com/ -- Rich Webb Norfolk, VA
From: Dombo on 19 Mar 2010 14:01 D Yuniskis schreef: > Hi, > > I need a small quantity (~20) of small {plastic,aluminum} > enclosures. But, I'm looking for something other than a > simple rectangular prism shape. > > So far, I haven't found anything "stock" that looks > appropriate (I did find a COTS "console-like" case but > the angle is too shallow). Depending on your specific requirements a 3D printer could be an option for plastic enclosures. Companies which offer prototyping services often have one.
From: Hans-Bernhard Bröker on 19 Mar 2010 14:34
D Yuniskis wrote: > I need a small quantity (~20) of small {plastic,aluminum} > enclosures. But, I'm looking for something other than a > simple rectangular prism shape. So now we know what you're _not_ looking for. But we don't know what you _are_ looking for. How is anybody supposed to be able to offer meaningful suggestions based on that? What actually is the shape you're trying to get? What size? What colour / surface finish? How good does it have to look (e.g.: visible screws, tool marks)? Any requirements about sharp edges / curve radii? What's it allowed to weigh? How tightly does it have to fit the content? What tolerances (i.e. how equal do those 20 units have to be)? What's the budget, both in terms of money and time? What skill level can be expected from the person building it? |