facias

[hoops2006]

It does look good. Also noticed u managed to cut a square in ur box for the seven segment display. Did u buy the box pre cut or use a dremel.

[Acetronics2]

Hi,

What about Scotchcal/Scotchmask products ( from 3M ) ???

laser printable ...

Alain

[mister_e]

It does look good. Also noticed u managed to cut a square in ur box for the seven segment display. Did u buy the box pre cut or use a dremel.

You can use Dremel, some kind of knockout punches (or punch and dies) or the ol' method... drill a hole, then shape it with files... i used punches and dies.

[Ioannis]

...dies

Dies? who dies??

OK, seriously, a hand tool like file or dremel sure will help, but if you plan to use 20/month then I would suggest a home made CNC machine. There are a lot of plans on the net usually they are simple stepper motor driver with cheap IC's and mostly driven by the common G-code lanquage. Don't be scared by the CNC term. It's an easy to build machine.

Ioannis

[mister_e]

Yeah, that's one of those thing i want to build since awhile. There's a lot of fun in it.

[hoops2006]

Trent. your worst bit of work as you called it, looks quite good to me. What method did u use for that.

[Ioannis]

Yeah, that's one of those thing i want to build since awhile. There's a lot of fun in it.

Hi Steve. Sure it is. I am looking for parts that would give the precision for the job. If you have any infos please share. One link for metal parts (alu parts really) I found was: www.minitec.de

Ioannis

[duncan303]

Hi All
Ioannis:

I am looking for parts that would give the precision for the job.

I have dabbled in building manufacturing CNC machines, the word that stands out is precision / repeatability , and for that you need to spend proper money. I know you are using precision in the subjective sense, but just look over at the hosted sister forum (no name ) and look at the problems that even a simple CNC can generate like the recent debacle over a “hobby” colinbus kit.

We know there is a plethora of sites dedicated to CNC but I have found that www.cnczone.com and its extensive forum always always worth a visit. In the UK automotion has been making a presence over the last few years at the big manufacturing exhibitions. They have a some reference books particularly “linear and rotary motion components” which is a handy start, they are at www.automotion.co.uk

Of course Wixroyd has to be listed for accessories.

In any event one main enemy is going to be vibration, the foundations of a plant in my opinion is of singular importance, you can spend hours farting around tweaking with dampers, braces etc, but there is nothing to beat a good solid ground flat base and if you can’t bolt it to a concrete floor then secure it to a pile of concrete slabs.


As for fascias, I sometimes use Quick-Mark which is the replacement for the 3M Dynamark, but if you are only wanting one-off prototypes, there is nothing to beat a photocolour inkjet print and a simple laminating machine. Use a laser or sublimation inks for UV stable prints, I havn’t tried it with a wax printer yet. Fix them with a permanent photomount spray, if you do suffer from possibility of curl then use carpet fixing spray adhesive. Sometimes I use my PCB layout software (Eagle) as the Artwork source, creating separate colourways in unused layers, very useful when rearranging components that project or are position critical through the enclosure/artwork.

Duncan

[Dave]

hoops2006, Try this: www.frontpaneldesigner.com

Dave Purola,
N8NTA

[hoops2006]

Has anyone used these guys before