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Registered Member #14
Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 01:04PM
Location: Prato/italy
Posts: 383
Power supply cases are made up of steel shets, so if I flat them and cut them apart with the dremel they can be used to build, for expample the casing for the coilgun pistol. Maybe using both plastic and metal would be cool, connecting the pieces with screws. The problem is to drill the holes. Normal drills with melt apart when trying to pierce steel, so i should use specific tools. Anyway , anyone tried this in past?
Registered Member #177
Joined: Wed Feb 15 2006, 02:16PM
Location: Munich, Germany
Posts: 214
You mean tools for steel? Well you can get special drill bits with hardened tips. That should do the trick. Although those casing are made out of pretty soft steel.
Registered Member #95
Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 04:57PM
Location: Norway
Posts: 1308
Some are easier to drill than others, but I've never had any real problems with them. With some brushing and polishing they can look pretty good. Heres what I use for my stereo system, its unpolished, just brushed.
Registered Member #89
Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 02:40PM
Location: Zadar, Croatia
Posts: 3145
I don't like that kind of steel, primarily because it is prone to corrosion and paint is easily scratched. When it is bent the layer of protective paint cracks and makes it corrode again. Also, cutting and polising edges is problematic.
I didn't find it a big problem to drill with normal drills.
I did, although, see some better ATX boxes made out of stainless steel and unpainted; but I would simply prefer to find a piece of stainless laying around somewhere.
For such facy stuff, I would much rather go for brass or aluminium since they are very resistant to corrosion, or stainless if you need real strength.
Registered Member #63
Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 06:18AM
Location:
Posts: 1425
Ya, drilling should not be problematic. If you centre-punch prior to drilling, the hole should get started pretty quickly with moderate pressure.
Use high speed steel bits and some lanolin or WD-40 lubricant (see which works best for you). If the PSU cases really do chew up your HSS bits, buy spares :D
Registered Member #75
Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 09:30AM
Location: Montana, USA
Posts: 711
Drilling is in fact problematic, but for an entirely different reason. Because the material is so thin and soft, the drill bit easily catches and bends the metal, also the holes tend to come out rather triangular than round. Using a quality drill press and clamping the work piece in place is therefore recommeded.
Registered Member #63
Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 06:18AM
Location:
Posts: 1425
Of course you would clamp the metal down to a "spoilboard" (flush against a disposable sheet of scrap wood) to prevent burring on the underside.
If necessary, you could clamp a spoilboard on the top, too, to assist drill entry into the steel... After you drill, use a deburring tool, or a many-fluted countersink to neaten up both sides...
Registered Member #14
Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 01:04PM
Location: Prato/italy
Posts: 383
Seems fairly simple to use that material. I have lots of these casings , waiting to end in a dumpster, so better to recycle them. Since making holes isn't problematic it would be a cheaper alternative than alluminium sheets. Also, being ferromagnetic, it will schield somehow the coilgun pulse field (If the casing would not collapse on itself , just kidding). The sharp edges would be a major problem for a handheld device. Also corrosion is scaring me a bit. Maybe a hybrid design (plexyglass-metal) would be the right choice. Anyway thanx for suggestions, all this will be useful.
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Recycling power supply cases
, just kidding). The sharp edges would be a major problem for a handheld device. Also corrosion is scaring me a bit. Maybe a hybrid design (plexyglass-metal) would be the right choice. Anyway thanx for suggestions, all this will be useful.