General Design and Manufacture Discussion

[Cameron Protocase]

Great video!

Also, great thread—I think it should be stickied.

I did a quick search, and I've only been able to scan the thread so far. I wanted to ask if anybody knows about extrusion?

I have a bare bones case design that I'd like to move forward with (most likely as a personal project, but I'd be open to going through the whole process if people were interested enough), and have been considering all the manufacturing options. I looked into square aluminum tubing, and really like the idea of using it as the front-bottom-back-top shell, and then having side panels that screw into the shell, and a skeleton that you could build the system on and then just slide into the shell and secure.

What I'm curious about is what exactly goes into extrusion, if there are any one-off companies (like Protocase but for extrusion),if it would be practical, maximum allowable dimensions for this sort of thing, et cetera.

Let's put aside cost just for the sake of discussion.

Cheers!

Hey Blorgon, we, Protocase, do manufacture one-off custom extruded aluminum enclosures. You can find more information about our extrusion capabilities here. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask, either on here, or via email at info@protocase.com.

Hi everyone. I haven't been on this forum for a while now but I just came across this sub forum at the perfect time actually. So I'm interested in building myself a custom case, not for consumer purchase but rather as something for myself only. The reason for this is that I sometimes find it really hard to get that perfect case and the only one that has ever blown me away is Project Nova by @Aibohphobia and @PlayfulPhoenix. I'm still really interested in purchasing the case however recently my country has come under a massive decline when our currency started trading at R17.99 to the dollar which is about $1.08 which might not seem like much but is absolutely absurd. The case which I have in mind is quite complex and although it might take a while I'm a student and this is personally for me only I have time to spare. Sorry about the babbling so to my reason for posting instead. I was wondering what would be the best CAD software to use in general. I'm thinking of starting with SolidWorks if that's a good idea. Also AutoDesk maybe but I'm finding it difficult to understand the difference between autodesk autostudio and autodesk inventor. Any help would be highly appreciated.

And Prim0, if you're a student, we may be able to assist you with the cost of your custom case through our Student Sponsorship Program. We support the talents of young engineers and designers, and you can apply to have Protocase manufacture your professional-grade custom enclosures and sheet metal parts.

And if you have any questions about the quality of our enclosures, check out the manufacturing process for Linus Sebastien's custom gaming PC....


P.S. We also like the choice of using Solidworks

 

[QinX]

It's great to see Protocase respond on our tiny forum.

If you are looking to frequent SFF-Forum more often, perhaps make a new account/change your accountname and have @Aibohphobia or someone else of the Site Staff hook you up with a Vendor banner.

 

[Cameron Protocase]

It's great to see Protocase respond on our tiny forum.

If you are looking to frequent SFF-Forum more often, perhaps make a new account/change your accountname and have @Aibohphobia or someone else of the Site Staff hook you up with a Vendor banner.

There's a lot of great information on these forums, QinX. I've been impressed with what I've seen so far.

 

[Prim0]

Hopefully I will be able to come up with a rough idea soon and show it on the forum.

All the help given has been great so far. Thank You to everyone.

 

[Spotswood]

Great video!

Also, great thread—I think it should be stickied.

I did a quick search, and I've only been able to scan the thread so far. I wanted to ask if anybody knows about extrusion?

I have a bare bones case design that I'd like to move forward with (most likely as a personal project, but I'd be open to going through the whole process if people were interested enough), and have been considering all the manufacturing options. I looked into square aluminum tubing, and really like the idea of using it as the front-bottom-back-top shell, and then having side panels that screw into the shell, and a skeleton that you could build the system on and then just slide into the shell and secure.

What I'm curious about is what exactly goes into extrusion, if there are any one-off companies (like Protocase but for extrusion),if it would be practical, maximum allowable dimensions for this sort of thing, et cetera.

Let's put aside cost just for the sake of discussion.

Cheers!

Slotted aluminum extrusion is our preferred building material (and a key differentiator for us among other case manufacturers). Further discussion on the general topic of using extrusions to build PC cases warrants a dedicated thread, but feel free to contact me with specific questions.

 

[jeshikat]

Perhaps inspired by my STX160.0 build log/guide, Protocase is doing a similar set of articles covering sheet metal design basics:

http://www.protocase.com/blog/2017/02/16/electronic-enclosure-design-101/

http://www.protocase.com/resources/bend-radius.php

Even if you've read my guide, I'd recommend taking a look if you're considering designing a case because there are some details I didn't cover and the list of bend radius and minimum bend length for different thicknesses of various metals is very useful.

Though despite being in a metric country (Canada) their focus on American companies shows through because all the measurements are in inches

 

[esplin2966]

Perhaps inspired by my STX160.0 build log/guide, Protocase is doing a similar set of articles covering sheet metal design basics:

http://www.protocase.com/blog/2017/02/16/electronic-enclosure-design-101/

http://www.protocase.com/resources/bend-radius.php

Even if you've read my guide, I'd recommend taking a look if you're considering designing a case because there are some details I didn't cover and the list of bend radius and minimum bend length for different thicknesses of various metals is very useful.

Though despite being in a metric country (Canada) their focus on American companies shows through because all the measurements are in inches

I got an email from them about this too. Seems extremely useful for budding designers. I wish I had this info when I first started.

 

[jeshikat]

Sometimes it's impossible to discuss a design question without also talking about the program doing the designing, but please try to keep CAD software-specific questions and comments in the dedicated thread: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/cad-software.8/

 

[KSliger]

Bump for anyone looking for good information to get started on their own case design =]

 

[10410039]

Bump for anyone looking for good information to get started on their own case design =]

have you ever tried to DIY install any clinching nut?

 

[KSliger]

have you ever tried to DIY install any clinching nut?

Harbor freight sells a hard held press that's cheap and works, but I have not tried it.

 

[10410039]

Harbor freight sells a hard held press that's cheap and works, but I have not tried it.

Found one who tried here, but the press is quite bulky might be hard to install closer to bends. Have you ever tried Penn's MicroMate?

 

[Biowarejak]

Got to work on one of the case designs I had, trouble is deciding on materials! The design is intended to be flat packable for shipping so there are no bends and every panel is removable. That leads to material thickness concerns - with acrylic everything external is 3mm thick. Does anyone know how thick a comparable piece of aluminum would have to be?

 

[10410039]

Got to work on one of the case designs I had, trouble is deciding on materials! The design is intended to be flat packable for shipping so there are no bends and every panel is removable. That leads to material thickness concerns - with acrylic everything external is 3mm thick. Does anyone know how thick a comparable piece of aluminum would have to be?

tbh, I don't exactly know about the "comparable" thickness, but 1.5mm is quite common.

 

[Biowarejak]

tbh, I don't exactly know about the "comparable" thickness, but 1.5mm is quite common.

Still good to know, thank you!

 

[HeroXLazer]

@KSliger What size of circular punches do you guys have? Also, do you guys have a PEMSERTER?

 

[Biowarejak]

In stainless steel that's around 2mm thick, is it really necessary to have press-in nuts? Is it cheaper? I can see having pre-formed threads that you simply punch in being cheaper, except that you can drill and tap at the same time with the right bit.

 

[DSE]

In stainless steel that's around 2mm thick, is it really necessary to have press-in nuts? Is it cheaper? I can see having pre-formed threads that you simply punch in being cheaper, except that you can drill and tap at the same time with the right bit.

When I was still talking to Protocase, they told me that PEMserts are more cost effective than threading the sheet metal itself, as making tapped holes is more labor intensive to do.

 

[Biowarejak]

When I was still talking to Protocase, they told me that PEMserts are more cost effective than threading the sheet metal itself, as making tapped holes is more labor intensive to do.

I can imagine it really depends on how the shop typically operates

 

[DSE]

I can imagine it really depends on how the shop typically operates

True, true.