geekhack
geekhack Projects => Making Stuff Together! => Topic started by: dragonxx21 on Tue, 01 October 2013, 13:56:42
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Title is pretty self explanatory. Where do you guys go when you need parts made such as cases or plates? I'm starting to look around for a place that does cnc milling at a reasonable price and I was told that online sources are generally cheaper.
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There's this thread stickied at the top (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=33298.0) with some resources. I've used FrontPanelExpress for... a panel. It's not inexpensive, but their quality is pretty fantastic. I have never ordered from emachineshop, but I've been at the tipping point before. I just couldn't bring myself to pay.
I did order a small case from shapeways after working it up in google sketchup.
Hopefully there will be some more people who chime in with stuff.
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Ah thanks for the reply. I was hoping my school had a machine but it seems they've only got a plasma cutter that can only do metals. Also, it's currently out of service, so getting things manufactured is my only option.
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Ponoko is pretty popular. I have used bigbluesaw
EDIT: oops you said CNC. I have no experience with that
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Ponoko is pretty popular. I have used bigbluesaw
EDIT: oops you said CNC. I have no experience with that
Doesn't exactly have to be CNC. I'm just new to this and CNC is the only method I've really heard of. If there are any other methods of making cases/plates, then I'd be interested in those as well!
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Well what kind of case do you want made? Switch plates are almost always laser cut not CNC milled.
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Well what kind of case do you want made? Switch plates are almost always laser cut not CNC milled.
I'm really unsure about the case, as this is just speculation at this point. Probably a case for a phantom or a custom board, I'm thinking aluminum or acrylic. And okay, I didn't know about the plate thing.
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You can make layered laser cut cases. Laser cutting only really cuts outlines, so it can make 2d shapes out of sheets of metal (like plates). By screwing layers together you can make a 3D case. It's easy to find a laser cutter, and they are generally quite cheap. Literally just google "laser cutter (insert country here"
CNC is trickier. Companies charge a lot for prototypes and small runs, and since they're 3D and more complex there is a lot more that you need to take into account. Laser cutting can be automated, CNC cannot..
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You can make layered laser cut cases. Laser cutting only really cuts outlines, so it can make 2d shapes out of sheets of metal (like plates). By screwing layers together you can make a 3D case. It's easy to find a laser cutter, and they are generally quite cheap. Literally just google "laser cutter (insert country here"
CNC is trickier. Companies charge a lot for prototypes and small runs, and since they're 3D and more complex there is a lot more that you need to take into account. Laser cutting can be automated, CNC cannot..
I see. So laser cutting would be much cheaper and when assembled, will be essentially the same thing? I will be on the search for a laser cutter in my area.
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You can make layered laser cut cases. Laser cutting only really cuts outlines, so it can make 2d shapes out of sheets of metal (like plates). By screwing layers together you can make a 3D case. It's easy to find a laser cutter, and they are generally quite cheap. Literally just google "laser cutter (insert country here"
CNC is trickier. Companies charge a lot for prototypes and small runs, and since they're 3D and more complex there is a lot more that you need to take into account. Laser cutting can be automated, CNC cannot..
I see. So laser cutting would be much cheaper and when assembled, will be essentially the same thing? I will be on the search for a laser cutter in my area.
No, a laser cut case would never be the same as a CNC one.. CNC is far more expensive, but you could not possibly get the same results from laser cutting.. It's up to you to decide whether CNC is worth the money. Also, when I say prototyping/one-offs are expensive for CNC I'm talking $500+... Laser cutting a single case would be maybe $100 +/- a bit
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Ic an help you with cutting acrylic if that is what you aim. :)
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You can make layered laser cut cases. Laser cutting only really cuts outlines, so it can make 2d shapes out of sheets of metal (like plates). By screwing layers together you can make a 3D case. It's easy to find a laser cutter, and they are generally quite cheap. Literally just google "laser cutter (insert country here"
CNC is trickier. Companies charge a lot for prototypes and small runs, and since they're 3D and more complex there is a lot more that you need to take into account. Laser cutting can be automated, CNC cannot..
I see. So laser cutting would be much cheaper and when assembled, will be essentially the same thing? I will be on the search for a laser cutter in my area.
No, a laser cut case would never be the same as a CNC one.. CNC is far more expensive, but you could not possibly get the same results from laser cutting.. It's up to you to decide whether CNC is worth the money. Also, when I say prototyping/one-offs are expensive for CNC I'm talking $500+... Laser cutting a single case would be maybe $100 +/- a bit
I see... I will definitely have to get some quotes then and see what I come up with. I guess I should probably start thinking about what exactly I want to make.
Ic an help you with cutting acrylic if that is what you aim. :)
That would be cool. There's nothing I need at the moment, as I'm still in the brainstorming phase, but it'd be nice to know I have someone to turn to for help :P Do you have a lazer cutter, or do you know one locally?
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That would be cool. There's nothing I need at the moment, as I'm still in the brainstorming phase, but it'd be nice to know I have someone to turn to for help :P Do you have a lazer cutter, or do you know one locally?
I know one locally, he isnt far from my place and I have good relations with him, so I get good rates even if quantity is small or one-off.
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That would be cool. There's nothing I need at the moment, as I'm still in the brainstorming phase, but it'd be nice to know I have someone to turn to for help :P Do you have a lazer cutter, or do you know one locally?
I know one locally, he isnt far from my place and I have good relations with him, so I get good rates even if quantity is small or one-off.
That's really cool
Somewhat off topic: Does the teensy support macro keys? And do direct wired keyboards without pcbs support leds?
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That would be cool. There's nothing I need at the moment, as I'm still in the brainstorming phase, but it'd be nice to know I have someone to turn to for help :P Do you have a lazer cutter, or do you know one locally?
I know one locally, he isnt far from my place and I have good relations with him, so I get good rates even if quantity is small or one-off.
That's really cool
Somewhat off topic: Does the teensy support macro keys? And do direct wired keyboards without pcbs support leds?
Take a look at this thread
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=43788.0
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Does the teensy support macro keys?
The teensy is just a microcontroller board. It is not specifically made for keyboards. Support for macro keys comes from the software. If you use TMK software, like most direct-wiring projects, then it will support macro keys. Last I looked in, macro support wasn't very good, but that was months ago and it may have seen some development since then.
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Does the teensy support macro keys?
The teensy is just a microcontroller board. It is not specifically made for keyboards. Support for macro keys comes from the software. If you use TMK software, like most direct-wiring projects, then it will support macro keys. Last I looked in, macro support wasn't very good, but that was months ago and it may have seen some development since then.
Alright, thank you for that. Do you happen to know if the firmware supports LEDs as well?
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Does the teensy support macro keys?
The teensy is just a microcontroller board. It is not specifically made for keyboards. Support for macro keys comes from the software. If you use TMK software, like most direct-wiring projects, then it will support macro keys. Last I looked in, macro support wasn't very good, but that was months ago and it may have seen some development since then.
Alright, thank you for that. Do you happen to know if the firmware supports LEDs as well?
Absolutely it does
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Does the teensy support macro keys?
The teensy is just a microcontroller board. It is not specifically made for keyboards. Support for macro keys comes from the software. If you use TMK software, like most direct-wiring projects, then it will support macro keys. Last I looked in, macro support wasn't very good, but that was months ago and it may have seen some development since then.
Alright, thank you for that. Do you happen to know if the firmware supports LEDs as well?
Absolutely it does
I better start figuring out what I want to do then :D
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Ah thanks for the reply. I was hoping my school had a machine but it seems they've only got a plasma cutter that can only do metals. Also, it's currently out of service, so getting things manufactured is my only option.
Plasma can only do metals, nothing else no questions asked. Reason being it works like a combonation between a welder and a cutting torch. It creates a plasma arc between the head and the work piece at anywhere from 30 to roughly 85 amps plus depending on the machine then uses compressed air fed at a constant supply of usually minimum 50psi to blow the molten metal away. Other materials can't conduct enough electricity to maintain the arc. Plus even with CNC the tolerances generally are not good enough for doing the work that we do for this community. Laser, waterjet, and standard and CNC machining are all good alternatives
CNC machning can produce the tightest tolerance with the most complex parts depending on how many axis the machine can do but will generally cost the most because of the time it takes to actually cut the piece. Laser is a very cost effective method when working with thinner stuff because of the cutting speed and can still maintaine fairly tight tolerances. However, you are limited to 2d work here. No 3d parts or multiple Z-axis work can be done here. Also when working with thicker aluminum and stainless steels the power requirements of the laser go up very quickly and tolerances drop fairly fast as well. I was looking for places to laser cut 1/4" 316 stainless and the tightest tolerance that I found in the US was .020". Keep in mind here that the listed tolerance for Cherry switch holes from Cherry is .002". On the plus side you can get more than just metals laser cut. Some other materials can include (depending on the facility of course) plastics, wood, stainless steels, carbon steels, aluminum. A lot of places will not laser cut plastics though because of the fumes associated with it. As far as water jet cutting I would imagine that this would be the cheapest option due to the lower power requirements and differeing safety issues with it. Basically all it just consists of shooting a VERY high preassure water stream at a piece and just cut it that way. I have heard of water jet machines that can cut 18" thick stainless steel. However, it is a very slow cut and requires 80,000 PSI and the inclusion of an abrasive.
I realize that this isn't quite the info that you was looking for but I hope this helps you in your quest.