Re: Structural Material for Prototype Machine
- From: Mark Thorson <nospam@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2006 09:41:48 -0800
Uncle Al wrote:
>
> Price Corian. Wooeee! It's alumina-filled PMMA. Dense and heavy. A
> composite loaded with hollow glass microballoon filler would be
The prices I've seen on eBay look reasonable
if they do the job. I don't need a whole
countertop. The piece that's cut out to
make the hole for a double-wide sink probably
would be big enough.
The alumina explains the abrasiveness attributed
to this material.
> interesting. Remember - no auto showroom surface finishes. They
> won't survive. Ask anybody who had a DeLorean about bright metal.
I haven't seen a Delorean in decades. I haven't
even thought about them in years. What happened
to all those cars?
I had a convection oven with a brushed stainless
steel finish. It was amazing how quickly that finish
acquired stains.
An advantage of Corian is that it can be sanded,
which should be a reasonable finish.
> > Any comments on good materials for the outer housing
> > of a prototype? It should look good, and photos may
> > be taken. The machine will have electronic, mechanical,
> > and optical components. The machine will make a small
> > amount of noise while operating.
>
> PUR foam or fiberglas internal noise barrier.
I'm already going to have lots of styrofoam or cork
inside for thermal insulation. Cork makes an
excellent noise barrier.
There's only going to be a couple of small fans,
not anything loud or terribly annoying.
> Ship the machine and its surfacing separately, then assemble on-site.
The alternatives I've been considering are building
it out of a portable cart like often used in the
food service industry, or as a set of briefcase-size
units (connected together on-site). I'm thinking
of the surface material as being part of the structure,
so it won't be separately attached.
> Corian is remarkably stain resistant, but expensive and heavy.
> Painted and especially (hard) anodized aluminum will make a nice box.
> Again, respect honeycomb for strength and stiffness vs. weight. Got
> any cheap carbon-epoxy weave? Textured black is sexy.
I'm not casting my own plastics, if that's what you're
suggesting. I'll buy it and cut it, not make it.
>
> Plexiglas does not like organic solvents. It scratches easily. Glass
> cracks and shatters. Will you be liable if shards injure a passerby?
Plexiglas doesn't like water, either. I'd completely
forgotten about that. (When I was about 13, I made
a Plexiglas aquarium cover -- bad idea.) It expands
on the side exposed to water, thus warping.
I have no worries about glass shards. The door (if any)
will be rather small (maybe 6 x 6"), and not located near
any moving parts. I might look for an existing
commercial door (with hinges and handle) and use that.
Anybody know of a simple cheap glass door I can buy
already made? (Or a cheap appliance from which the
door can be harvested?)
.
- References:
- Structural Material for Prototype Machine
- From: Mark Thorson
- Re: Structural Material for Prototype Machine
- From: Uncle Al
- Structural Material for Prototype Machine
- Prev by Date: Re: Flexible membrane material between silicone oil and sea water
- Next by Date: Re: University faculty seeks...
- Previous by thread: Re: Structural Material for Prototype Machine
- Next by thread: Re: Structural Material for Prototype Machine
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
