CNC or Laser cut instrument panel

I need a small ( approx 18" square ) panel cut for an experimental
sailplane. Can anybody suggest a good source?

If you can send me a drawing (dimensioned sketch is OK) I can
probably help you out.

This is the sort of project that is a good learning tool fro my
students.

Anyone else who needs similar work please take note!

Costs will be far less than sending it out to a commercial machine
shop.

Accurate is our forte. Fast is not, so plan far ahead!

Errol Groff

Instructor, Machine Tool Department
H.H. Ellis Regional Technical School
Danielson, CT 06239

860 774 8511 x1811


On Tue, 12 Oct 2004 19:41:28 GMT, "Bill Daniels"
wrote:

I need a small ( approx 18" square ) panel cut for an experimental
sailplane. Can anybody suggest a good source?

On Tue, 12 Oct 2004 19:41:28 GMT, Bill Daniels wrote:
I need a small ( approx 18" square ) panel cut for an experimental
sailplane. Can anybody suggest a good source?


Have a look at this web site:

www.emachineshop.com

I have not tried them yet, but the idea looks cool.

Also consider having it water jetted. Like laser cut, but uses a high
pressure jet of water with abrasives in it.

John

"JohnT." wrote in message
...
Also consider having it water jetted. Like laser cut, but uses a high
pressure jet of water with abrasives in it.

John


At this point, I would consider anything. I've been talking to some of the
dumbest phone sales people I can imagine. I've e-mailed the CAD file to 20
or so firms that advertise "custom panels" and, so far, no replies except
for one local CNC shop that quoted $855 for the 9-hole 18" panel in .125"
sheet.

Bill Daniels

"Bill Daniels" wrote ...
At this point, I would consider anything. I've been talking to some of
the
dumbest phone sales people I can imagine. I've e-mailed the CAD file to
20
or so firms that advertise "custom panels" and, so far, no replies except
for one local CNC shop that quoted $855 for the 9-hole 18" panel in .125"
sheet.

This is a homebuilt group. Have you considered building it yourself?

Rich

"Richard Isakson" wrote in message
...
"Bill Daniels" wrote ...
At this point, I would consider anything. I've been talking to some of
the
dumbest phone sales people I can imagine. I've e-mailed the CAD file to
20
or so firms that advertise "custom panels" and, so far, no replies
except
for one local CNC shop that quoted $855 for the 9-hole 18" panel in
..125"
sheet.

This is a homebuilt group. Have you considered building it yourself?

Rich

Yes. I have made several panels but the CNC or laser cut panels are so much
higher quality than what I can make with a bandsaw, drill press and sander.

Bill Daniels

I was wondering the same thing myself , a panel is not hard to make at all.
If you have built an airplane the panel should be about the easiest part.
Are you planning on building this panel out of a special material? If it's
metal I would do it myself.

Patrick

"Richard Isakson" wrote in message
...
"Bill Daniels" wrote ...
At this point, I would consider anything. I've been talking to some of
the
dumbest phone sales people I can imagine. I've e-mailed the CAD file to
20
or so firms that advertise "custom panels" and, so far, no replies
except
for one local CNC shop that quoted $855 for the 9-hole 18" panel in
..125"
sheet.

This is a homebuilt group. Have you considered building it yourself?

Rich

I can't understand why you're having so much trouble finding someone
who'll do the job for a reasonable price. I use several laser,
waterjet, punch and CNC shops in the Portland area and rarely have any
trouble. Send me the file. I'll get you a quote. Where are you located?

I was going to laser 14+ instrument panels for The Noon Patrol, but the
the "group engineering" process produced a panel that was too amorphous
to bother with. So I bandsaw cut to the outline and bent them up, then
had cheap labor cut the instrument holes. I lasered some stainless
instrument templates for the two sizes of instruments to simplify the
layout. I also printed full size templates which could be glued to the
panel to locate instruments.

Of course, one panel isn't really worth laser cutting.

Bill Daniels wrote:


Bill Daniels wrote:

"JohnT." wrote in message
...

Also consider having it water jetted. Like laser cut, but uses a high
pressure jet of water with abrasives in it.

John



At this point, I would consider anything. I've been talking to some of the
dumbest phone sales people I can imagine. I've e-mailed the CAD file to 20
or so firms that advertise "custom panels" and, so far, no replies except
for one local CNC shop that quoted $855 for the 9-hole 18" panel in .125"
sheet.

Bill Daniels


--
John Kimmel

Remove "NOSPAM" to reply

I think it will be quiet around here now. So long.

"Bill Daniels" wrote in message
news:eEdbd.356130$mD.89885@attbi_s02...

At this point, I would consider anything. I've been talking to some of
the
dumbest phone sales people I can imagine. I've e-mailed the CAD file to
20
or so firms that advertise "custom panels" and, so far, no replies except
for one local CNC shop that quoted $855 for the 9-hole 18" panel in .125"
sheet.

Bill Daniels

Wait for the other shops to come back or follow up with a round of phone
calls. We had our panel laser cut in three separate sections, 2x 10" and 1x
5" wide. Cost about 175 Euro for a set. An extra 15 Euro for a second set so
we could experiment a bit before putting the final panel in.

Check that your CAD design is readable and well done. Sharp 90 degree
corners should be avoided, always specify a rounded corner (radius about 0.1
x panel thickness). If you don't do this yourself then the shop will try to
charge extra for 'design adjustments'.

Rob