Folks, so i'm back at this hobby again, with bigger and costlier delusions of grandeur... so, thinking of making a custom case. easy way out is to use aluminum L bars and form the basic skeleton and use alum sheetings to enclose it. well, i don't mind using L brackets along the top and bottom horizontal edges and if needed, the back vertical edges of the case, but i rather not use them in the front and hope the alum sheeting with folded edges be enough to offer rigidity and support. now, i notice most commercial box & pan brake recommends to stay within 1mm in thickness and this also makes more sense in that aluminum can crack, depending on bend radius. those of you with sheet metal experience, what do you think is a good alum alloy (3xxx or 11xx or 6xxx series) and in what thickness would offer good and rigid enclosure for the following: 1) outer panels of the case, front bezel, back, side panels as i've said above, i want to find rigid and thick sheets but bending them is tricky unless i have bend radius of > thickness 2) internal horizontal support plates (x2 in my case design) this will run across from front bezel to rear bezel to hold together at upper 1/4 and lower 1/4 of the case i'm thinking the most economical and thin sheeting, fold edges for rigidity? 3) motherboard tray i'm also thinking same metal used for the internal horizontal support plates it can also go thinner? 4) drive bay risers same metal as the rest of the internals? i know it's not much help without images but i'm working on them at the moment... i would like to get some feedback on alum alloy grades and thickness recommendation from you guys. thanks in advance for your replies.
I can't comment on the alloy used, but Lian Lian cases invariably use 1.5mm Al. That's all I've got, sorry I can't be of more help.
When making a PC case don't worry about alloy. It's not going to be the space shuttle. I've done a lot of work with aluminium and never asked for a specific alloy. I wouldn't recommend bending much over 2mm in thickness, though I have bent up to 3mm with reasonable results. 1.5mm is ideal, and after you've made the first bend in a sheet, you will notice the increase in strength. Just go to your local aluminium vendor and ask for the sizes you want. Oh, and if you care to have a look at the worklog for Cygnus X1, there is a lot of bending going on there and a few tips.
Attila, lol at your reply... of course i'm not making any space shuttle... but in only ask for basically 2 reasons... 1) cost factor 2) ease of bending/fabricating. I'll definitely take a look at Cygnus X1 log... but your post has been very helpful. i think as per asura's post, i'll try to stick to 1.5mm for externals and mabye even thinner for the internals. thanks again! um... dude... Attila... seriously... that was AMAZING! you da man! i'm only half way through that thread and it is jaw dropping amazing and also quite confidence boosting... imma rollin up my sleeves bro... so the entire construction is out of 1.6mm thickness? i know you did not specify alloy but i'd like to know as well. and when you get the chance, mind showing me a closeup of a 90deg bend from the edge? wow! did i say wow? wow!
Wherever you require bending, you can consider alloys of aluminium sheets that have more of aluminium in them. However, they also need to be strong, corrosion resistant and withstand a bit of heat in case of exterior casing.
I've mostly dealt with 2mm sheets and I like the 50XX for anything that requires bending. I think 6061 is the most common alloy you'll find, but it's harder to bend than the 50XXs, at least at that thickness and with my cheap brake. 6061 tends to slip it's clamps, but the 5052 was like butter.
