So after two years of thinking and designs in SketchUp It's finally time for me to make a project log. First I'd like to thank DesignMaster for his great scratch build Lumina after I saw the article here on bit-tech. It changed my thoughts of acrylic and I decided to try making an acrylic case myself. So first a picture then I'll explain So at first I wanted a case not to have many small parts to manufacture so the main structural parts will be made from larger sheets of acrylic. The other part isn't seen as I haven't drawn it in SketchUp. The PC itself will be air cooled. There will be two intake fans and one exhaust fan plus PSU. Hopefully there will be "positive pressure" to keep the dust out. The DVD drive and a fan controller will be placed on the side as they are much easier to access there. The whole thing will have two sorts of acrylic. The obligatory transparent (6 mm) and black (not smoked). I'm still divided between RGB LEDs and blue. Next I had to do a lot of research about bending acrylic because it's not to be taken lightly because the case itself relies on the bends. So I designed a bending rig. Only thing missing in the sketch are "stabilizators" which make sure the acrylic is bent where it's meant to be bent. The guy at the company which sells the stuff also advised me to use some sort of cloth between the acrylic and the wood to neutralize any textures from the surface. The one found on billiard tables. Last thing I'd like to say is I'm not very enthusiastic about the whole thing as I don't know how the bends will end up.
Update So here is the first update. I started working on the bending rig. Taped and marked the cuts. The text says "top side" and "bend over this edge" Next it was time for some cutting. I tried to make the cut as straight as possible (not that it matters) just for practice. Cut! Next please. This one ended up more straight. I'm gettin better. Then sanding. First the edges. Next I noticed some bumps on the edge. (sorry for my poor macro skills) So sanded that too.
You're off to a great start. I love acrylic scratch builds, and nice jigs. I think it will look great with the side mounted dvd and fan control. you're right, bending accurately can be tough. Make some practice bends (of course) and see how much extra you need to figure on length to account for the bend radius. What will you be using the heat the acrylic to be bent? I've been using a heat gun, but there are other methods (best being a strip heating element, afaik.)
Hey dude.. off to a great start its always a good idea to use a jig and from past failed attempts id say if your error threshold is small then over estimate the amout of loss due to the bend and just saw it off after the bends are done Good luck
Good stuff mate Cant wait to see it progress ............... also good for me that can read Croatian as well
Some nice sawing skills. But when i need to saw acrylic i just use a straight piece of wood as guide. This way i get always straight lines.
Update 2 @ModMinded I'll be using a heatgun with an extension that makes a straight line of hot air. Also most cheaper heatguns have several levels of heating but it isn't controlled, the heatgun I bought is tempreture controlled and it'll help prevent overheating acrylic @BlackWhizz I acctually tried that before but as I have a cheap jigsaw I found out that the blade isn't parallel to the base @Editor22 Yes I've been worried about that but here is what I've come up with. As you can see those "stabilizers" (call them as you wish) will keep the acrylic aligned at all times so bends won't end up looking like this And now for some update pictures, I'm sorry I don't have pictures of the proces (only drilling and screwing though) because the whole thing is kind of large in a cramped place like a balcony where I work
Update 4 Got back from vacation a week ago so it's time for new updates. I actually did this before I went but didn't have the time to write it. I just inserted some carton between the 90 degree metal holders and the wood because it wasn't 90 degrees. Sorry for the blurry pictures as my hands get shaky sometimes. A close up As you can see there is a bit of clearance which annoys me. So nothing a bit of carton (thin one) can't fix Cut down to size so it doesn't stick out. And here it is. And now it's better. Still a bit of but that doesn't matter.
Update 5 Now the update from yesterday. I screwed down that plates of wood which will make sure the acrylic lines up correctly. I used the leftovers from cutting that wood plate from the first update. First I clamped this aluminum profile I got from who knows where to make sure it has the space needed as it will hold down the acrylic while I heat it and bend it. Then I realized there was a bump in the wood so hammer time. Then I marked it for drilling and punched the holes so the drill doesn't run away. Drilled and a screw already in. Next the bending rig got two holes. And screwed down. This is a poster about Excel but it'll serve a higher purpose. I used it to mark a line where the other wood aligner goes but didn't have time to screw him down. So the only thing left for me to do is the other aligner and then I can finaly proceed to the actual bending.
