What do you think of my "water cooling" case design?

[kgtiger]

I have to agree with NFC.
I am from a trade background in Motor Body Building. Which in the construction and fabrication of road transport vehicles. Like road-trains, semi-trailer, B-doubles rubbish compactors, right down to 1-ton trays bodies for work utes.
In my 20+ years of working in this trade I have spent a lot of time in sheet metal fabrication side of things.
So when it comes to pressing up your case, in my opinion it's not that hard.

To start with, A one piece "top, front, bottom and back" peace. You will need to start with a drawing of the "top, front, bottom and back" peace, before it is been pressed, (edges bent to 90 degrees).

I have seen you have the sketchup skills and know you have the imagination to mentally un-fold your case from the finished product. So that the "top, front, bottom and back" peace are all flattened out on one plain.
Please note that when you bend either steel or aluminium at 90 degrees it will stretch it’s own thickness.

For example, using a piece of 2mm mild steel, 260mm wide. If you mark in 30mm on each side and bend each bend to 90 degrees. You would now have a “C channel”. The out side measurements would be 32mm x 204mm x 32mm.
You have gained 2mm in each direction of the bend. This is only true for the out side measurement. The inside has not gained anything, it will still measures 30mm x 200mm x30mm
Please note by saying, the “outside” I mean the other side to where it was marked out and bent. Where it is marked and bent becomes the inside.

So you will need to know what size you want each face to measure after bending and whether it in side or out side that counts.
This is only true for sharp bends like the ones that go the length of your case (edges)
The bends that form the corners, going across the case will be different.
As an approximate if the radius of the corners is say, 20mm and you are using 2mm thick material you will gain 10mm in the over all size, for the large bend in each direction. This is not from stretching the material, but just the size of the bend radius. There will still be a 2mm gain in each direction for the stretching of the material that you will need to allow for.

I hope this make sense, the easiest thing to do is find a sheet metal workshop that you feel comfortable with and ask them to do some test bends of a cross section on scrap piece to make sure you know that size gains you will receive after bending
Once you know this you can adjust your drawing to suit.

By the way, let them know there is alot of interest on XS from bothe people in the UK and overseas and you will give them a plug if it all work out, might help.

The drawing should also have all cutouts for fans, temp gauges, vents, gaps for bends e.g. large radius corner bends and anything else you need so once it is all cut out you don’t need to touch it again and it can go straight the sheet metal shop to be pressed. Then once you have drilled all the holes for fans and rivets etc, it can go to be powder coated.

You will also need separate drawings for the 2 inside pieces that go above and below the motherboard.
A separate drawings for the panel that mounts the motherboard itself, plus one for the bracket the power supply sits on and any I may have missed others. They will each have to have all hole and cut outs marked as well as bend marks (with direction and degrees to be bent to) so they can all be cut, then bent at the same time as the outer case.
You may find the place that is cutting it all out may like the drawing on a USB thumb drive, so check which format they like, eg DWG for cad.
They should have the software to convert it if it’s not right.

It’s also a good idea to provide the sheet metal workshop with a basic drawing of what each individual part will look like so they have a visual idea of what there doing, it just gives them a guide as to what it should look like when finished.
Another good idea is to show the drawing to the sheet metal workshop (if there not the people cutting it out) to make sure they can’t see any challenges with it when it comes to bending. (needs to be done before it is all cut out, I know your not simple I just thought I would add it)

From what I remember of reading in this thread, your first hdd cages where copies of someone else, and I think you said you could buy them.
I for one would save your time and money trying to fabricate them and just buy them online and bolt them into your case.
I think this just about covers it, once all the fab work is done, you should be able to just buy the parts you need to get it up and running.
Oh just one more thing, as for me if I was going to go the all the effort of designing it, the making it a reality. Then I would make it out of aluminium. The cost of a ½ sheet of 3m x 1.2m x 2-3mm is not that much more than steel and when it is after all for you. I would make the investment.

Bottom line, If you want it bad enough, then you might just have to make the first one yourself like this as a demo to show the big case builder how to do it!
It will work if you try it like this, but jetting someone to make it all might not.
After all, it’s not there dream, is it.

Best of luck mate I will be watching for updates/progress reports.


P.S. have you ever thought of asking Charles at MurderMod if he would be your US out let?

[Mick64]

I have to agree with NFC.
Snip...

Thanks for all the info kg. I am in the process of doing the 2D drawings for the case and I do understand what you mean about bend radius. It is a very time consuming process checking all the dimensions and making sure I've made all the allowances in the right places.

Unfortunately I'm not, financially, in the position to get this made myself at the moment. However, I have had some interest in the design and a prototype may be on the cards.

If things don't come to fruition, at least if I have all the 2D drawings ready, I may be in a better position in the future to get it done myself.

Thanks again!