cutting square holes in 2mm aluminium

I built a panel using the round ones and you are right about them sitting proud. The round holes made the job much easier so I chose this to save time. The round switches also have a tendency to turn in the holes so I have put a dab of silicone behind each one to stop this.
 
searching QMAX CUTTERS -(the ones I remember as an apprentice in the 60's) It looks like £30 for a rectangular...
I always end up using a file to finish a fine-drilled profile, a good new file kept clear with a wire brush soon deals with aluminium.
 
jools
next time ask stu, i bought a "big bugger rivetter! 2 years or so ago and it is on the boat! your welcome to borrow anytime, also to go back to the square hole biz, when i was a lad the raf used to give their apprentices a piece of indiscriminate shaped mild steel and they had to file it by hand into a 1 inch square piece plus or minus a thou!!
stu
how is the boat? thinking of going next weekend, just been to the show and bought a few bits and pieces
Stu
 
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Why not drill 3, 8mm holes in each marked rectangle to form an infinaty shape and then file the holes out to your required 30x10 retangle

[/ QUOTE ] That's what I would do if there were only a small number to do but with 18 or so I might consider buying a punch. It can always go on the "for sale" forum afterwards
 
The worst job I ever did in college was making a 80mm cube out of mild steel, I never did get it right, got to use lots of machinery though.

We were down last weekend, I stopped by your boat and pushed your aerial on the push-pit so it was facing inwards as it is slipping and was almost pointing out to port on a horizontal. It was blowing a bit so did not want to hang around too long. It's a long way up the side of your boat from a dinghy init?
 
I am really conscious of scratching the surface or making the hole too large so the switch starts swimming about, the less hand work I have to do has to make this safer.
 
Hi there - I know it's all been said before, but I do have some experience of making up small control panels.

Would definitely recommend the punches from RS. etc. Yes they are expensive, but they are easy to use, accurate and neat - especially as you need to cut several holes. Also, they supply sizes to match most common switches, so you should find the exact size you need.

I don't know what part of the country you are based, but you might find a local "sheet metal" workshop to do it for you. Where I used to live (E Hertfordshire) there were several within a few miles radius. Often they are run by keen chaps with a "can do" attitude to this sort of job - it's a few minutes work with a suitably set up fly-press, assuming he has the right cutter to hand. Try Yellow Pages (etc.) for sheet matal workers. Don't go to a machine shop - they will have lathes and mills but little tooling for this kind of job!
 
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The worst job I ever did in college was making a 80mm cube out of mild steel, I never did get it right, got to use lots of machinery though.



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Did the same thing! But I worked like a demon for weeks on the job, when I was finished I had a mirror finish on it, I had sat in other classes with 2000 grit paper and then polish to get it looking like that.

I got a fail for the class, they insisted I had cheated by using an outside jobber or someone to do the work.

Cest la vie!
 
I went to a local vocational school and talked to the metal shop teacher. They had a laser cutter. Gave them the template on millimeter paper and after three weeks got my plate back with neat holes.
 
If you are really serious about having a good finish, then use a professional panel engraving service. They are able to cut holes to any shape, and VERY accurately too. Text in any font you can imagine etc.

You will need to provide a good, accurate, drawing with the material to be worked.

I've used RS Engraving in dartford quite often. It's not cheap but is well worth it for the results.

R S Engraving
Unit 10, Power Works, Slade Green Rd, Erith, Kent DA8 2HY
Tel: 01322 342555
 
Went to an explosives demonstration given by some mad Professor,who used to coat one side of an aluminium plate with a wet explosive and rest it on an old threepenny bit,explosive dried detonated and punched out a perfect threepenny bit sized hole in the plate.Maybe a bit extreme for your purpose!

But more fun than those screw up die things.
 
here is a web site devoted to making square holes in aluminium sheet. it couldn't be better targeted and has 14 methods of achieving same, including the square punch and die - which are dead easy to use once you have accurately marked up the panel before you start.
 
I agree with most of the suggestions made so far, but do not ignore the possibilities offered by a milling cutter in a wood router - a disposable 1/4" cutter would be great. Aluminium is soft enough to be cut by a TCT wood cutter too. Just realise that this is potentially dangerous and metal chips will fly a heck of a way and impact like bullets. The kick back from the router is much more than with wood. Also: the router life will be dramatically reduced if you push it too fast. [This is done where I work for the quick cutting of fork lift tine apertures in 6mm thick extrusion - so it is done industrially even if it's not a great idea]

Regards

Richard.
 
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