Zeus

This topic might not fit under here, but I think this is the best forum to do it in. Anyways, I'm getting to the point with my car where I want to start making some custom metal pieces. Tin snips, cutoff wheels, plasma cutters, etc. are OK, but I want something more professional. Right now for example I'm looking to mount a nitrous bottle in my spare tire well, and I was going to fab up a thin metal plate that fills in the part of the well that sinks below the floor pan.

I have access to CAD programs, and I'm wondering if there are places that will take my CAD files and machne them for me. I know that there are places that do this, but it seems like most of them are geared towards large corporations placing orders for thousands of copies at a time. Are some of them also willing to do one off pieces for a reasonable price? Is there a different method I should be looking at? Should I just use hand tools?

JRick212

iTrader: (6)

Most moder welding shops should be able to do this for you. There is a local welder that I take things like this too whenever I need something done. He employs a CAD technician and has an assortment of different CNC machines.

I usually just draw up what I need in CAD and pass it along to their in house CAD guy and he gives it a once over and then voila they make me what I need.

Zeus

Do you mind sharing about how much it costs per piece, say a 1'x2' sheet that's not too intricate?

JustAnIlluzion

iTrader: (60)

there is a forum somewhere where people make thier own cnc machines, and not for 10k or 20k, but for 500 bucks. they get the computer, program, then attach a router (or plasma cutter) to stepper motors on a big grid table and you get the idea. also www.plasmacam.com has a interesting setup

Shamrock98TA

If you want to do a printscreen of the CAD file (do a plot preview, then prinstscreen) and send it to me. I can take a look at exactly what you're talking about and tell you which would be the best way to go, i.e. CNC, hand tools, manual machining, wire EDM, etc.

Send it to me at l_pilk42@hotmail.com

slow

iTrader: (7)

small runs on a machine are not cheap. as you need to have both programming time and the machine time itself. I took a class a couple of years ago at ucf, very educational about the process.

Ryan