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Can break-outs, which are created by milling, also be sent?
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The cut-out can also be sent if required. Please make a note to this effect in the 'Comments for production' section of the front panel properties. When considering the size of the cut-out however, the plunge path of the milling cutter with a width of approx. 10 mm should also be calculated (see picture), meaning that the cut-outs are not suitable as e.g. drive shutters.
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Can you also produce front panels with a thickness greater than 4 mm?
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Yes, this is possible in principle, there are however a few limitations.
Available material:
- Natural anodized aluminum in 5, 6, 8 and 10 mm thicknesses
- Raw aluminum in 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15 and 20 mm thicknesses
We also offer thicker material, please ask us about processing.
We would like to point out however that there may be limitations to the available tools: not every thread can be tapped at every depth, and not every drilled hole or every cutout is possible in every thickness. For example it is not possible to mill a corner radius of 0.5 mm with the 1 mm milling cutter on panels with a thickness of more than 4 mm.
The front panel would be more expensive due to the special requirements. Therefore you will receive the final price calculation with the order confirmation.
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Is it possible to manufacture brass front panels?
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Yes, this is possible in principle.
We offer brass panels in thicknesses of 2, 3 und 4 mm. We would be glad to prepare an offer for your inquiry.
We would however like to draw your attention to the fact that the brass panels are not polished. The surface of brass is softer than the surface of anodized aluminum, therefore it is possible that scratches may occur during processing. It is possible to arrange for a galvanising company to polish the brass panel following the mechanical processing. This would however extend the delivery time.
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How can I create a break-out with a display disc?
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In order to do this a so-called “rectangle in a rectangle” cavity will have to be milled into the front panel.The “rectangle in a rectangle” cavity is comparable with a frame around a thru hole. Our Tip: allow the cavity to overlap the thru hole or the acrylic panel edge a little. This ensures there will be no unattractive burr. An acrylic plate is milled as a “counterpart”.
- More details are available in the demo file: Durchbruch.fpd
- More details are available in the demo file: Acrylscheibe.fpd
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How can corners be milled off cleanly?
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There are different possibilities. First of all radii for each corner can be input in the panel properties (front panel properties dialog box ). Secondly it is possible to position a thru hole directly over the corner. In order to keep corners sharp-edged the thru hole should overlap the cutter radius (see diagram).
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Is it possible to mount threaded bolts or bushes on the reverse side of a panel ?
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Yes, this is possible. We can mount M3 threaded bolts and bushes with the following lengths:
Length of bolts in mm: 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20
Length of bushes in mm: 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
You need to place a round cavity on the backside of the frontpanel in the position where you want to mount your bolt (use function "place on reverse side"). The cavity must be 1.1mm in depth The diameter of the cavity is 4.6mm for bolts and 5.6mm for bushes.
As the bolts are pressed in, it is unfortunately not always possible to guarantee that its position will not be seen on the front panel. Unfortunately no clear limits can be set as this is dependent on a great number of factors (such as the rolling of the raw panels). For this reason we are unable to guarantee that the front panel will remain undamaged. However as an approximate value we can let you know that in general nothing more can be seen using natural panels with a thickness of 4mm and black panels at only 2mm thickness.
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Do you have housings?
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In order to create housings we offer profiles.You can find dimensioned drawings of the profiles here.
The side profiles form two complete sides of the housing and include grooves for inserting boards. The height of the housing is however fixed by the side profiles. The depth and width can be freely determined. We offer a detailed description (in german) of how to design a housing with Front Panel Designer.
The housing profiles each form four edges of the housing. Thus housings can be designed where all three dimensions can be freely chosen.
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What are the dimensions of the housing/side profiles?
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You can find dimensioned drawings of the profiles here (in german).
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Is it possible to glue Plexiglas to aluminum (e.g. a panel for an LCD) ?
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Yes, it is possible. A silicon glue is used for this. Aluminum (23 µ/K) has a considerably smaller coefficient of linear expansion than Plexiglas (70 µ/K). Consequently the bonding surface has to remain permanently elastic. In addition, Plexiglas is a material that is difficult to bond with other materials even when the linear expansion is the same.
Good results can be achieved using Henkel silicon glue (omniVISC 1050). You can buy this glue directly from us using order number VMKS1050.
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Can you also process steel?
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No, unfortunately not. Our machines are optimized for processing aluminum. Our high performance spindles cannot absorb the cutting force required for steel.
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Can I send you a prefabricated panel for further processing?
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Yes, you certainly can. Please select the option "Client-supplied material" in the "Front Panel Properties" menu in the relevant .fpd file. The correct price will then be calculated. Please note the costs for adjusting the origin.
