Metal type for audio devices boxes

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r2d2

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Jan 16, 2011
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hi,
just for ask (aluminium apart)
what other metal type can be ok for audio devices,

thanks in advance for any post
(as always)
r
 
ruffrecords said:
Lots of pro audio devices use steel. Neve modules are made of steel with an aluminium front panel.

Cheers

Ian

thanks for post ,
pure inox steel ?

about "isolations" and ground no issue ?

r


 
Galvanized steel (white/mild steel)

It can be cut, punched, drilled, pressed and formed. Rust resistant, and can be painted with enamel or acrylic paint. If using powder coat, paint only one side, because you want the other side to still conduct electricity and serve as a chassis ground.

Stainless steel (SS 304)

Need a laser cutting machine to cut it. Take tons of hammering to make a dent or even deformed it. 3 mm (1/8") thickness is best for front panels. Powder coat it for durability and scratch resistant.
 
Hey!

INOX = Stainless steel..... Personally I am not sure why you would use any grade of stainless steel for an audio box, unless you were building it for an extended installation on the beach. Stainless steel is awful to work with. Engraving it is a special art. If you are laser-cutting, powder coating and then screen printing, mild steel is fine (but it is DIY so if you really want stainless...)

Mild steel... I would not put mild steel on my CNC machines (for the same reason as stainless - difficulty in machining, spindle speed, cutting forces, etc - and swarf killing bearings and ball screws).

But, mild steel laser cuts beautifully, so if the powder-coat and screen print thing is what you want (with the benefit of increased strength over aluminum) then great - and if you are getting 20 of something made, then it can be cost effective (laser cutters generally have a minimum fee that a single 19" panel would not come close to)

Galvanizing - lets differentiate between hot dip galvanizing, and zinc electroplating.........

Galvanizing usually refers to hot dip galvanizing - steel is dipped into molten zinc making a thick industrial coating. Paint does not take well to a thick coating of zinc. I have never seen a commercial electronic enclosure, audio or anything, hot dip galvanized. Lets leave galv to heavy industry.

But - electroplating (including zinc electroplating but also other metals like nickel and chrome) deposits a thin paintable coating that can look perfectly acceptable as is for metal work (for me everything except the front panel). this is the finish on most of your commercial enclosures that have a golden or silver shimmer to them.  They can even add other colors. Can be bought in sheets, or for a nice uniform finish, fabricate your parts, then clean up (sand blast if you like) then have them zinc plated at the end.

Then there is Ali.... This is my preference because of its available anodized colors, machinability, paintability, etc. But.... the grade of ali that is nice because of these characteristics does not press / bend well. So this is why boxes with steel sides top and bottom (electroplated or painted) matched with aluminum front and back panels are a nice solution. Or in the 500 series world, electroplated steel sled and bracketry, with an anodized ali front.

My 20c..

Cheers,

Tim
 
The type of metal is not hugely important for most designs, and some modern gear is inside plastic boxes.

JR

PS: At Peavey we used roll-formed steel for console channel strips and combination of steel struts and aluminum extrusions for metal frame structural components. Probably used sheet aluminum for the bottom of chassis to save weight. Two layers of sheet metal riveted to struts for lightweight strength like an aircraft wing (some shippers still managed to bend them  ::) ) . 
 
SIXTYNINER said:
Shippers are able to destroy also a tank...
...and sometime , somebody destroy some shipper........  ;D
Yup, when we first started shipping them we strapped them to a pallet, but the truckers would cut them off the pallet and stand them up on end (not a good thing).  We eventually had to build a wooden crate around them to survive the LTL shipping world.

JR
 
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