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It is practical to iterate in other materials. Cardboard would be the simplest to get started on physical form. Galvanized steel flashings from Home Depot etc.
by brudgers 3y ago
It is practical to iterate in other materials. Cardboard would be the simplest to get started on physical form.
Galvanized steel flashings from Home Depot etc. can be hand formed with tin snips, a hammer, and a block of wood. Or you could buy a cheap brake from Harbor Freight, Amazon, etc. Same with a drill press.
Doing it yourself will speed up development and eliminate most if not all of the need for CAD drawings.
Not to mention it will avoid the mental overhead that your question embodies.
Or not, good luck.
- huhtenberg 3y agoThanks for the reply. I don't mind the mental overhead. Already learned few things, including laser cutting options and steel varieties :) I have, basically, the design of the whole thing figured out. I can 3D print it from resin, but that's pointless as it's a load-bearing gadget that needs to withstand high temps. Just need to fabricate it. Got most of that figured out as well, pretty much all parts can be laser-cut from a sheet metal, then welded together. One bit I don't know is how to make something like this - https://i.imgur.com/RsambTE.png https://i.imgur.com/RsambTE.png - 15mm long, 7mm in diameter. If you have any ideas, I'm all ears.
- brudgers 3y agoAny competent machinist can make that. So I guess your local machine shop is another option. Which reminds me that your local welder can build you a custom grill.
- doubled112 3y agoMy dad was a welder at a machine shop for a long time. Can confirm. Whether they will is the real question. A lot of shops in my area had some rules around sizes and quantities.
- dekhn 3y agoThere are companies that will 3d print that in sintered metal for not obscene prices. Consider the replacement cost of the BBQ against some custom pieces you design and have manufactured.
- pjc50 3y agoHmm - could you substitute off-the-shelf gears in your design? https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/spur-gears/8787897 https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/spur-gears/8787897
- huhtenberg 3y agoCan't, need a slotted hole for the whole thing to work.
- Scene_Cast2 3y agoWire EDM? But tbh I'd consider rethinking your design, as custom gears are generally a bad idea for several reasons and there are typically better alternatives.
- huhtenberg 3y agoEDM would be quite expensive, wouldn't it? The issue is that I need a slotted hole in the gear, so no stock gears work.
- cdchn 3y agoProbably don't want to use galvanized steel on anything you'll be heating in a BBQ.
- huhtenberg 3y agoNoted.
- cdchn 3y agoGalvanized steel will release toxic zinc vapors starting around 400F. You hear this a lot when it comes to welding, but cooking with galvanized is bad as well.