USA automated panel-cutting service?

General purpose use? A small desktop hobby mill-drill weighs about 500 lbs. A small repair shop mill weighs about 2000 lbs. The lightest weight production mill starts at around 5000 lbs. That is a Mattel toy, good for paper, cardboard, soft wood, perhaps very thin aluminum if you are not in a hurry. It might chew through some thin fiberglass given time and loose tolerances, but I'd not confuse it with a general purpose use mill.

On Monday, February 15, 2021 at 7:45:04 PM UTC-8, 2G wrote:
The dimensions aren't given, but you might be able to mill the panel in two passes. In any event, it's a hell of a price for general purpose use.

Tom

On 1/26/2021 8:56 PM, Dave Nadler wrote:
Anybody able to recommend a USA company that can do automated panel
cutting (from CAD)? Or maybe in Canada? Fiberglass panel, typical glider
panel overall size, flat surface with uniform depth flange.
Thanks!

Thanks to Billy for recommending SendCutSend https://sendcutsend.com/
in Reno, NV - ridiculously inexpensive and very high quality from
Billy's experience.

When it comes time, what I'll do is:
1) get a steel template laser cut by these guys (from my DXF)
2) clamp it to the panel and use it as a guide to
drill all the mounting holes in a drill press.
3) remove the template, then reattach with stand-offs
4) use a small router to cut the instrument holes

Hope that helps someone, and thanks again Billy!

On Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 7:56:38 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On 1/26/2021 8:56 PM, Dave Nadler wrote:
Anybody able to recommend a USA company that can do automated panel
cutting (from CAD)? Or maybe in Canada? Fiberglass panel, typical glider
panel overall size, flat surface with uniform depth flange.
Thanks!
Thanks to Billy for recommending SendCutSend https://sendcutsend.com/
in Reno, NV - ridiculously inexpensive and very high quality from
Billy's experience.

When it comes time, what I'll do is:
1) get a steel template laser cut by these guys (from my DXF)
2) clamp it to the panel and use it as a guide to
drill all the mounting holes in a drill press.
3) remove the template, then reattach with stand-offs
4) use a small router to cut the instrument holes

Hope that helps someone, and thanks again Billy!

I'm going to chuckle all day about this one. Nice finesse by the laser shop. Possibly brilliant. They get some work, maybe open a new market, don't have to screw around with a customer's easily trashed part.

I would use sanding drums in the drill press rather than a router. Something fairly big (1/4 hole dia or larger). Clamp the guide flush for that and remove most material with a hole saw, then finish with sanding drum. Start with a fairly low speed (it won't take a lot of speed).

T8

On Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at 7:58:58 AM UTC-5, wrote:
On Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 7:56:38 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On 1/26/2021 8:56 PM, Dave Nadler wrote:
Anybody able to recommend a USA company that can do automated panel
cutting (from CAD)? Or maybe in Canada? Fiberglass panel, typical glider
panel overall size, flat surface with uniform depth flange.
Thanks!
Thanks to Billy for recommending SendCutSend https://sendcutsend.com/
in Reno, NV - ridiculously inexpensive and very high quality from
Billy's experience.

When it comes time, what I'll do is:
1) get a steel template laser cut by these guys (from my DXF)
2) clamp it to the panel and use it as a guide to
drill all the mounting holes in a drill press.
3) remove the template, then reattach with stand-offs
4) use a small router to cut the instrument holes

Hope that helps someone, and thanks again Billy!
I'm going to chuckle all day about this one. Nice finesse by the laser shop. Possibly brilliant. They get some work, maybe open a new market, don't have to screw around with a customer's easily trashed part.

I would use sanding drums in the drill press rather than a router. Something fairly big (1/4 hole dia or larger). Clamp the guide flush for that and remove most material with a hole saw, then finish with sanding drum. Start with a fairly low speed (it won't take a lot of speed).

T8
I use a CAD plotted paper template secured to the panel with double stick tape. Then a drill press for mounting holes and creation of rough openings to within about 1/16 inch. Finish off with 1-1/2 diameter drum sander to bring to the line. Normally only a small amount of hand work to refine to finished.
It takes an afternoon to do a glass panel. There are also punches available for the common instrument sizes. They are fairly expensive but much less so than making so do it yourself CAM system. For aluminum punching is much less tedious.
UH

On Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at 6:19:03 AM UTC-8, Hank Nixon wrote:
On Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at 7:58:58 AM UTC-5, wrote:
On Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 7:56:38 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On 1/26/2021 8:56 PM, Dave Nadler wrote:
Anybody able to recommend a USA company that can do automated panel
cutting (from CAD)? Or maybe in Canada? Fiberglass panel, typical glider
panel overall size, flat surface with uniform depth flange.
Thanks!
Thanks to Billy for recommending SendCutSend https://sendcutsend.com/
in Reno, NV - ridiculously inexpensive and very high quality from
Billy's experience.

When it comes time, what I'll do is:
1) get a steel template laser cut by these guys (from my DXF)
2) clamp it to the panel and use it as a guide to
drill all the mounting holes in a drill press.
3) remove the template, then reattach with stand-offs
4) use a small router to cut the instrument holes

Hope that helps someone, and thanks again Billy!
I'm going to chuckle all day about this one. Nice finesse by the laser shop. Possibly brilliant. They get some work, maybe open a new market, don't have to screw around with a customer's easily trashed part.

I would use sanding drums in the drill press rather than a router. Something fairly big (1/4 hole dia or larger). Clamp the guide flush for that and remove most material with a hole saw, then finish with sanding drum. Start with a fairly low speed (it won't take a lot of speed).

T8
I use a CAD plotted paper template secured to the panel with double stick tape. Then a drill press for mounting holes and creation of rough openings to within about 1/16 inch. Finish off with 1-1/2 diameter drum sander to bring to the line. Normally only a small amount of hand work to refine to finished.
It takes an afternoon to do a glass panel. There are also punches available for the common instrument sizes. They are fairly expensive but much less so than making so do it yourself CAM system. For aluminum punching is much less tedious.
UH
Anyone try an instrument hole thrust punch? https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catal...ts123chole.php Surprised no one has brought it up yet. And has anyone used one of these on fiberglass and how did it go?

On Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at 10:50:45 AM UTC-7, Me wrote:
On Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at 6:19:03 AM UTC-8, Hank Nixon wrote:
On Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at 7:58:58 AM UTC-5, wrote:
On Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 7:56:38 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On 1/26/2021 8:56 PM, Dave Nadler wrote:
Anybody able to recommend a USA company that can do automated panel
cutting (from CAD)? Or maybe in Canada? Fiberglass panel, typical glider
panel overall size, flat surface with uniform depth flange.
Thanks!
Thanks to Billy for recommending SendCutSend https://sendcutsend.com/
in Reno, NV - ridiculously inexpensive and very high quality from
Billy's experience.

When it comes time, what I'll do is:
1) get a steel template laser cut by these guys (from my DXF)
2) clamp it to the panel and use it as a guide to
drill all the mounting holes in a drill press.
3) remove the template, then reattach with stand-offs
4) use a small router to cut the instrument holes

Hope that helps someone, and thanks again Billy!
I'm going to chuckle all day about this one. Nice finesse by the laser shop. Possibly brilliant. They get some work, maybe open a new market, don't have to screw around with a customer's easily trashed part.

I would use sanding drums in the drill press rather than a router. Something fairly big (1/4 hole dia or larger). Clamp the guide flush for that and remove most material with a hole saw, then finish with sanding drum. Start with a fairly low speed (it won't take a lot of speed).

T8
I use a CAD plotted paper template secured to the panel with double stick tape. Then a drill press for mounting holes and creation of rough openings to within about 1/16 inch. Finish off with 1-1/2 diameter drum sander to bring to the line. Normally only a small amount of hand work to refine to finished.
It takes an afternoon to do a glass panel. There are also punches available for the common instrument sizes. They are fairly expensive but much less so than making so do it yourself CAM system. For aluminum punching is much less tedious.
UH
Anyone try an instrument hole thrust punch? https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catal...ts123chole.php Surprised no one has brought it up yet. And has anyone used one of these on fiberglass and how did it go?

Yep worked great on my Phoebus C but it was an aluminum blank.

On Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 8:55:23 AM UTC-8, jfitch wrote:
General purpose use? A small desktop hobby mill-drill weighs about 500 lbs. A small repair shop mill weighs about 2000 lbs. The lightest weight production mill starts at around 5000 lbs. That is a Mattel toy, good for paper, cardboard, soft wood, perhaps very thin aluminum if you are not in a hurry. It might chew through some thin fiberglass given time and loose tolerances, but I'd not confuse it with a general purpose use mill.
On Monday, February 15, 2021 at 7:45:04 PM UTC-8, 2G wrote:
The dimensions aren't given, but you might be able to mill the panel in two passes. In any event, it's a hell of a price for general purpose use.

Tom

A friend of mine uses a similar weight CNC mill designed for wood carving to cut electronic aluminum panels (considerably more of a challenge than a glider panel). It works very well.

Tom

On Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at 9:50:45 AM UTC-8, Me wrote:
On Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at 6:19:03 AM UTC-8, Hank Nixon wrote:
On Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at 7:58:58 AM UTC-5, wrote:
On Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 7:56:38 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On 1/26/2021 8:56 PM, Dave Nadler wrote:
Anybody able to recommend a USA company that can do automated panel
cutting (from CAD)? Or maybe in Canada? Fiberglass panel, typical glider
panel overall size, flat surface with uniform depth flange.
Thanks!
Thanks to Billy for recommending SendCutSend https://sendcutsend.com/
in Reno, NV - ridiculously inexpensive and very high quality from
Billy's experience.

When it comes time, what I'll do is:
1) get a steel template laser cut by these guys (from my DXF)
2) clamp it to the panel and use it as a guide to
drill all the mounting holes in a drill press.
3) remove the template, then reattach with stand-offs
4) use a small router to cut the instrument holes

Hope that helps someone, and thanks again Billy!
I'm going to chuckle all day about this one. Nice finesse by the laser shop. Possibly brilliant. They get some work, maybe open a new market, don't have to screw around with a customer's easily trashed part.

I would use sanding drums in the drill press rather than a router. Something fairly big (1/4 hole dia or larger). Clamp the guide flush for that and remove most material with a hole saw, then finish with sanding drum. Start with a fairly low speed (it won't take a lot of speed).

T8
I use a CAD plotted paper template secured to the panel with double stick tape. Then a drill press for mounting holes and creation of rough openings to within about 1/16 inch. Finish off with 1-1/2 diameter drum sander to bring to the line. Normally only a small amount of hand work to refine to finished.
It takes an afternoon to do a glass panel. There are also punches available for the common instrument sizes. They are fairly expensive but much less so than making so do it yourself CAM system. For aluminum punching is much less tedious.
UH
Anyone try an instrument hole thrust punch? https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catal...ts123chole.php Surprised no one has brought it up yet. And has anyone used one of these on fiberglass and how did it go?

I have tried punches like that on a fiberglass panel when making a new panel recently for my DG300. Tested a 57mm punch (a Greenleee punch, not the one from ATS) and, while it was able to cut a hole, it was very difficult and risked cracking the panel. I ultimately use hole saws and a little hand sanding to finish the edges with good results.