instrument panel material

schreef:
On Sep 12, 4:36 am, jan olieslagers
wrote:
What is the typical material for an instrument panel?
Soft steel sheet, I should think? What thickness?

Have I understood some designs have the panel as
an integral part of the fuselage, contributing
to its strength/stiffness?
But that would be fibre (epoxy/carbon) planes, no?

TIA,

Steel is heavy and will totally screw up your compass. Also a
pain to cut instrument holes into. As another has recommended, 6061T6
is probably the best, but maybe .050" thick. Too thin and you'll have
to start riveting angles to the back to stiffen it. Too hard (2024)
and it'll crack. Too soft (5052) and it's gummy to work with and bends
far too easily.
What do the drawings call for? In many airplanes the panel
is a part of the primary structure, and making substitutions isn't
wise.

Perhaps I ought to have explained: I am not (yet)
building an aircraft panel. I consider building an electrical
control panel for a project totally separate from aviation;
but I fancied making it more or less like an aircraft panel.
A poor man must learn to be happy with small pleasures!

So ok, I'll go for 1,5 mm aluminium but am not sure
what grades might be available here in Belgium,
not even sure we have the same codification.
But the application isn't really critical so I don't care too much.

Allow me the next question: how to finish the panel?
I suppose it is cut to size, then drill/cut for instruments
and fuses and switches and whatever else, deburr,
perhaps sand or polish? then paint, then assemble, then install?
What paints to use? I'd love the clear blue/turquoise
one sees on cockpit snaps of USSR military planes...

Thanks to all who responded!

"jan olieslagers" wrote in message
...
schreef:
On Sep 12, 4:36 am, jan olieslagers
wrote:
What is the typical material for an instrument panel?
Soft steel sheet, I should think? What thickness?

Have I understood some designs have the panel as
an integral part of the fuselage, contributing
to its strength/stiffness?
But that would be fibre (epoxy/carbon) planes, no?

TIA,

Steel is heavy and will totally screw up your compass. Also a
pain to cut instrument holes into. As another has recommended, 6061T6
is probably the best, but maybe .050" thick. Too thin and you'll have
to start riveting angles to the back to stiffen it. Too hard (2024)
and it'll crack. Too soft (5052) and it's gummy to work with and bends
far too easily.
What do the drawings call for? In many airplanes the panel
is a part of the primary structure, and making substitutions isn't
wise.

Perhaps I ought to have explained: I am not (yet)
building an aircraft panel. I consider building an electrical
control panel for a project totally separate from aviation;
but I fancied making it more or less like an aircraft panel.
A poor man must learn to be happy with small pleasures!

So ok, I'll go for 1,5 mm aluminium but am not sure
what grades might be available here in Belgium,
not even sure we have the same codification.
But the application isn't really critical so I don't care too much.

Allow me the next question: how to finish the panel?
I suppose it is cut to size, then drill/cut for instruments
and fuses and switches and whatever else, deburr,
perhaps sand or polish? then paint, then assemble, then install?
What paints to use? I'd love the clear blue/turquoise
one sees on cockpit snaps of USSR military planes...

Thanks to all who responded!
Before laying out, cover the sheet with adhesive paper or wide masking tape.
You can lay out on the protected surface, change your layout if needed, then
drill, punch, etc., then deburr with the protective coating still on it.
With a little care you then have an unmarred panel to polish, engine-turn,
paint or otherwise finish.

Bob

Bob Murray wrote:
"jan olieslagers" wrote in message
...
schreef:
On Sep 12, 4:36 am, jan olieslagers
wrote:
What is the typical material for an instrument panel?
Soft steel sheet, I should think? What thickness?

Have I understood some designs have the panel as
an integral part of the fuselage, contributing
to its strength/stiffness?
But that would be fibre (epoxy/carbon) planes, no?

TIA,
Steel is heavy and will totally screw up your compass. Also a
pain to cut instrument holes into. As another has recommended, 6061T6
is probably the best, but maybe .050" thick. Too thin and you'll have
to start riveting angles to the back to stiffen it. Too hard (2024)
and it'll crack. Too soft (5052) and it's gummy to work with and bends
far too easily.
What do the drawings call for? In many airplanes the panel
is a part of the primary structure, and making substitutions isn't
wise.
Perhaps I ought to have explained: I am not (yet)
building an aircraft panel. I consider building an electrical
control panel for a project totally separate from aviation;
but I fancied making it more or less like an aircraft panel.
A poor man must learn to be happy with small pleasures!

So ok, I'll go for 1,5 mm aluminium but am not sure
what grades might be available here in Belgium,
not even sure we have the same codification.
But the application isn't really critical so I don't care too much.

Allow me the next question: how to finish the panel?
I suppose it is cut to size, then drill/cut for instruments
and fuses and switches and whatever else, deburr,
perhaps sand or polish? then paint, then assemble, then install?
What paints to use? I'd love the clear blue/turquoise
one sees on cockpit snaps of USSR military planes...

Thanks to all who responded!
Before laying out, cover the sheet with adhesive paper or wide masking tape.
You can lay out on the protected surface, change your layout if needed, then
drill, punch, etc., then deburr with the protective coating still on it.
With a little care you then have an unmarred panel to polish, engine-turn,
paint or otherwise finish.

Bob


If you like you can also make cardboard cutouts of the instruments
and place them on the panel after you lay it out as Bob suggests. The
cutouts don't have to be precise or pretty, but they are great for
visualizing.

When determining thickness of panel material consider density of
instrument population and weight of instruments. When you squeeze a lot
of instruments into a relatively small area you wind up cutting out a
lot of material. While 0.030" may be enough to support the weight the
panel may flex under normal aircraft vibration. The last instrument
panel I made used 0.125" aluminum, but there were a lot of instruments
installed so the net weight increase was minimal.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

So ok, I'll go for 1,5 mm aluminium but am not sure
what grades might be available here in Belgium,
not even sure we have the same codification.

Europe uses the same codification for aluminum alloys, the full name
you would be looking for is "EN AW-6061T6" (AW for wrought aluminum),
which corresponds to "EN AW-Al Mg1SiCu" (for sheet metal see European
norm EN 485, for bars see EN 754 and 755).

Oliver

Oliver Arend schreef:
So ok, I'll go for 1,5 mm aluminium but am not sure
what grades might be available here in Belgium,
not even sure we have the same codification.

Europe uses the same codification for aluminum alloys, the full name
you would be looking for is "EN AW-6061T6" (AW for wrought aluminum),
which corresponds to "EN AW-Al Mg1SiCu" (for sheet metal see European
norm EN 485, for bars see EN 754 and 755).

Well that's what I'd call a complete answer, danke schoen!
KA

jan olieslagers wrote:
Oliver Arend schreef:
So ok, I'll go for 1,5 mm aluminium but am not sure
what grades might be available here in Belgium,
not even sure we have the same codification.

Europe uses the same codification for aluminum alloys, the full name
you would be looking for is "EN AW-6061T6" (AW for wrought aluminum),
which corresponds to "EN AW-Al Mg1SiCu" (for sheet metal see European
norm EN 485, for bars see EN 754 and 755).

Well that's what I'd call a complete answer, danke schoen!
KA


If you get all your holes cut with no scratches, you might want to
anodize it that purty purple color you like..Jerry---but remove the
instruments first !!

Mine will be out of wood then covered with laminate.
Lou

On Sep 12, 11:38*am, jan olieslagers
wrote:
schreef:





On Sep 12, 4:36 am, jan olieslagers
wrote:
What is the typical material for an instrument panel?
Soft steel sheet, I should think? What thickness?

Have I understood some designs have the panel as
an integral part of the fuselage, contributing
to its strength/stiffness?
But that would be fibre (epoxy/carbon) planes, no?

TIA,

* * * Steel is heavy and will totally screw up your compass. Also a
pain to cut instrument holes into. As another has recommended, 6061T6
is probably the best, but maybe .050" thick. Too thin and you'll have
to start riveting angles to the back to stiffen it. Too hard (2024)
and it'll crack. Too soft (5052) and it's gummy to work with and bends
far too easily.
* * * * * What do the drawings call for? In many airplanes the panel
is a part of the primary structure, and making substitutions isn't
wise.

Perhaps I ought to have explained: I am not (yet)
building an aircraft panel. I consider building an electrical
control panel for a project totally separate from aviation;
but I fancied making it more or less like an aircraft panel.
A poor man must learn to be happy with small pleasures!

So ok, I'll go for 1,5 mm aluminium but am not sure
what grades might be available here in Belgium,
not even sure we have the same codification.
But the application isn't really critical so I don't care too much.

Allow me the next question: how to finish the panel?
I suppose it is cut to size, then drill/cut for instruments
and fuses and switches and whatever else, deburr,
perhaps sand or polish? then paint, then assemble, then install?
What paints to use? I'd love the clear blue/turquoise
one sees on cockpit snaps of USSR military planes...

Thanks to all who responded!- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

..090 6061T6 aluminum for me. Here's my web page on my panel build.
Should give you a "step by step" guide:

http://www.rocket-boys.com/panel.htm

So ok, I'll go for 1,5 mm aluminium but am not sure
what grades might be available here in Belgium,
not even sure we have the same codification.

== in Europe take AlMgSi1.5, comes close

But the application isn't really critical so I don't care too much.

Allow me the next question: how to finish the panel?
I suppose it is cut to size, then drill/cut for instruments
and fuses and switches and whatever else, deburr,
perhaps sand or polish? then paint, then assemble, then install?

== make an Autocad drawing and take it to the waterjet cutter