Posted: 8/20/2013 7:16:47 PM EDT
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I need to drill some cutouts through the side walls of some Pelican cases.
The setup for CNC or even a drill press is challenging because the case is assembled and is not a flat working plane surface. I've thought of using a tungsten carbide bit and move my XY with my hand but that couldn't guarantee perfect circles or straight lines. What is the correct RPM and correct bit to cut clean without melting ? The Pelican stuff is so expensive I have no sacrificial cases I wish to ruin just for practicing. Pelicans are PP polypropylene plastic molded cases that in some areas the wall thickness is fairly thick. Would a hole saw work ? Dremel it out by hand ? Take it to a machine shop here in Vegas ? Found this online. 
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I'd try the hole saw just make sure it has a drill bit for drilling a pilot hole, So it doesn't jump around on you. If you drill to fast it will heat up, you should be able to gauge by yourself what speed to drill at. If your not to sure just call pelican and see what they say, Good luck 
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Quoted:
I'd try the hole saw just make sure it has a drill bit for drilling a pilot hole, So it doesn't jump around on you. If you drill to fast it will heat up, you should be able to gauge by yourself what speed to drill at. If your not to sure just call pelican and see what they say, Good luck Give them a call. One of the electronics shops at work uses Pelican Cases for enclosures and they drill them all the time. I am sure Pelican can tell you the best way to cut them. |
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I called them. Twice.
My 1st phone call was to customer service at which time they told me that they don't recommend any cutting or drilling and that I'll void my warranty. My 2nd phone call I was talking to someone in a division that does panel mounting options of these cases. He basically said to go slower than faster, use the correct bit, and good luck. He mentioned to treat PP Polypropylene like other plastics in the sense that it has properties similar to ABS and Acrylic and that there was nothing special they added to their plastic molding process. Just a thick pour of polypropylene. |
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Quoted:
What is the correct RPM and correct bit to cut clean without melting ? The best bit to use for holes is a flat type wood bit. Bit speed should be kept low and use a reasonable amount of pressure. Last sawing I did on plastic, and it's been a while, I used a coping saw. Make a good cut, but then work slowly, and definitely avoid sawing back and forth using a small part of the blade - use the whole blade and keep temps down to avoid melting the plastic. Coping saw probably isn't much help if you need high accuracy though. Maybe cut out to a smaller size then use a good sharp file to smooth it out and get to final dimension. |