Eternal
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| posted on 21/3/11 at 08:25 AM |
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Laser cut steel floor?
Howdy all have any of you had your steel floor laser cut? Was thinking it would save a load of time to supply a autocad file of the floor plan and get
the 2mm sheet metal cut out so all i need to do is weld it. Was planning on going from the center of each rail or should i aim more towards the edge
of the rail.
Anyhow if anyone here knows of a good place to go to or works in a laser cutting place can you let me know?
Thanks
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designer
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| posted on 21/3/11 at 08:41 AM |
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I always panel just short of the tubes outer corner radius, not the tube centre.
This give you more room to rivet and apply any adhesive.
You will have to do a search but, there will be a laser cutting firm around you somewhere,
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Davegtst
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| posted on 21/3/11 at 08:41 AM |
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Why not use aluminium sheet and cut it yourself? It's perfectly strong enough and loads lighter, just put steel stips across where the seat
will be bolted to.
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nick205
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| posted on 21/3/11 at 09:13 AM |
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2mm steel will be very heavy and welding it in place will risk distortion to your chassis. Most choose to bond and rivet and Aluminium floor,
typically in 1.5-2.0mm material. I used 1.5mm on my Indy and it was more than stiff enough once fully bonded and rivetted in place. Alumium is also
much easier to work with, using a jigsaw, air or hand nibbers or ordinary aviation hand shears.
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TimC
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| posted on 21/3/11 at 09:18 AM |
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As above, the only sensible reason to use steel (IMHO) is if you are racing your car in 750MC Locosts where the rules state that you need a steel
floor. Even then I'd cut it, paint/coat it and then bond and rivet rather than weld.
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Peteff
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| posted on 21/3/11 at 09:24 AM |
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Do it in 16g and don't get hung up on fancy stuff like laser cutting and drawing in cad. I put my chassis on the metal sheet and drew round it
with a marker pen then cut it out with a nibbler. It took less than an hour and I've done a couple like that. Slitting discs in an angle grinder
do the job just as well and I go to the outside edge of the rail and weld outside and inside with alternating tacks.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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AdamR
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| posted on 21/3/11 at 12:53 PM |
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Anything up to around 3mm mild steel will cut quickly and cleanly with a jigsaw - shouldn't take more than 20 mins to cut out a floor.
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dhutch
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| posted on 21/3/11 at 02:16 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Peteff
Do it in 16g and don't get hung up on fancy stuff like laser cutting and drawing in cad. I put my chassis on the metal sheet and drew round it
with a marker pen then cut it out with a nibbler. It took less than an hour and I've done a couple like that. Slitting discs in an angle grinder
do the job just as well and I go to the outside edge of the rail and weld outside and inside with alternating tacks.
Sounds right to me.
Nibble, jigsaw, angle grider with a slitting disk.
Do you really need 2mm, or even 16 gauge. Would 0.8 not be enought (22gauge). ?
Daniel
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Eternal
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| posted on 21/3/11 at 02:53 PM |
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Well idealy i would want a welded floor to give extra strength. With the power and probable chassis flex i would think the ally floor and rivits would
eventualy come lose.
Also with ally floors you put them on after the chassis is painted and that requires having more finished and i would like to get the floor on before
i do anything else as the pedal box will be floor mounted ect.
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Bare
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| posted on 11/4/11 at 03:51 PM |
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I believe there is little flex that is addressed by over strengthening the floor plate. Yer mostly adding weight.
Also, IMO, Floor mounted pedals besides being a pre war design solution, puts the master cyl/hydraulics as low if not lower than the calipers. Not
the best solution.
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StrikerChris
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| posted on 11/4/11 at 04:11 PM |
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I went for alu floor,but if i wanted steel i'd just cut it myself.only time i'd consider paying someone for laser/water cutting would be
lots of complicated shapes like manifold plates,straight lines,are quick by any diy method,and you have to cock up big style not to be able to weld
it!
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iank
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| posted on 11/4/11 at 04:30 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Davegtst
Why not use aluminium sheet and cut it yourself? It's perfectly strong enough and loads lighter, just put steel stips across where the seat
will be bolted to.
Hardly loads lighter about 3kg overall (assuming the normal 2mm aluminium + fixings + strips for mounting the seat against 1.2mm steel + welds)
There have been rare occasions where large bits of debris have punctured aluminium floor so there are reasons for choosing it.
Either is fine and to be honest both are about as easy to cut.
--
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
Anonymous
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Bare
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| posted on 12/4/11 at 04:22 PM |
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Noticed? that Caterham uses ali channels as underfloor mounting reinforcements in their ali floor.. for the seat tracks?
Just like in virtually All aircraft.
Clearly more 'strength' is just dead weight and in any event, inconsequential in a crash large enough to damage them.
Then seat tracks would be thevery last thing one would be concerned with.
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