extrusions

That box uses the self-tapping screws to bite into the top cover too. That keeps it from rattling and maybe provides grounding. Clever but flawed.

That would take muscle that some of my tiny assembler ladies don't have. May as well have a machine shop n/c drill and tap clean holes, and use regular s/s machine screws.

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John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 

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John Larkin
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We'd drill and tap the aluminum *after* it's anodized!

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John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 

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John Larkin

One problem with inserts is that the holes are really tucked into the corners, so there's not much room to work. We need threaded holes for the top and bottom covers too, which wouldn't work well with inserts. Those dimensions (we want to use our existing end plates) also keep us from making the whole thing out of sheet metal.

N/C drilling and tapping aluminum isn't bad.

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John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 

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John Larkin

custom

et ahold of Jim Moderelli and tell him Jeff sent you. He is not necessarily in sales, he is like an all around guy for them. Probably does expediting and whatever because he does go on the road and he does have skills. So tha t is a reasonable assumption.

ecause who knows your screen resolution, they give the info.

ard I might be able to get them out of there under the table. they do let h im do that from time to time. Then all we have to pay is him.

probably bust out code faster than almost anyone on those. You probably do n't need him though, you probably have the drawings, but if they want any s ignificant extra charges find out why and I can tell him the problem.

ook like ? he can do jet engine impellers or coffee pots, where does this s tand in that spectrum ?

and

a

to

ifetime supply. Or in this case, how they know how long the product will l ive?

Seems like you have small variations in sales. Here it is feast or famine. I provide product to a major networking company so I have neither insight into nor influence of sales. One year can be bumper crop another zip. Th ey can potentially never buy another product. How do you come up with a li fetime buy for that?

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  Rick C. 

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Rick C

:
:

l custom

Get ahold of Jim Moderelli and tell him Jeff sent you. He is not necessari ly in sales, he is like an all around guy for them. Probably does expeditin g and whatever because he does go on the road and he does have skills. So t hat is a reasonable assumption.

because who knows your screen resolution, they give the info.

hard I might be able to get them out of there under the table. they do let him do that from time to time. Then all we have to pay is him.

an probably bust out code faster than almost anyone on those. You probably don't need him though, you probably have the drawings, but if they want any significant extra charges find out why and I can tell him the problem.

look like ? he can do jet engine impellers or coffee pots, where does this stand in that spectrum ?

e and

y a

er to

lifetime supply. Or in this case, how they know how long the product will live?

es

e. I provide product to a major networking company so I have neither insig ht into nor influence of sales. One year can be bumper crop another zip. They can potentially never buy another product. How do you come up with a lifetime buy for that?

Sales here are very noisy!* For the last ~5 years we've been selling 1-3 Optical pumping a year. (it's a product that is 'long in the tooth' early in it's life it sold ~10-15 per year) This year there has been a rush and I'm working on the 7th one so far. (which has sent me scrambling a bit to re-stock stuff.) A life time buy is always a guess.

George H.

*mostly because the volume is low...
Reply to
George Herold

On May 9, 2019, John Larkin wrote (in article):

What is the volume per year? This determines the best approach.

For small production runs, CNC milling from plate is usually cheapest.

As for the threaded bosses, use a CNC threadmill cutter to form helicoil threads, and then install helicoils. These will accept ordinary machine screws, and the female threads will never wear out.

If there is any exposure to the elements, install the helicols "wet" (meaning dipped in catalyzed polysulfide rubber before installation). This fills all the nooks and crannies with cured polysulfide rubber, excluding water et al.

The above process is commonplace in MIL-SPEC systems.

Joe Gwinn

Reply to
Joseph Gwinn

te:

te:

all custom

u. Get ahold of Jim Moderelli and tell him Jeff sent you. He is not necessa rily in sales, he is like an all around guy for them. Probably does expedit ing and whatever because he does go on the road and he does have skills. So that is a reasonable assumption.

on because who knows your screen resolution, they give the info.

at hard I might be able to get them out of there under the table. they do l et him do that from time to time. Then all we have to pay is him.

can probably bust out code faster than almost anyone on those. You probabl y don't need him though, you probably have the drawings, but if they want a ny significant extra charges find out why and I can tell him the problem.

ey look like ? he can do jet engine impellers or coffee pots, where does th is stand in that spectrum ?

ive and

buy a

sier to

,

a lifetime supply. Or in this case, how they know how long the product wi ll live?

ales

ine. I provide product to a major networking company so I have neither ins ight into nor influence of sales. One year can be bumper crop another zip. They can potentially never buy another product. How do you come up with a lifetime buy for that?

g

With an aging product and low volume, why would you want to inventory parts ? Why not make a dozen or two units and keep them on the shelf? Parts cos t less in quantity, but more importantly, fabrication is cheaper by a long shot. Sounds like you would need to do another build once every two or thr ee years. If there is a particularly costly component, test the units with one component at assembly time and order that part as orders come in.

I think many sellers underestimate a reasonable markup on low volume items. A friend used to sell some widgets to the Feds and priced them at some ma rkup less than 100% of his costs. Then he would have "special" agents at h is door at 8 pm asking him to fix a wire. lol I would have been selling t hese for 200% markup in minimum lots of maybe 50. I'd be happy to offer fr ee repair for minor issues, but they can't even call first???

My friend was amazed that I got almost 300% markup.

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  Rick C. 

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Rick C

Try them. They roll the thread progressively, and the trilobular shape makes it easier.

Reply to
Clifford Heath

Right, but any exposed metal forms oxide rapidly. The hardness differential is what causes "galling" and jams tools.

Reply to
Clifford Heath

Stainless machine screws work fine in tapped aluminum.

Tapping is no problem with the right tooling and fluids.

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John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 

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John Larkin

Are you familiar with Magnode, in Trenton, Ohio? I used to help their peopl e to maintain their electronics in Production.

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You sometimes use 'lunatic fringe' in your sig file. Have you ever watched the TV show, Fringe? One of the main characters is a lunatic, and some of h is designs are electronic. You can watch all five seasons for free on IMDB. com's Feedive service. Just register for free and enjoy. IMDB is owned by A mazon. I recently finished 'Warehouse 13' and started watching Fringe while recovering from another fall.

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Reply to
Michael Terrell

yep, I find the best fluid for cutting/drilling/tapping aluminium is ethano l

there's also extrusion like these:

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so you can make any size box with just one type of extrusion

Reply to
Lasse Langwadt Christensen

That still has the same bad features that we want to eliminate, the

3/4 closed end plate screw holes in the corner extrusions, and the sliding top cover that is hard to remove and poorly grounded.

The sides are sliding covers too, even worse for EMI. It looks like, if you remove the end plates, the whole thing falls apart.

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John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 

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Reply to
John Larkin

I'll look them up. Thanks.

The "lunatic" sigfile is on my computer at home.

Electronic design requires some of the mental features that, in the extreme, are called schizophrenia and autism. Leaky brain compartments and a tendency toward compulsiveness.

I never watch TV. The data rate is too slow.

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John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 

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Reply to
John Larkin

Yes, that's what we use in extrusions. They go really well into holes as shown but are really crappy when threaded into slots (right angle to what's shown).

Reply to
krw

Thanks, that's a good observation. Unsurprising on reflection, since a triangle has a constant height in rotation - but the centre moves. So the screw would pull left then right of centre during rotation, and that wouldn't make a good thread.

Reply to
Clifford Heath

John - the companies below are extruders I talked to about 20 years ago, a couple of them more recently. The names were probably taken from the Thomas Register, which still exists today, though as a web site rather than a paper catalog.

Hul

Calex Corp 800-872-2539 Campbell, Oh Pierce Alum> Can anyone recommend a good, reasonably priced source for small custom

Reply to
Hul Tytus

Cool. I'll pass that on to my mechanical guy. He's always wanted to do some extrusions.

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John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 

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John Larkin

etime supply. Or in this case, how they know how long >the product will li ve?

Life is apparently a relative term. I had a credit card that was 3.9% fixed for life. Well that turned out to be the life of the bank. they got bought out and went to LIBOR+spread. My rte was still pretty low. I almost decide d to reject the new agreement. Many people do not know, if they stick it to you with interest or whatever, you can refuse and you have to make the min imum payments under the old terms and not use the card. I didn't for a whil e but then there as this time I wanted something and well, this interest is still lower than that interest so I used it. It was still only like 7.5%. That is low for cards I hear.

Tektronix had a lifetime warranty on all their transformers. Well when I ca lled to get one for my 561A they gave me a price and I mentioned that warra nty and they said "We've already been to court on that so you're welcome to try".

Like Publisher's Clearinghouse. Seems soem people noticed all the winners o f the prize of like $2,500 a week for life were won by old geezers 91 years old with oxygen machines, ostomy bags and catheters hanging off of them - so now they let you assign it for after you die so it is for the assignee's lifetime. I'd find the youngest person I know...

What gets me is those GPS units truck drivers use. Lifetime updates but it is only a couple hundred, like forever. They must be counting on people get ting out of the business or retiring, dying or some shit. I'm sure they do not plan on sending free updates in the year 2525.

Lifetime is another word like "free". Yeah, this ten buck thing is yours fo r free if you pay the shipping. That is ten bucks.

"Lifetime", "Free", "Easy", none of those words have any meaning anymore, t hey are just advertising jargon.

Reply to
jurb6006

Or the credit contract. They cancel your card and the contract is "dead".

But S&H was $250.

The units won't last forever. I have a Garmin in my truck (I bought it for the back-up camera) that has a lifetime map update. It doesn't cost them all that much to crank out new maps. They're getting paid out of the new products sold. It's just another arrangement of bits.

Sure they do. Same as they always did, really.

Reply to
krw

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