Battery Mod Material. What kind of Plastic?

[LXXVI]

I am in the midst of designing a new mod. I want to make it out of plastic, but I am being overwhelmed with all the different choices I have. I need a material that is durable enough to withstand a construction site, multiple drops from 6+ feet and might be tough enough to survive getting run over by a truck. I love my provari, but I have dropped it so many times I am afraid to kill it. So, the idea is to make it out of a tough, light Plastic. Please help....

 

[dangkhoa02106]

I made my Puck mod with PVC foam board, it's very easy to be bend. If you made something simple, just use it but if you made something with high power, high capacity battery then you can use aluminum foil so you can mound and welding it. Oh, maybe you like acrylic (about 2 ---> 4 mm thickness), using a heat wire and you can bend it into a box shape.

 

[fourtytwo]

It's hard to think of a material hard enough to suit your requirements and still be easy enough to work with without specialized equipment. Multiple 6+ foot drops? Run over by trucks? It looks like you are looking for something to withstand huge compression loads and impacts. What kind of machining equipment do you have access to?

 

[TomCatt]

You might want to give one of these a try - aluminum boxes Die Cast Aluminum Boxes-Marlin P. Jones & Assoc. Inc.

Rocketman has used these, and I do believe he has run at least one over with a truck with no damage done

 

[fourtytwo]

I agree.
One of those would be pretty strong and would look pretty nondescript on a construction site.

 

[WinchellNomNom]

Out of plastic type materials, I would go with delrin.

 

[Toolman007]

Out of plastic type materials, I would go with delrin.

I agree, delrin is extremely easy to machine, and dimensionally stable. It's not as tough as nylon, but unless you have the right tooling, nylon will prove to be a nightmare!

 

[fourtytwo]

On my lathe or mill, I sometimes use delrin to prototype small projects before I commit it to more expensive metal.
It is easy to work but will not offer the strength requested in the original post. It should withstand the drops but being run over by a truck is another matter.

 

[WinchellNomNom]

On my lathe or mill, I sometimes use delrin to prototype small projects before I commit it to more expensive metal.
It is easy to work but will not offer the strength requested in the original post. It should withstand the drops but being run over by a truck is another matter.

There are videos of main stream delrin mods like the cube getting run over by a hummer. I have a delrin box mod I made that is 1.2x2.5" with 1/8" wall thickness that withstood my tundra with no electronics inside. Delrin with the right thickness and dimensions can withstand a fair amount of pressure.

 

[LXXVI]

Delrin plastic with 1/8" walls is what I was thinking too. I plan on using a table router to make this. I found a place I can get an appropriate sized block for about $20. I am tired of worrying about breaking my cartos off (again) or worse, breaking my $220 Provari mod. Thanks for the advice so far!

 

[fourtytwo]

Make your cuts light with multiple passes and post pics of work in progress.