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Cutting a panel

Nvypilot

Member
Can someone suggest a quick and reliable company to cut a panel? I?ve contacted SRS aviation and its not going as well as I had hoped.
 
panel cutting

I had a great experience with Steve at aircraftspecialty.com. He does more than just panel cutting. Highly recommend.
Rick
C-GDMH
#40956
 
Panel

emachineshop dot com will laser cut a dxf in whatever aluminum you like. I've used them for all of my panels. Photo below shows after it was anodized by a separate vendor.

ouk.jpg

oun.jpg


Don
 
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I worked with Aerotronics to get to a final panel layout and then had them cut and finish the panel for me, including labels. I am extremely happy with the results, and highly recommend them for panel cutting, avionics source, etc. They will also do completed panels, fully wired although I didn't go that far.
 
I just had Jesse cut my panel, the service has bee great so far and his price beats any other that I know of.
 
Come on......you guys are building an airplane. Are telling me that you can't cut an instrument panel?
 
Come on......you guys are building an airplane. Are telling me that you can't cut an instrument panel?

That?s what I done for three panels, but I do have the round hole cutters that make those holes easy. Of late however not much call for round holes. I cut the square holes with a disk, then finish with a file. Start to finish takes an hour or so.

But- someone tell me what it cost to have Stein or someone else do it. Perhaps I?ll change my mind.

Carl
 
That?s what I done for three panels, but I do have the round hole cutters that make those holes easy. Of late however not much call for round holes. I cut the square holes with a disk, then finish with a file. Start to finish takes an hour or so.

But- someone tell me what it cost to have Stein or someone else do it. Perhaps I?ll change my mind.

Carl

The folks I spoke with were >$200 plus shipping and a week or two of transit/queue/transit.

No way I could justify that for something I can do in an evening.
 
I used front panel express with great success.

http://www.frontpanelexpress.com

Yes, you need to work with their proprietary CAD package, however the learning curve wasn't too bad and there are examples and documentation to reference.

I ended up with a 3mm anodized panel overlay, two different colours for the painted (white for most and light grey for the passenger warning), engraved lettering, and machining on the back side to locate keyways (to prevent switches and breakers from rotating).

Cost was ~$300 and production time was 5 days.
 
UpNorthAviation

+1 for Up North Aviation. I used them for my 7 panel. Very reasonable cost ($249), quick turnaround, excellent customer service and the panel was perfect. If I had done it myself (without a milling machine our NC router) it would have taken me about 15 hours and wouldn't have been anywhere near as nice. You do the math on what you're paying yourself / hour.
 
Come on......you guys are building an airplane. Are telling me that you can't cut an instrument panel?

I did my first one with a flycutter on a cheap drill press and a dremel tool to cut the profile. It's not a matter of can't. It's a matter of how OCD we can possibly be! :D
 
It's all fun and games until you have to cut two...or three...or four of these. :D


Yes those Dynon holes would be difficult. I found it much easier to work in TurboCad and using the layer feature I could even make a mock-up using instrument/radio jpeg files. I also only specified one screw hole size - when I got the panel back it's easy enough to make the holes correctly sized.

Mel is correct for round holes but panels have progressed a bit since then... :)

I was happy with Up North Aviation.
 
Mel is correct for round holes but panels have progressed a bit since then... :)

I have no problem with the guys that do it professionally, but with a dremel and a few files, like someone said before, It's not magic.
And as far as being OCD, that just takes a little patience.
 
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It's all fun and games until you have to cut two...or three...or four of these. :D


Just takes a little more time. I cut four of those into our Tundra panel, and did the entire thing in a couple of hours.

Again - nothing at all against the guys that cut them for customers, or for customers that have them cut. I just don?t want newbies to think that they HAVE to have a panel cut farmed out. Heck, for $200, you can screw up a couple of them and still be well ahead.....;)
 
... Or you could really step out and burn a few months to setup :). But first you have to figure out how to move 6000# of steel. Air Skates baby!

Anyway, some of my first airplane parts.
i-7893qqb-L.jpg


i-gmNMVbK-L.jpg
 
Lacking CNC equipment, I've found a jigsaw with the right blade to be a really easy way to cut a panel. Much more controllable for me than a dremel. Faster too.
 
... Or you could really step out and burn a few months to setup :). But first you have to figure out how to move 6000# of steel. Air Skates baby!

Anyway, some of my first airplane parts.
i-7893qqb-L.jpg

Scott,

I thought posting p o r n was explicitly prohibited on VAF! (I've been watching your progress and am so lusting after your shop!)
 
Heck, for $200, you can screw up a couple of them and still be well ahead.....;)
Only for you 'Merican's! :p At $40 a panel and $100 USPS shipping, I'll take Bill's service at UpNorthAviation any day of the week over screwing it up a couple times! He just cut my second panel for my -9 last week, with accuracy I could only dream of.
 
+ another for Bill at Up North.

We went through dozens (and dozens) of iterations before I settled on a final design. He was quick to make all the changes and adjustments, and super easy to work with.

The final product was great!
 
I have been thinking of having my panel professionally cut this time. I am not up to speed using CAD and I can't even open Van's panel drawing on my old computers. Can these cutting services do that for me off a hand drawing? Also,,,I like the old fashioned toggle switches and plan to use them in the 9-A. They have a small key-way in the threaded collar mount to prevent rotation. Are the cutting machines able to cut that tiny tab into the panel? I ended up using the anti-rotation washers but the added hole for the washer tab was visible and I want to eliminate that this time around.
 
I ended up using the anti-rotation washers but the added hole for the washer tab was visible and I want to eliminate that this time around.

The solution for that problem is a doubler plate on the back of the panel. You drill the added hole in the doubler, but not in the panel itself.
 
I have been thinking of having my panel professionally cut this time. I am not up to speed using CAD and I can't even open Van's panel drawing on my old computers. Can these cutting services do that for me off a hand drawing? Also,,,I like the old fashioned toggle switches and plan to use them in the 9-A. They have a small key-way in the threaded collar mount to prevent rotation. Are the cutting machines able to cut that tiny tab into the panel? I ended up using the anti-rotation washers but the added hole for the washer tab was visible and I want to eliminate that this time around.

Give me a call and we can discuss the options for me to design and cut your panel. We can cut the key way or flat that prevents rotation.
 
Up North also did a perfect job for me. Went back a couple of days later and had a panel made for the back seat. Another perfect job.
Go Bill.
Very reasonable...
 
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