What material to make a PC case out of

[cslbcn]

Hello. Years ago, in high school, we built a remote-controlled car (by cable) in the technology class. Since then, I have always had the desire to assemble a PC in a car-shaped case.

A few years ago, I started creating a case with plasticine to then, on this plasticine base, put plaster to have the mold of the car's case. I never finished it because it seemed like a tremendous stupidity to me.

I still have the desire to make that case but I don't know how to do it. What materials to use, how to shape it, etc.
Can someone guide me a little?

Best regards.

[incrediboy]

fiberglass and polyester resin

[CNCBCN]

for the mold, the normal thing is to use plaster for the "piece" as incrediboy tells you, fiberglass or carbon fiber and the corresponding hardener
P.D anyway, they sell lexan scale bodies, I don't know what, that might be useful for you and you would only have to adapt things (which is not easy either) but if it turned out to be prettier than getting into a pickle with fiberglass and so on

[cslbcn]

The fiberglass thing is a real mess. I've read that you have to take a lot of safety precautions to handle that material… Sometimes I've seen pre-made casings, but they're not big enough.
The motherboard I have is an ATX, the graphics card is big, then there's the power supply, hard drives, dvd drive, etc. And I don't have many tools.

I have other models in mind, simpler ones. Is it easy to work with the methacrylate? Making holes and stuff?

[Sylver]

You can always look in model shops for a body of a petrol r/c car, of the 1/8 or 1/16 scale that are huge and you have plenty of cars.
Another idea is to use said bodies (which are usually made of thin plastic) as a pattern for plaster or resin (there are several)
The idea of doing it yourself is the best, I always defend it in modding, although if you can't handle fiberglass or similar you can always opt for prefabricated bodies, or simply make it to measure with plywood or sheet metal from other recycled towers (if you are skilled at welding)

Regards

[incrediboy]

Working with methacrylate is not difficult if you have the necessary tools and products. To cut it, it is best to have the piece submerged in water (water absorbs vibrations and prevents cracks) and to bend it, heat must be applied, preferably with a heat gun. If you want to glue methacrylate, the easiest thing to find that will stick two pieces of PMMA is acetone or chloroform

[cslbcn]

Getting back to the topic of fiberglass, I can't understand how it works. When I have the mold made with clay (for example), what is the next step? I've seen that fiberglass is sold as if it were thin wire. How do you get that fiber to end up being the car's chassis?

[incrediboy]

fiberglass is like a fabric. you put one layer of dough, one of fiber, then another of dough, then another of fiber… the number of layers depends on the thickness you want. the last layer has to be dough, so that when you sand it, it will be smooth.

[cslbcn]

I found this video quite interesting:

The guy manipulates everything as if he were making a toast with jam, incredible. If it's that simple, maybe I'll finally get the courage to make my own chassis.

Anyway, if I get a case made of fiberglass, can it be used to put the PC components inside, right? I read that it can't be applied much heat and the CPU alone dissipates 40-50ºC. Then, can spray paint be applied to the finished chassis? Any special type of paint?

[Sylver]

Don't worry about the temperature, nothing will happen to the micro's heat dissipation, you need much higher temperatures to damage the fiberglass.
On the other hand, it's interesting to consider the cooling of the "car" itself. The best idea is to make a good air intake in the front "bumper" as a radiator grille (tuning) and a similar design of outlet in the rear "bumper" with grille included and a good opening, all this with the aim of introducing a fan in the front bringing in air and one in the rear taking it out, so that there is a good dissipation flow along the "car".

Regards

[CNCBCN]

I don't know if it's better to take away your illusion before you get into a tough situation
You can find fiberglass in two types of "cloth": braided and not braided. The inside will look much better if you use "braided" (this depends on whether you make the mold in positive or negative). The exterior... always stays resin.
Fiberglass is not dangerous to work with (gloves and glasses, nothing more) but it requires that you have space to do it, it's not a plan to do it in the kitchen :D:D if you stain "something" with resin, it's practically to throw away. The mold is very important. The better the finish, the better the fiber piece will look (which will copy all the imperfections the mold has) and if it's rough or with undulations on the surface, you'll have to correct it with filler (don't be a beast and put resin in it, that you have to sand by hand (you don't have tools)).
And to finish taking away your desire, before making or buying anything, make a scale plan (if you have AutoCAD or similar, better) because putting the plate (and also ATX) the power supply, the hard drives, the DVC, the graphics card AND the micro's heatsink (especially that) :nono::nono:
In calle Aragón, Barcelona, you have the "Servicio Estación". They have fiberglass and carbon fiber (I think Kevlar too) (it only varies the resin, which is much more expensive than the one for fiberglass). They also have numerical control cutting service (you might be interested in the sides of the mold).
P.D. I forgot to mention one detail: the piece you make in fiberglass you have to be able to "demold", so watch out for the strange shapes the mold might have

[Sylver]

Mr. CNCBCN is not lacking any reason, but I tell you that you don't have to get discouraged at all, I have a neighbor in his early twenties who has made himself 3 different fairings for his motorcycle with fiberglass, living on a 6th floor without a terrace or special workspaces so don't be scared either about the safety measures, it's not plutonium or sulfuric acid :risitas: just cover everything well with continuous paper and place several cardboard boxes on top to isolate the work area, a demountable work table or a similar beach table is recommended for this, in order to be able to perform the operations in a large room without obstacles.

Regards

[ferelxyx]

fiberglass is easy to get, you can find it in any paint shop

the hard work is to make a good mold with good finishes so that it comes out well
but the good thing is that fiberglass is almost as easy to modify and repair as wood
you can patch and modify what you want, polish it, paint it, etc…

you just have to be careful to do it in a ventilated place and not to stain too much
because when it dries it is very bad to remove

i repaired the exhaust pipe of my car with fiberglass to pass the ITV and the patch lasted me 6 months
on a silencer that is a whopping 20 years old, we are talking about something that is very old

although you won't believe it, my ford fiesta is 21 years old this year and has the original exhaust

regards

[Sylver]

@ferelxyx:

although you won't believe it, my ford fiesta is 21 years old this year and still has the original exhaust

:|:|:|:| '90 model?
Soon you won't have to pay city tax for it as a classic…

[CNCBCN]

@Sylver:

Mr. CNCBCN is not lacking in any reason, but I tell you that you don't have to get discouraged at all, I have a neighbor in his early twenties who has made himself 3 different fairings for his motorcycle with fiberglass, living on a 6th floor without a terrace or special workspaces so don't be scared about the safety measures either, it's not plutonium or sulfuric acid :risitas: just cover everything well with continuous paper and place several cardboard boxes on top to isolate the work area, a removable work table or a similar beach table is recommended for this, in order to be able to perform the operations in a large room without obstacles.

Regards

so tell your neighbor to go to speed fiver as it's much cheaper in terms of quality, time and finishes (and I say this from personal experience)

regarding the MOD, the problem is to make a mold or counter mold (negative) well done because to make a "churro" it's better to use paper and white glue (it has a name that I can't remember) and above all to make the plans first, not to start playing with clay or plaster so that nothing gets in :nono:
in short, as soon as cslbcn presents some decent plans or sketches, we all give ideas and suggestions for materials to use

easy, cheap and looks great (it's another thing to fit everything inside)MonsterTruck Bodies RC Limits. Your online radio control store. Automodelism, aeromodelism, naval modeling. Your RC store.

P.D in lexan bodies the widest I have found measures about 20 cmm in width and in that an ATX doesn't fit

[Sylver]

@CNCBCN:

well tell your neighbor to go to speed fiver it's much cheaper in terms of quality time finishes (and I say this from my own experience)

Not 3 days for the first two and less than a week for the third after a year or so, top 10 bike of the III Concentración Tuning Villa de Estepona 2008, having been in the top 14 between engines and workshops it's logical…

[cslbcn]

I have a patio at my house that opens to the outdoors, so there's no problem in that aspect. Is the mask one of those disposable paper ones or does it have to be one with a carbon filter?
One of the reasons that would hold me back is the size that the body would take.
ATX board, with power supply, with hard drives... My car would be almost 1 meter long! And then where do I put that monstrosity of a contraption? Unless I make myself an English bus, that way I can put floors XD

Maybe I should think about another kind of box using not just the horizontal plane. The Empire State, for example...
But making the car is what I would like the most.. Any ideas on how to reduce the size? Put the power supply as a trailer XD?

[CNCBCN]

Who is talking about a mask? I think I said something about gloves (the resin for fiberglass with hardener as I would say... it doesn't come off your hands easily) the glasses are kind of funny (mind you, if you put that in your eyes...)
Now seriously: what motherboard do you have, micro source, graphics card and so on, the elements that mark the measurements are:
motherboard, cpu cooler and graphics card, the F.A. is usually of standard size
more important than anything is what you want the MOD for (competitions or personal pride) and above all what space you have on the desk (I can tell you how you can do it if a "tower" fits lying down )
P.D measurements X Y Z
P.D 2 look at a car from the 24 hours of Le Mans and I'll tell you how to do it ;);)

[cslbcn]

The mask is for when you sand the fiberglass once it has hardened. I read that if particles are inhaled they can cause damage to the lungs.

I want to make the mod simply as a personal challenge. I am in no rush to do it and as there is no rush the budget can be high, although spread throughout the entire construction process. The components I have now may not be used in the mod. The ATX plates are and will always be just as large, the HDDs too, the power supplies too. The only thing that can vary in size is the graphics and the CPU fan, so the size of the car should accommodate all these things.

By the way, to make the car's casing I want to base it on the Mini Cooper.

[Sylver]

@cslbcn:

By the way, for the car body I want to base it on the Mini Cooper.

Well, you're setting the bar really high, more than a Mini you'll have to make a Maxi Cooper to fit everything in xD
if you manage well you can put the power supply in what would be the interior of the car (the upper part of the body that in the Mini is bulging even if it doesn't look like it) the rear window could be foldable and thus expose the power outlet of the power supply
Everything is about letting your imagination fly, although that design would be ultra-compact.

Regards