×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

U Channel hunt

U Channel hunt

U Channel hunt

(OP)
I'm looking for some u-channel to put a high power board in.  It's the usual hot devices, lined along the sides, that the devices will screw to the sides of the u-channel that the board drops into.

I've looked at Aavid figuring that they'd have classic anodized U channel.  They don't!

I am having problems finding it as googling for U-channel gets you tons of stuff like shower door channel etc. etc. all the way up to 2 inches wide.. sheesh.  I need 5 or 6 inches wide.

I just want the typical stuff that most U chassis'd power supplies are mounted in.

Anybody got a lead?
What do you use in this type of situation?

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.- http://www.flaminsystems.com

RE: U Channel hunt

(OP)
Hi Jeff!

Nope.  Neat stuff though! I'll keep it in mind for the future.

I just need something that looks like about 1/8th inch Al sheet radius bent so it's about 5 inches wide with the two sides bent up ~2 inches.  Nothing fancy.

I'm starting to think everyone has this stuff bent, and fabbed, and anodized, for every different product.. Groan.

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.- http://www.flaminsystems.com

RE: U Channel hunt

If you can find a plane aluminum channel you could always have it anodized (or whatever).  We do that all the time with our heat sink modules for SCRs and things.  

As far as some other places to look, we typically get our heat sink assemblies from Darrah Electric Company who is a distributor for both Aavid and R-Theta.

RE: U Channel hunt

In quantity, it's _much_ cheaper to punch the required holes in a flat blank and bend it after piercing, than to drill holes in an extruded section.

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

RE: U Channel hunt

(OP)
Thanks Mike.  That's the conclusion I've been rapidly coming to.  That would allow all punch operations and inserts to be done most cheaply.

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.- http://www.flaminsystems.com

RE: U Channel hunt

(OP)
No luck.. They have no aluminum just the usual structural stuff.

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.- http://www.flaminsystems.com

RE: U Channel hunt

Try http://www.smithmetal.com/products/catalogue.asp

They are a major UK stockist of non-ferrous sections. They have definitely got some 6" wide aluminium channel but the wall thickness might be a bit heavy. They have a lot of other shapes too. I can't believe there isn't a US equivalent!
 

----------------------------------
  Sometimes I only open my mouth to swap feet...

RE: U Channel hunt

Here in The Colonies, we call stockists "Metal Service Centers".

One such with whom I've dealt is Ryerson Tull:
http://www.ryerson.com/stocklist/StocklistServlet?COM=GetTable&ID=1684

I don't think I've seen a 'square corner' channel as big as you want.  Next best choice would be 'aluminum association' channels, with fillets, full radiused flanges, and parallel flange faces.  And you can get 'american standard' channels, which have tapered flanges just like steel sections.  

Of course, you can get nearly anything you want as a custom extrusion.  The dies are surprisingly inexpensive, and the minimum lot size may be as small as a couple of tonnes.

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources