Looking for an inexpensive panel material
Looking for an inexpensive panel material
(OP)
Currently my company typically uses 16 gauge cold rolled steel sheet to do exterior enclosure paneling for our machinery. The panels are there for aesthetic reasons and to keep people from sticking their hands where they shouldn't.
Larger machines...6 feet by 8 feet by 8 feet, require large sheets of steel to enclose, which are expensive.
Can someone recommend a paneling material that is a lot cheaper than steel yet is "industrial" enough? Max temperature exposure is say 150F.
Larger machines...6 feet by 8 feet by 8 feet, require large sheets of steel to enclose, which are expensive.
Can someone recommend a paneling material that is a lot cheaper than steel yet is "industrial" enough? Max temperature exposure is say 150F.





RE: Looking for an inexpensive panel material
Truck trailers, buses and motorhomes are now commonly skinned with something like this:
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Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Looking for an inexpensive panel material
Wire mesh.
http://www.mcnichols.com/
Keep in mind that there are codes and standards for machine guards.
RE: Looking for an inexpensive panel material
RE: Looking for an inexpensive panel material
If you "heard" it on the internet, it's guilty until proven innocent. - DCS
RE: Looking for an inexpensive panel material
Chicken wire mesh on a 4X8 frame made of 2X2 wood.
Extra feature - connect the 4X8 frame panels with hinges so they can be "adjusted" as required.
Alternate the hinges sides to get a stand alone zig-zag wall.
RE: Looking for an inexpensive panel material
A Star for ya mike, nice line. I'm definately gonna use that one day.
RE: Looking for an inexpensive panel material
Mike,
A star also for the quote - nice one - I shall use it on Monday - although I shall replace "steel" with "plastic".
Cheers
Harry
RE: Looking for an inexpensive panel material
RE: Looking for an inexpensive panel material
Whilst mild steel is about the cheapest metal you can find for enclosure panels. If the machinery is not, exposed to the outdoors, you could look at hardboard ( AKA Masonite.) for skin panels. It is light and tough and cheap.
As another poster noted it depends on how cheap you want to go.
B.E.
RE: Looking for an inexpensive panel material
RE: Looking for an inexpensive panel material
"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."
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RE: Looking for an inexpensive panel material
Wood is nature's own fiber- reinforced composite, and has a long and honored history in engineering. Not a crazy choice at all. Neither is Masonite.
Sign shops face the problem of providing large flat surfaces at little cost. You might visit one for ideas.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA