The Nibbler and Collin the fortune teller

Some time ago, Collin saw a nibbler in my future and the prophecy has now been fulfiled!

I GOT A NIBBLER!!! HURAAAAHHH!!!!

Of course, the first person(?) to grab and test it how comfortable it is to sit on, was Braska:



The nibbler works like this: it passes the metal "jaw" you see in the pictures below through the metal while keeping it in place. This way there is no distortion on the metal like when cutting it with scissors made for metal.





The jaw has a jagged edge or else it would be impossible to get a grasp on the sheet. It would slide off. So while cutting, it actually works like two pairs of scissors. It removes the middle section. This produces a curly string of material like the one you get when you slide the knife on butter.



To cut efficiently and without any distortion/bending, the upper "jaw" of the nibbler must be in full contact with the material . Otherwise, it would pull the metal up and bend it.



The material used here was aluminum, 2mm thick. It was VERY easy to cut it. It was like cutting a thick cardboard with a pair of scissors. It is extremely accurate too! if you have a guide, you can't go wrong



Other tests included of cource PCBs that were cut like butter! It doesn't leave a jaggy edge!



Cutting a .8mm thick aluminum sheet, was like cutting through paper. I found in the local hardware store a 1000x120x1.5mm aluminum sheet which I am going to get TOMORROW!!!



The hardest of all was a 1mm steel sheet. Now THAT was difficult. Thank god I wont have to work with this stuff after I get that aluminum sheet.

Now I can fit all my LCDs behind well (well, better) made panels. There is another thing I have to figure out. The smallest possible diameter that a hole must have so as to insert the jaw completely to start a cut from the inside of the panel.

From what I have tried up to now, it must be just a little more than 9mm in length.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Next, I predict you will … umm … make something really cool with it!