Plasma Electronics Enclosure Idea

Is there any reason I couldn't use this 3'x3' metal storage cabinet as my electronics enclosure? Put some casters on the bottom, monitor and key board on top of it. Section off one shelf for the cnc electronics, ventilate it. Tons of room to logically organize components and route wiring. Rig it all up on some kind of DIY plexiglass "server rack" type of system. Put a plexiglass door in front of the shelf to keep hands out. And use the other shelves for storing manuals, notes, whatever the hell you want...

If you rack mounted everything to the top shelf you would be able to build it outside of the cabinet and remove for servicing. Cut a rectangular hole in the back or sides (or both) so you can make plates that cover it again. Mount all the connectors for motors, and limit switches etc on those plates and secure with nutserts (rivnuts). My commercial enclosure has a similar plate on the bottom where everything exits. I made my power come in from the side. This would let you remove the connectors by passing the rectangular plate back through the hole.

Speaking of cabinet ventilation, I intend to put a filter on the inlet air hole assuming the fans can handle it. Does it matter what kind of air filter I use? I don't know if static electricity or anything like that comes into play here. I can buy little home AC filters at the local HVAC store or order rolls of generic cut to fit filter material on amazon...

What you will need for a filter element will depend on the dirt contamination you'd expect to see and want to filter out. (The finer the filter the harder it will be to move air though it.)

If you really want to get fancy you could totally seal the cabinet and use a heat exchanger or AC unit. (but those can get pricey.)

Lots of dirt, lots of metal dust. Typical plasma / welding shop environment.

tommylight wrote:

AgentWD40 wrote:

Lots of dirt, lots of metal dust. Typical plasma / welding shop environment.

I would venture a guess : grinding also ?

grinder and paint makes me the welder i ain't!

AgentWD40 wrote:

grinder and paint makes me the welder i ain't!

I think this is appropriate.

I thought you might be able to buy a small automotive panel filter and once you have your plasma cutter operational, cut a flange that could be used to secure it. I might think about that myself. even a small one will allow an enormous amount of air flow with plenty of headroom for dirt to build up. Don't forget the turbo and dump pipe while you are at it!