On Fri, Jun 17, 2011 at 9:13 PM, RussellMc wrote: > Looking for a way to most easily, cheaply, quickly, ... cut > alumin[i]um softdrink cans (Coke, Pepsi, ...) into two pieces with a > "vertical" cut. ie left with two U shaped pieces when viewed from top. > No specs on amount of deformation or roughness of edge etc. Target - > two half barrels which are not obviously rough edged or deformed. > > - Two pieces to be as close to halves as reasonably possible (ignoring > assymetry caused by tab and hole). > > - Metal not to be bent or deformed. Clean cut with no need for > smoothing desirable. Minor post cut tidy up OK. > > - Ease of cutting probably important. Low cost more important than > speee BUT speed is good. Cottage industry / "appropriate technology" > method preferred although, if a high tech method was very cheap and > very fast it may be OK. > > - Both ends ideally left in place. > Opened end may possibly be OK to remove. > > LASER cutting an obvious choice. > How much power needed? (focus, conductivity, ...) > Could a properly focused DVD writer LASER be used (bursts balloons but > seems unlikely) > That would be an acceptable "high tech" solution. > > Hacksaw or any hand saw tens to be brutal on such a deformable can. > > Flame? Hard to be neat or accurate. > > EDM - electro erosion. Speed? Would work. > > Maybe slipping over a slit mandrel would work with one end removed. > End removable greatly undesired if possible. > > Suitable feed to a suitable high speed blade with good support ...? > > Blown abrasive cutting? > > ??? > > > Russell > -- > Lots of questions abound, quantities? Rate? Number of people doing it? (likely number of needed devices) First world / third world? (Relative valu= e of labor vs. mechanisms? Costs / availability of energy?) Can you "waste" half of the can? I can imagine a shear of sorts with a half can shaped cutout to receive the can and a blade that slides / turns to shear the can from the inside. But the "other" half of the can would be waste. Even with lever/human power probably 3-5 seconds per cut. EDM not a horrible choice, has some hurdles to overcome. Speed is fairly slow, could be improved by cutting multiples in parallel. Needs good ground connection to part, soda cans often have plastic coating that could be an issue there. The wire is only used once - hence a consumable - an ongoing cost per cut. -Denny --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .