If I may borrow this thread
...
I am 3D-modelling a custom chassis for an arcade controller, as is customary among fighting game players, to suit every individual's preferences, hand positioning etc.
If you are not familiar with how arcade controllers (or among players: fighting sticks) look like, please enter "fighting stick" or "arcade controller" into Google image search.
My chassis is hollow, about 50cm long and 25cm wide and slanted back-to-front (8cm high on one end and 1cm on the other end). Therefore, the only material that I can choose is White strong and flexible.
Now the question I'm asking is:
How thick should I make the walls of the chassis in order for it not to flex? How thick should the upper wall of the chassis be in order for it not to flex under the force of moving the joystick? How can I make WSF more rigid?
Mr. Robert Schouwenburg was very kind and helpful explaining some general characteristics of the WSF material, but he suggested that for more datailed advices, I'd be better off consulting you community gurus here.
If I may quote him:
White Strong & Flexible (WSF) is flexible as a coke bottle. That means it is
quite flexible when you make thin walls (1.5mm or lower). When you go ticker
it becomes less flexible. The total surface area also is important. The
bigger surface area the bigger the flexibility. It is like with any plastic.
The best option would be to make it at least 2mm thick and place
strengthening beams every 4cm which makes the material rigid.
Another option is to order it 2mm thick and afterwards dip it in superglue.
Other community members have good experience with that method to make WSF
rigid.
By the way, I would
really like to avoid having to incorporate "strengthening beams", so to speak, in the center of the chassis, so that it wouldn't flex as much in the middle? They would interfere with the wiring etc.
Should you need some extra information, I can post the 3d file of the work in progress here in this thread.
Thank you all very very much for your help.
Sincerely,
UFOKatarn