Home cnc milled water block

[Nebulous]

Dam that looks awsome! I wonder with a low flow pump how would it perform? As the guyz mentioned it does look kinda restrictive, so I'm sure with a high flow pump it won't do so good.

None the less, for a first block attempt it's pretty snazzy. Good luck and hope for good results.

 

[Voodoo_fx]

We'll have to try BobCam sometime.

HiProfile: You've got me, when we started drawing this in AutoCad we were going with a baffle/muffler like design


Also, correct me if I'm wrong, I've always setup my systems in a large tote so they're always closed loop with no resivoirs(sp) or T's in the lines, does restriction still play that much of a role in these kinds of setups?

 

[WonderingSoul]

Right, basically how this works for anyone that isn't familiar with this all, is you create your 2d image in Autocad. You then take that into one of these CAM programs to setup depths of your 2d image. Finally you simulate roughing passes and finishing passes to speed up the process, and save your toolpaths.

That description is simplified but it's what we did

I am just curious since I am a CADD Major at MU so these things interest me. I am quite fond of Solidworks for all my 3D work.

Here's a shot of my final project I did one semester; I couldn't model all the fins on the heatsink since it would crash everytime. But all the parts were individually moddeled an assembled

 

[freeagent]

what make of machine is it? haas has some ok software to mess around with, but we just used gibbscam for the most part. nice, and congrats dam i wish i had some cnc tools in my garage

 

[HiProfile]

Restriction always plays a role in the form of pressure drop. In a closed loop the way the pump deals with pressure drops is by cavitating (sort of). Since the laing pumps aren't 100% possitive displacement pumps, the more restrictions you add, the more water will want to sneak back around the impeller. If there's any air in the loop, it will just try pulling a vacuum in that atmosphere before it cavitates.


btw: http://www.bobcadcam.com/ Price isn't that bad for a cad/cam/dnc type program.

 

[Voodoo_fx]

Thanks for the explanation HiProfile, makes sense.

WanderingSoul: That Heatsink looks awesome, the stuff we are making in Smart / LazyCam isn't as detailed as that

 

[Voodoo_fx]

I managed to get a better picture of the new block and my now 4year old block for the AXP system in my sig

 

[Clockwork_Apple]

It's an interesting design, nice to see people still milling their own blocks now a days.

Have you tried it out yet? I'd love to see some data

 

[Voodoo_fx]

It's an interesting design, nice to see people still milling their own blocks now a days.

Have you tried it out yet? I'd love to see some data

I've got to stop by the hardware store and pick up some nipples. Problem is I don't have anything to compare it against other than my huge Zalman heatsink

I guess if anything I'll have a baseline to compare future blocks against.

 

[EchoTheDolphin]

Patent the design and SELL SELL SELL!

 

[aja]

Very nice!

I love the design, very well thought out!

Don't stop inventing!

 

[Voodoo_fx]

I need an opinion on something, specifically Plexi, and its function with waterblocks. Would most of you agree that its mostly for asthetics or more as a window to see air bubbles?

I'm trying to gauge how much or no plexi at all I should use. I've had it crack on me before, however that was with fittings in it.

 

[aja]

I need an opinion on something, specifically Plexi, and its function with waterblocks. Would most of you agree that its mostly for asthetics or more as a window to see air bubbles?

I'm trying to gauge how much or no plexi at all I should use. I've had it crack on me before, however that was with fittings in it.

The main reason for the plexi top is that it saves on material costs. Plexi is cheaper than copper.

From a marketing point of view companies will tell you that you can see bubbles etc...

I would make the top from the same material as the bottom.

Nice thing with that is that you can make extra channels in the top with that CNC if you wanted.

 

[inkfx]

I need an opinion on something, specifically Plexi, and its function with waterblocks. Would most of you agree that its mostly for asthetics or more as a window to see air bubbles?

I'm trying to gauge how much or no plexi at all I should use. I've had it crack on me before, however that was with fittings in it.

Pretty much just for aesthetics.

 

[Voodoo_fx]

Alright, I'll will probably nix the Plexi then, I've had the stuck crack on me multiple times and dribble water all over, not fun stuff.

Right now im looking into buying very small heatpipes and a way to spread heat all over the block =) So far I've found some small diameter (3-8mm) pipes however I don't want the base to be to thick.

 

[Voodoo_fx]

Just an update.. I've got the Aluminum block somewhat mounted right now, its running fine however I got spikes in the temp very quickly almost like a square wave. I need to figure out a better way to mount this sucker than what I have setup right now =) I should have some solid results this weekend, hopefully I can push my P4 630 over 4Ghz.

 

[sunrunner20]

Several things, It looks like that second block is made from a Cu alloy. Alloy's do terrable things to Cu's thermal characteristics. Also, just a tip: try wavy channels instead of straight ones. It will produce more turbulence.

 

[Voodoo_fx]

Several things, It looks like that second block is made from a Cu alloy. Alloy's do terrable things to Cu's thermal characteristics. Also, just a tip: try wavy channels instead of straight ones. It will produce more turbulence.

Second block was sandblasted inside if it that explains the oddness of the texture, it had been sitting for quite some time...

Thanks for the wavy channel suggestion, were planning on milling something NEXT weekend hopefully, with no plexi.

Thanks!

-Nick

 

[SolidxSnake]

Looks like a great block!

One idea in my head to essentially double the surface area would be to have channels in the TOP of the block as well as the bottom, with some of the fins touching the fins from the bottom for conductive heat transfer. The majority of the channels in the top of the block would be staggered so the extrusions would fit in the bottom channels. Though now that I think of it, it could be a pretty stupid idea because the top of the block doesn't get any heat directly from the processor

 

[WonderingSoul]

Second block was sandblasted inside if it that explains the oddness of the texture, it had been sitting for quite some time...

Thanks for the wavy channel suggestion, were planning on milling something NEXT weekend hopefully, with no plexi.

Thanks!

-Nick

Hey nick, I am gonna try to get some solidworks drawings to you with some block ideas I got Lemme know if you are interested.