Welding a PC case together?

[wun911]

The MM U2 UFO case I got recently has a very strong and sturdy frame.

On closer inspection I have noticed that MM have spot welded the fame together.

Have any of you guys tried to weld your pc cases? (Thus far I have only seen screws and rivets)
Is it a particularly difficult task to preform?
I am particularly interested in anyone who has used a TIG on aluminium...

 

[Xtreme Barton]

spot welds.. thats all your gonna get i think.. unless you plan to do alot of sanding and smoothing .. plus you may just double f hockey sticks ( ) yourself and burn holes in it

 

[Stedeman]

I is difficult if you have never welded Alu before; If you intend to do this you should bring it to a local weld shop, they will be able to do it quick and cheap.

 

[Deadbot1_1973]

from past automotive experience with aluminum and welding...If there is any sort of grease or paint it will have to be removed. Failing to do so will result in craters and spattering up the yin yang. If you have good clean aluminum and the proper equipment/training you can make awesome welds in aluminum. Aluminum is tons more reactive than steel and requires gas shielding to do really clean welds. I'd say have a pro do it if you are worried about results.

 

[NeoSpawn]

Yeah, I've only welded a bit of steel myself doing wire feed, but its best to let professionals do the welding. There is a lot of prep work and it sounds like they only really "tagged" the corners and such. You can be surprised, if its welded nicely that its very strong.

Deadbolt: For welding Al you need a gas sheild even if its wirefeed? I guess if you hide your welds and willing to clean it up its alright.

 

[Deadbot1_1973]

No, you can get away with a flux core wire, I think. Not the welder in my family. That's my uncle. The main thing that I remember is that without the gas, it's REALLY hard to keep the weld clean(hot aluminum oxidizes fast). It's not impossible to weld Al without gas, just harder.

 

[NeoSpawn]

I guess it would depend on the thickness of the Al sheet. Even if its sloppy you can grind it down and clean it up. Ill have to ask one of my welding buddies and find out.

 

[wun911]

Tungsten inert gas... where the gas used is usually argon, is usually used to weld aluminum.

The process is needed because the melting point of aluminum is much higher than steel and it oxidizes much faster than metals such as steel, and it also disipates heat a lot quicker.

A TIG rig costs a lot of money and you have to buy argon gas bottles, which is kinda expensive.

There is a local place that makes aluminum boats.... They have a TIG welding setup to build boats!

I will prob custom make my PC case with them...

 

[Adragontattoo]

AHHHHHHHH A threepeat post!

 

[Susquehannock]

OK ... I have done a lot of welding over the years, so I may be able to help.

To make a PC case you could do some spot welding. But not as you would expect. Drill a hole in the top panel as though you were installing rivets. Only now do not drill the underlying hole. Instead lay a small tack there filling the top hole. If done properly you can grind off the top of the tack smooth & you can never tell it is there. Have used this technique many times (mostly automotive etc...) and it works better for thicker metals, but can work OK for 20ga sheet which is what most PC cases are made from. Sometimes 16ga for aluminum.

Tungsten inert gas... where the gas used is usually argon, is usually used to weld aluminum.

The process is needed because the melting point of aluminum is much higher than steel and it oxidizes much faster than metals such as steel, and it also disipates heat a lot quicker.

A TIG rig costs a lot of money and you have to buy argon gas bottles, which is kinda expensive.

There is a local place that makes aluminum boats.... They have a TIG welding setup to build boats!

I will prob custom make my PC case with them...

Right on several points, except Aliminum melts at a MUCH lower temp than Iron/Steel ~ 1,220F vs. 2,795F
Now, Aluminum does have a much more narrow 'melting range' than iron, which is what you may have been thinking of.

TIG would be the better choice for the thin metal we see in PC cases. Smaller heat area thus less warpage of the part. But it takes two hands. You can MIG weld Aluminum provided you have the correct wire & gas. Has to be VERY clean as mentioned previously.