- Aluminium Part
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About The Project
ConsumerNext recently asked us to make a CNC milled aluminum case for a new kind of electronic cigarette. They needed a case in two different sizes, for both men and women, and in each size they wanted to try different anodized colors to test the market. To achieve this, we made some small batch runs in light gold, dark blue, light rose and warm grey.
The Challenges
There were two particular challenges that arose while making this e-cigarette case.
The first challenge concerned the profile of the case, which is generally oval in cross-section but which also reduces in diameter along its length. This makes a complex curvature that another manufacturer had tried, and failed, to make correctly. We were able to produce this shape using our HAAS 5-axis CNC mill. Our machinist carefully tailored the cutting program and selected the correct choice of cutting tool to extract the maximum performance from our advanced CNC machine, resulting in a beautifully finished profile.
The second challenge was that both halves of the case needed to come together and meet with a seamless, smooth fit. To do this, we added two magnetic, chromed steel alignment pins. These hold the two halves together firmly and in the right orientation, and help to make a leak-proof seal for the internal smoke cartridge.
