Marking & Cutting Steel Sheet

[rockweasel]

For my next project I need to cut 4 identical patterns from a single sheet of 5mm steel.
The 4 shapes will be bolted together in a big sandwich, so I want their profiles to end up as identical as possible.
I've drawn the shapes on CAD and mucked about to come up with how they're laid out on the steel sheet (file attached)

First question:

The best way to transfer the pattern I have on CAD to the steel? (It's small enough to print a single profile onto an A4 sheet of paper at a scale of 1:1.)

Thanks

 

[eSCHEn]

You could try the iron with a shiny magazine page and a laser printer. Bit rough and ready but works for simple PCBs. There's proper blue stuff which I can't remember the name of right now.

 

[rtbcomp]

In the past I've printed the design on paper then glued the paper to the steel with soluble wallpaper paste. Cut the steel then removed the paper with water.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

^^^Or Pritt Stick^^^

 

[awemawson]

Bring them round and I'll cut them on the CNC Plasma table from your CAD drawing


.... ah - 'round' might be a long way, I see that you are in the wilds of Scotland with the Picts and Scots over Mr Hadrians Wall

 

[rockweasel]

Bring them round and I'll cut them on the CNC Plasma table from your CAD drawing


.... ah - 'round' might be a long way, I see that you are in the wilds of Scotland with the Picts and Scots over Mr Hadrians Wall

We'll have none of your wizardry up here thank you I will wring out a local sheep for glue and try out the other suggestions.

(I had spotted a cutting service on eBay, but the thought of shelling out extra cash made me light headed.)

 

[rtbcomp]

^^^Or Pritt Stick^^^

Indeed, I've used that as well. Whatever you use make sure it's set so the paper doesn't move when you start cutting.

 

[Paul.]

Print it 1:1 then glue or tape it to the steel, mark through the paper with a centre punch, make sure you dot the corners, and when you print the pattern be sure to show the centre markers for the holes and the radii, then you can remove the template and scribe between the dots, I often do this on small one off profiles, even use it to draw square to rounds.
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/square-to-round-hopper.26339/#post-287521

 

[galooph]

I use the self-adhesive A4 sheets, just like one big A4 sticky label. Print 1:1, and stick straight on. They go on nice and flat, and stay stuck, even when I've ground up to the lines.

 

[outofthefire]

Whichever method you use to transfer the design (i've used them all plus carbon paper), i'd cut them out a tiny bit bigger, then tack them all together then drill your holes and file or grind them to the correct size then they should all be identical.

 

[ukracer]

I wonder if heat transfer paper would work.

If you want to send me the drawing i will print
One out for you.

That said if it were me i would take up the offer of plasma and ship it out with a prepaid return label.