Material selection

Hi,
after reading the material description I still have some doubts about the best material option.
I would like to make an electronic box for a LCD display (4.3") to be mounted on the mast of a sailing boat.
So I would have a big hole on one side (LCD), mounting holes on the back, an some other holes for battery charging, switch, and so on. I would probably add a LCD supporting panel, because the LCD hasn’t mounting holes.
It is not supposed do fall off, while a little bit of abuse is normal.
Should I go for a 3mm ABS? Is it too much? A thinner ABS or an acrylic are enough for me?
Thanks in advance,
Massimo

Hello,

Thanks for your interest in our laser cutting. You’re probably OK just going with 3mm acrylic. It’s cheaper to cut than ABS, looks nicer, and comes in a variety of transparent or close-to-opaque colors. Just be sure not to screw anything down too tightly (maybe some washers would help) since it is more brittle than ABS (which is softer and has some give).

In case it matters to your design, note that the acrylic thickness can vary by + or - 10% even within the same sheet.

For the reference of future readers, here are links to the material descriptions that you probably read already:

ABS: https://www.pololu.com/docs/0J24/3#abs
acrylic: https://www.pololu.com/docs/0J24/3#acrylic

You can see pictures of some of the 3mm acrylic we stock by scrolling down a bit at:

https://www.pololu.com/docs/0J24/3

Hope this helps; good luck!

- Candice

Thanks,
I read the material description, but I believe an opinion is usually more on target.
The only way to know for sure will be start playing with some components…
I don’t foresee tight fit parts, so thickness tolerance is ok.

Thanks again,
Massimo