Extruded aluminium for battery cases ?

Hello,

I'm really no fan of homemade acryl cases, or plywood ones, though I admire those taking the time to make one. Now in a world full of standardized dimensions, shouldn't it be possible to find suitable aluminium pipes / boxes / square pipes that suit DIY battery packs ? Would be interesting to compile a list here.
For a start, does anyone know a place (eu/world) where you can get sections of extruded aluminum to make battery cases ? Standart sizes to fit 10s3p, 13s3p, 10s4p, 13s4p would be appreciated.

best regards,

Felix

What is the benifit of Aluminium over PVC extrusions for a battery housing ?
The plastic is readily available in various sizes at the local hardware store,its cheap, it can be worked easily , modified, reshaped, and joined using simple tools and glues.
Al extrusions are hard to find at the best of times, let alone in a suitable size.

The aluminum has the advantage of being able to short cells and connectons in a pack that gets crush damage in a crash, where the PVC one wouldn't itself short things. (though shorts can still happen in either kind)

But the PVC would burn with the pack while an aluminum one might be able to at least partially contain a fire.

There is at least one previous thread about this if it helps
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=74211&hilit=extru*

Thank you for your replies. I prefer Aluminium over PVC because:
- its is UV resistant
- much sturdier
- has a better heat dissipation
- is 98%-100% recyclable
- and looks MUCH better than plastic!

When working with plastic, I'd choose ABS over PVC, though it's much more difficult to work with. But maybe for the cover caps ?

I agree with qwerkus, aluminium extrusions made into boxes would look very neat. In my opinion, plastics are to be molded if they are to look good. Bandsawed-handglued-hand drilled-hand filed-and-hand painted battery boxes from hardware store sheets of plastics rarely looks good. Sure they can be safe and sound, but some people want that little extra.

I'm making my pack box out of plywood, and having a carpenter friend help me (i.e make it for me). Next time I think I'm gonna go with something alu...

Hi

Wood can be very sturdy, and given right tools easy to make exactly the right size

Below pics are work in progress. Note box is built with 3/4" material, then resawn down to 1/2" walls. This makes the corners look perfect.

Also, lid is made later by cutting box open, not as a separate piece. Of course, batteries were not inside when cutting the lid off!

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