Custom mylar air shroud?

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AndrewX192

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Apr 10, 2016
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I have a SC523L that could benefit from better airflow management. While there are parts like the MCP-310-28012-0N, that is designed for a dual cpu system, whereas mine is single (and I also want to direct some cooling to NVMe SSDs and a few IO expansion cards). I was thinking about creating my own mylar air shroud, but I can't find similar stiffness material to start with. Does anyone have pointers on where I could get this material and what the best way to go about construction would be?
 

sth

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Oct 29, 2015
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I used cardboard to fashion something similar. The thickness of a typical file is good enough as it’s not load bearing.
 

sno.cn

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Sep 23, 2016
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How about some 1/16" kydex? It's easy to work with and you can mold it to whatever shape you want.
 
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PigLover

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Jan 26, 2011
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I used cardboard to fashion something similar. The thickness of a typical file is good enough as it’s not load bearing.
I wouldn't like having easily flammable materiel laying over my motherboard. While 70-90c is well below the autoignite temperature of paper, there is still a risk of component failures. Blowing a cap or a regulator around the CPU might normally leave a small burn-mark on the motherboard and maybe a little smoke - but it could become a very different story with a bit of cardboard laying over it.

You might be able to work with some thin HDPE, though I'm not sure it would be stiff enough to hold shape. Readily available on Amazon. Try 0.062 thickness, should work. Can be pricey.
 
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AndrewX192

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Apr 10, 2016
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Ok, I picked up some materials but it looks like I’d need some specialized tools to bend the materials - like a nichrome heating wire and a press. Are there other alternatives?
 

herby

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Aug 18, 2013
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Acrylic is pretty easy to cut and glue especially if you aren't worried about it being liquid tight.
 
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sno.cn

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Sep 23, 2016
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What material did you go with? If you got some thin kydex, you can get some pretty good corners with a heat gun and some patience. You can also make a wood form, clamp it, and toss it in the oven.
 

AndrewX192

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I think I can make a few edits to that prototype, but the material isn't exactly pleasant to work with. I'm thinking about picking up some polypropylene to test out next.
 

Navy_BOFH

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Aug 2, 2013
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Reading into this: I wonder if this is why Supermicro recommends an active cooler for 2U and larger chassis using a single CPU. I ran into the same issue on an LGS1150 build and the recommended part was a heatsink/cooler almost identical to the OEM Intel one. I am hoping once everything is online I will be happy with it and not run into cooling issues now.
 

AndrewX192

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Apr 10, 2016
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I ended up going to a plastics supplier and picking up a sheet of HDPE - I was able to bend this a lot easier than acrylic. Unfortunately they don't have mylar of a similar thickness, so this will probably be the best material I get for now. Here's my latest result:zehHLN8.jpg
 
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azev

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Jan 18, 2013
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that looks great actually, can you provide some info about this HPDE plastic ?? I always think HPDE is high performance drivers ed alas track day :)
 
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azev

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Jan 18, 2013
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Do you get these online or do you know of local retailer that carry these ??