Hey guys,
Little stuck here, wondering if anyone has had experience with something like this. This might be something that diyer's are interested in as well.
Basically im after an IC Tube cutter. Sometimes when I'm packing kits / orders, there's a lot of tube cutting. Up till now I've used a victorianox pocket knife which is very sharp, but a pita to use. My hand gets tired after using it for 30mins etc, requires a lot of effort and doesn't cut very cleanly. Its just a chore...
The danger here is confusing tube cutting with IC tube cutting. "tube cutting" could mean anything! Fish tank pvc pipe etc.
These are the options I've found so far, some may not actually be IC tube cutters.
This looks like the right thing:
http://au.rs-online.com/web/p/tube-cutters/0722198/
Fairly certain these 2 are NOT IC tube cutters:
http://au.rs-online.com/web/p/tube-cutters/6679390/
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Erem-684E-Tubing-Cutter-Cuts-Tubing-Cleanly-Without-Crushing-/180737927000
I think there really is only that top one that is actually an IC tube cutter.
Are there any other options? Im prepared to pay up to 80$ for something pro, I really hate cutting this crap :)
Cheers for any help!
Paul
Thought of trying a ratcheting PVC cutter? They're large and cheap, but the blades are usually super sharp and I'd bet it would cut the IC tubing before crushing it.
Good idea Justus! I don't think there is a tool made specifically for the task.
So something like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JNqn4iSq9s)? lol maybe a bit smaller hah? :D
Metal shears?
Never used them for cutting IC tubing but I would think they would work great.
I use a band saw... Any cheap one will do and also doubles as a pcb cutter ;)
Josh
Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Only those are huge and very industrial compared to what I have on hand! lol!
Harbor Freight here in the States carries a cheapie one that would likely work well: http://www.harborfreight.com/finger-release-ratcheting-pvc-cutter-66971.html
A bandsaw isn't a bad idea either... or on a smaller scale, a scroll saw would work too.
$6.00...man we get ripped in Australia...That does look good, I'll have to see if I can find something here, I think I did stumble upon a few during my search.
Bandsaw would be ideal, but I did want to avoid power tools as I usually cut the tubing in my study. Could probably just cut a heap in the garage in one shot I guess..
I wonder if a copper tubing cutter would work?
Those Erem cutters are designed for cutting round tubing stock (as are all the tubing cutters I'm familiar with).
There should be a lot of tools that would work. Personally, I use the bandsaw; perhaps a tile cutter would work.
Never used one of those before but looking at it in action, looks like it has a clamp and round rolling blade? Im thinking on a square object it might be a bit clunky?
Ah! Dave, I was hoping for your response :D Dam...yeah I thought that was the case. So its looking like power saw type tools are the most commonly used. Might need to see if I can get a handtool that can shear the tube without crushing it. if that doesn't work, maybe a power tool! :(
Quote from: chromesphere on February 06, 2015, 02:45:44 AM
Never used one of those before but looking at it in action, looks like it has a clamp and round rolling blade? Im thinking on a square object it might be a bit clunky?
Ah! Dave, I was hoping for your response :D Dam...yeah I thought that was the case. So its looking like power saw type tools are the most commonly used. Might need to see if I can get a handtool that can shear the tube without crushing it. if that doesn't work, maybe a power tool! :(
Yeah, I'm taking a shot in the dark with the tile cutter, but it seems like it should work. For example, this manual one cuts up to 5/8" deep
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-in-1-heavy-duty-tile-cutter-68979.html
Never used a tile cutter before either! might have to check one out next time im at the hardware store, thanks for the suggestion!
First thing that came to mind was a razor saw mitre box:
(http://ep.yimg.com/ay/yhst-57587333958251/x-acto-x-75330-mitre-box-2.gif)
Handy for lots of light-use jobs.
I'm on the receiving end, not the shipping end, so my preference might not match your needs. I prefer anti-static foam and bags. The tubes are often too long for my storage compartments/organizers, are annoying to cut, don't like messing with tape on the ends, sometimes hard to see markings on the ICs, slinging chips all over the floor to get them out when they are stuck, dumping chips all over the floor when they aren't stuck, :) etc. They are OK for large quantities, but I move a bunch to foam until I need more. If you use both sides of the foam, you can put a lot of ICs in a small area. The foam easily cuts with scissors, knife, whatever. If my ICs come in tubes, then I usually take them out and put them on foam. Never had any problems with that. Not sure where you get the foam. I just re-use what gets shipped to me. I've bought a few kits that included ICs, and I think all of them were on foam and bagged with the other small components. The small-cell foam (usually white) is a bit better than the larger cell foam (usually pink/red).
What about a hot wire cutter like those used for cutting polystyrene?
I dont know if it is strong enough but it might be worth a bash...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/WIRE-POLYSTYRENE-CUTTER-WITH-BATTERY/dp/B008GWP3BU
The hot wire cutter would probably be effortless, but it leaves a bit of a messy edge, i've recieved tubes before that have been cut with one of those. Didnt look pretty lol
Thanks for the feedback Billyboy, you raise some very important points. So i wonder if this is the general consensus? Tubes for the end user / hobbyist are really just a pain? I have high density foam and i reckon it would be far less messing about for me to use those, but would most people prefer them packed this way? I'm asking the question here, what do you guys think? The only reason i go to the trouble of packing them in tubes is for durability more then anything. i just worry that the IC's will show up with crushed pins, but then maybe im a little paranoid there...
I don't really like the tubes either, I find them a pain to store. I've received ICs from Farnell in between 2 pieces of anti-static foam inside a small cardboard box, I mean reaaallly small box.
Tubes are ok if you're ordering 10 pcs of pt2399 or 4558, but if it's one offs, a bit of antistatic foam in a ziplock bag makes me happy.
Quote from: Willybomb on February 06, 2015, 12:05:42 PM
Tubes are ok if you're ordering 10 pcs of pt2399 or 4558, but if it's one offs, a bit of antistatic foam in a ziplock bag makes me happy.
I agree with this also.
I recently did a bunch of cutting of tubes when selling the TAPLFO chips and it was a pain. The tube shatters pretty easy. I ended up scoring it with a blade and then snapping it off in to smaller pieces but I would still get broken ones from time to time.
Cody
OK, i tend to agree with everybody here.
I'll decide case by case (mn3008's will be in tubes for example :D) but definitely 1's or 2's will be foam in a ziplock. If anybody has trouble with damage in shipping please let me know. I dont anticipate there will be. I get IC's sent this way all the time and they are fine, but being a sending you have no idea what the person on the other end is receiving.
So that pretty well solves the problem! 90% of my IC tube cutting is for ones and twos! Glorious day :D
^This looks like the right thing:
http://au.rs-online.com/web/p/tube-cutters/0722198/
This is for cutting soft plastic and rubber tubing - think miniature rubber hoses. If you can get the IC tube to fit within its 'jaws' - which is doubtful - it will probably work.
Edit - having thought some more about it, at IC tube might well fit. I can try on Monday if you like?
Yeah that would be great Sam, do you have one floating about? Awesome mate, let me know how you go. If it works and is easy enough to cut through im picking one up for sure. Even though im going to pack more in foam now, still got alot of tube cutting to do!
We used to have one of the cutters at work, but it seems to have gone walkies. If I come across it, I will give it a try.
No worries Sam thanks for checking! I'm thinking I will just get that tube cutter for $15 anyway. Looks like it will do the job, gotta be easier then a pocket knife :|
What about a Dremel with a round cutting disc? Nobody's brought it up yet....
Order that $15 black tube cutter today, will update the thread let you all know how it goes!
QuoteWhat about a Dremel with a round cutting disc? Nobody's brought it up yet....
Having used a dremel type tool once to grind out part of a DD enclosure, I never want to use one again. I say if Chromo can find something to just go "chop, chop, chop, done", go for it.
Can you still count to 10 willy? :D
If you'd seen my workspace and work practices in building pedals and pedalboards, you'd be surprised that I can still count to 20...
Was there a consensus on what works well? I would not recommend any abrasive-action cutting tool (e.g. bandsaw, dremel, etc) - in our experience it always produces dust and debris that gets inside the tube. It is hard to tell from photos and descriptions if any given tool is sharp enough to cut an IC tube cleanly without crushing or splintering. Foam is not so convenient for surface mount packages.
Thanks for any advice...
-Mark
RS shipped me a 600mm long IC tube with TEN 7912 regulators in it once (about 100mm or so, I forget.) So, basically, gonzo length shipping box, for ten regulators. ::)
You're not alone!
I tried this small hand tube cutter (http://au.rs-online.com/web/p/tube-cutters/0722198/), bit of a waste of time to be honest. Requires more manual effort then my victorianox swiss army knife which is as sharp as the day i bought it.
Im posting most ic's out these days with foam instead of tubing anyway. 90% with foam. Expensive stuff like mn3008's go in tubes though.