Hi,

Hope I am posting this in the right forum.

I have just a general question. I want to design a part out of either aluminum, or high density plastic and I was wondering,...before I do the print...

Is it feasible to take an hunk of aluminum 4 inches wide and 15 inches long, and machine a spherical convex surface on one side only - leaving the other side flat? And on a second piece, a concave side on one side and convex on the other having the same radius? The spherical radius on both pieces would be anywhere from 24 to 36 inches. The material would be around 1 - 1.5 inches thick after machining.

I am assuming it is possible but I am mainly wondering if this sounds like it would be expensive due to tooling problems. I am assuming some kind of spherical mill bit would be involved. I am assuming this would be nearly impossible to do on a bridgeport so it would be a CNC machine? Would the part be difficult to hold? What about a cheap grade of steel?

I am wondering if I should go with this design or try a different approach for my situation if it is cost prohibitive for low volume machining. I am talking about a few hundred pieces a year tops.

Thanks for any input.