Case modding front of Deep Cool matrexx 50 from glass to mesh?

jackiebean · August 23, 2021

I really want to increase the intake airflow on this case with mesh, but the glass front seems to be glued in. Is it really necessary to use a heat gun? Or should I try acetone to dissolve the glue? I worked with thermoplastics for several years so I'd rather use acetone because it's not going to melt the plastic. But I also have a heat gun so either way is doable here.

puppo · August 23, 2021

40 minutes ago, jackiebean said:

I really want to increase the intake airflow on this case with mesh, but the glass front seems to be glued in. Is it really necessary to use a heat gun? Or should I try acetone to dissolve the glue? I worked with thermoplastics for several years so I'd rather use acetone because it's not going to melt the plastic. But I also have a heat gun so either way is doable here.

i have the same case as you, but i dont understand the problem, what are you trying to do?

OhioYJ · August 23, 2021

10 minutes ago, puppo said:

i have the same case as you, but i dont understand the problem, what are you trying to do?

They are trying to get rid of the glass on the front so they can replace it with mesh so it will be less restrictive (flow more air). Personally I would try the heat gun some before going to a harsh chemical.

tkitch · August 23, 2021

Yeah, I'd try a heat gun, but be careful that you don't overheat the plastic and melt / deform it

jackiebean · August 25, 2021

That's why I chose the acetone. The heat gun is too damaging. And the acetone was successful, if messy. Very quick separation. But I eventually managed to clean all the double sided tape off after separation. Acetone doesn't harm the plastic.

The sticky residue from the double sided tape is easy to remove once you scrape it with a sharp plastic object and use a combination of vegetable oil first and brillo pads that come with soap in them afterwards. Both the glass and the plastic are clean now.

All that's left to do is source the mesh. I'm going to use two kinds. Honeycomb with about 1" to 2" openings, and a perforated mesh on top of that.

Dave M · October 19, 2021

I Would love to see a how the final product turned out, currently running mine with the front panel off due to restricted air flow, it works really well now but I would love a mesh to help the look and filter large particles. Thanks for the input on the acetone that really helped me get started.

jackiebean · November 5, 2021

I still haven't finished yet. I'm running into another problem with the build. I'll definitely be posting the results when I finish. I got sidetracked with another build using a s5000psl board in a fractal design case and it runs but it's not finished either. I'm going to make that monster into a file server.