The original panel is made out of very thin sheet metal that bend easily and is not very rigid. The use of space is not very optimal either.
The panel was machined with the router into1/8" thick Delrin (Acetal Resin) plastic. I bought a 4" x 12" piece for a mere $6.69 from McMaster-Carr (P/N 8739K15). I will probably be doing the front panel over in the same material.
I used a TiCN-Coated Carbide End Mill, Two Flute, 1/8" Mill Diameter, 1/8" Shank Diameter which I got from the same place for $13.47 (P/N 2416A17) to do all the cutting. It was amazingly sharp and was able to cut at very high feed rates.
I added an additional for a future axis, limit switches, or other i/o. "Military" grade connectors are more like military style, but they are much better quality than the original connectors. I paid $33.11 for all 5 connectors shipped from China. One key thing is that the panel side connectors have female pins so that if the unit is turned on, without servos & motors connected, the chance of shock is lower.
I may consider posting the AutoCAD drawing of the panel so that others can make it along with the G-code. Let me know if there's demand out there by posting comments.
