Tool to create professional IEC chassis cut-out...

Greenle makes one for sure. Any local electrical supply house can get you one.

yes, but its easy to let things get out of hand w. a highspeed rotary...much harder to make a mess when you're drilling little 1/16" holes using an impact that's in a perpendicular plane to the chassis, as opposed to 2 parallel surfaces...one being cut (chassis) and one doing the cutting (dremel or sawzall).

it takes 3x as long, but very safe and effective

rhyno

good plan Rhyno, but wouldn't a Sawzall get it done much more quickly ;-)

good course of action: use the IEC and a pen to trace the hole in advance. then use a drill w/ a VERY small bit to make a series of holes just inside the trace (as the IEC, if mounting from outside-in, will have a lip to cover everything). should be 20-30 holes. why so many? cause w/ a small bit the distance b/w holes can be very small, and b/c you cannot make a big mess w/ a small bit.
after all holes drilled, use a nibbler or sharp wire cutter to finish cutting out the hole. insert IEC, then drill the mounting holes for the IEC after its in place
rhyno

Why not hardwire an outboard socket in to the terminations inside the chassis, and not punch the chassis plate at all?

I just put an IEC socket on my satellite receiver using a dremel. I used a slide in IEC socket and when it popped in none of my cuts were visible and other than the fact that I cut through some wording it looked just like it was meant to be there. If you're really worried about it you can always file the cut area to make it smooth. leo.

Greenlee Tool Co. makes an entire series of "Radio Chassis Punches" both round and rectangular. Sorry I don't know their website. If you know the openning size you need you can check with larger industrial electronics suppliers. Greenlee punches are popular for their ease of use and durability with both electronics hobbyists and electricans.

Slingshot,

The alternative I've chosen is to select a powercable I like, drill the hole slightly larger and hardwire the sucker in. Best connection you can have and the only downside of course is not being able to quickly change out and compare future cables.

Great thanks Bob!!!!!!!!!!! Now you tell me! day late and a dollar short! LOL

I recall seeing just such a chassis punch tool available from Parts Express. http://www.parts-express.com/

Be very careful, I added IEC sockets on a pair of monoblocks I had, well they’re in there but a little unsightly. That being said I would recommend having it professionally done if at all possible, my screw up has inhibited the sale of my amps(fortunately they are cheap enough it isn’t a big deal), almost a shame! Good luck with it.
Tim

When the chassis for your component is made, ALL of the holes are punched on a press before the material is bent to shape. Even a very small punch press is a bit much for the DIYer (not even mentioning the cost to make the punch/die in the shape of an IEC jack).

As an alternative, you may consider creating a jig that will guide a narrow high speed router bit around the shape you desire to cut out. This is an incredibly messy way to do the job, requiring the chassis to be empty to avoid contamination from the metal shavings the router will produce.

Last and probably most practical is to have a small local machine shop use an end mill to cut the shape. If done at low speed, this could (depending on the chassis material) be the cleanest method. If they do it on a computer controlled mill, you'll pay for some programming the first time, but should get away cheaper for subsequent jobs. As always, the more parts you do at once, the more economical it will be.