Thinkpads Forum

I am starting out a new project on my thinkpad 240. Part of the job requires me to do some modificaiton on the hard drive base cover. From online articles*1 it seems that IBM use carbon-fiber and/or glass-fiber reinforced plastic material for the casing. I am wondering if anyone knows how to cut or make holes on this kind of material.


*1: IBM ThinkPad material link:
http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/infobrf/case.html

The safest way is with modellers hand tools and ordinary drills. The fastest way is with a dremel. Just like ordinary plastic. The tools will wear a bit faster, but if you are just modifying one case you probably won't notice. If you were a machinist, cutting blocks of plastic on a mill or lathe, and you switched from unfilled to glass or carbon fiber filled you would find yourself sharpening/replacing your cutters a lot more often; but a hobbyist cutting up a single case might not notice the difference at all.