Edit: I was told it may be a good idea to get pieces cut in mild steel then electroplate the lot in a barrel..
is this better then getting a stainless steal variety ?
Here in Aus many companies offer up a product they just call colorbond 0.55mm. I think this is the official description of this steel hybrid: https://www.bluescopesteel.com.au/files/dmfile/ColorbondSteelDatasheetRev13Dec2013.pdf

Will Colorbond be a good choice for me?

 

When you cut the colorbond, the edges of the part will have no protective coating and it will rust. Now an indoor game is not going to rust to the point that it is flaking and falling apart but it will get some orange discoloration along the edges.

Any grade of steel can be painted, its all about the cleaning and surface prep.

If you want a painted look, a plain carbon steel with paint will be much cheaper in volume than Stainless steel.

SS is great for prototypes and low volume because you don't have to bother with coating and finishing. Just clean the part and it is ready to go.

In low volume the labor to make the parts is the vast majority of the cost. Minimizing the steps to a finished part lowers cost.

In High volume sheet metal part cost drops until its 99% material cost. Under those conditions using the cheapest material even if it requires plating or painting makes sense.

You are over thinking a lot of this. Any 400 series SS will work for your part so ask your laser cutter what materials he can get his hands on easily. That is the stuff to use.

I am assuming that you still need to build some games so you can prove that the game is fun to play and you are ready to take the steps to production.

 

Thanks Erich, you're right I am overthinking this a bit.

I have a working prototype already that I am testing. Its going well the game is fun!
It's just that aesthetic considerations are quite important for this product and I want my 2nd proto to look and be quite close to the final.

P.S: I noticed when I leave a small neodymium magnet (5mm diameter x 2mm height) flush on the board its attraction can become stronger after a day or more left there. What is this effect? and do I need to do something about this?

 

Make sure if you decide to paint to account for paint thickness properly. Looks like you may have some tight sliding features in your design.

As for the magnet strength. The only thing I can think of are change in temp but likely not very significant in a measurable increase unless it was 20 C or greater change between days (likely not the case). Was this a measured increase or just by feel? If it wasn't measured maybe it was just a perception.

 

It is by feel but it is absolutely not just a perception. The magnets were really fighting back, like one of those barnacles on sea rocks...

 

Hi Tmer1,
Perception is extremely subjective, and is dependent upon numerous human frailties. So test your theory - it doesn't have to be a complex test, just take a magnet and use some epoxy to glue a small ring on the back of it. When set, apply the magnet and use something as simple as a fishing weighing scale to hook onto the back of it and see what force is required to detach it from the metal.
Do this 10 times and record your results. Wait 48 hours with the magnet applied and repeat your experiment with no alterations to the test conditions.
Then you'll know.
It's possible that given the matrix like design of your game, and I'm assuming many magnets that are applied without thought to polarization, that under certain states the magnetic flux conditions can alter for a certain magnet after other magnets or game pieces have been added.
K.I.S.S.