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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro
0:50 Start with graph paper
1:31 The “three prototype” rule
3:30 Add clearance (at the end)
5:12 Threaded inserts are awesome
7:29 Wires exist and they break easily
9:43 If it’s hidden, keep it rough
10:38 Consider your material choice
12:56 Consider the assembly process
13:43 Screws are not locating features
15:27 Hot glue, our naughty little secret
source
prototyping: you can fix a lot with a hot soldering iron or a drill
printing slices also helps a lot to verify stuff
I also bought black hot glue a few weeks ago, don't know why it took me so long to get a decent hot glue gun
Wow this is EXACTLY the video I needed to see today. I could watch another 10 minutes on each of these techniques (especially indexing your models to fit together). Thank you so much!
God I wish it only took me three iterations to build things. I have aphantasia so I can't visualise things easily in my head. I have to start really basic and add things piece by piece, 3d printing each part and seeing it in the real world.
Great stuff. Mostly my stuff is only mechanical, not electronic, but a lot of this still applies.
My tip, which I'm sure you already use. For parts with complex geometry, take a picture with a scale and import to you CAD software to use as a template for modeling. Then, if you have a 2D printer, you can print scale images to check the fit.
That is pretty true. Even for simple stuff it is amazing how it almost never works on the first try and then I am often embarrassed and doing a facepalm for something stupid I forgot to update in the second version (or new problems that arise)
If possible, isn't it better to design the use of inserts to go in from the backside, so the tension of the screw will have to pull the whole insert through the printed part? That's MUCH stronger than the tension pulling the insert out from the same way it was inserted. You can even get away with using nuts inserted from the back or even the side, rather than inserts in many situations.
I love that the three prototype idea is a real thing. I made peace a long time ago that my first try is inevitably never correct, and will be a reference tool for the next iterations. I’m glad that’s not (at least fully) just from lack of skill
So great to have all of these tips in one place. Thank you! I wish I knew these things when I got started instead of figuring them out through the frustration of scrapping a build and starting over. All because I didn't consider how my parts would come together. It took a while to get the hang of keying and proper screw placement. I tend to use screws and nuts instead of inserts. I just design the part to hold the nut and it works pretty well.
Hot glue is great as strain relief.
Keeping things rough inside is great for long-lived builds. Easier for maintenance and upgrades or replacement parts. "Design for maintenance" could probably be a whole video. So many little things that make life easier.
Thank you so much for that graph paper idea! I can't believe I didn't think of that. I used to do that for other things a million years ago.
I love the three prototype idea, great idea for programming as well
So THAT's why I have around 120 different types of nuts, bolts and washers!
Nice video, I really liked it
Concerning material choice, one thing to note with PLA is that it tends to deform permanently under pressure. So any screw you put in, will become loose over time. I had that happen with many things i printed for my workshop in the olden days. With PETG (my by far most used material), you don't have that problem. But print quality and stringing/oozing is something to be taken care of.
I can confirm the heat issue with PLA, I printed some sun filter mount for my telescope and in the summer heat in the car it got soft and deformed just by touching it. Another print held up surprisingly well, a cup holder in my car. I guess it automatically annealed it in the heat when changing seasons.
Lastly, it may be different in your area, I found the screw selection in my hardware store comparatively expensive and quite lacking. Ordering online (on ebay or shops specialized for screws) for me is way cheaper. Most of the times, the price for 10 screws is only marginally lower than for 50 or 100, so I tend to get the bigger package just to have a few ready in the future.
Even better – glitter hot glu.
Great tips! Thanks for sharing!
you mean the 6 prototype rule?
1) Oh it works but I made this tiny mistake. /
2) Oh it works but in fixing it i caused another mistake
3) Oh it's perfect now, but I ran out of SRAM/FLASH and now I gotta upgrade to a new microcontroller
4) Oh crap I accidentally connect PB7 and PB8 to PA7 and PA8
5) oh wait that pin was only PWM capable on the old MCU, I had the wrong documentation open
6) Finally…. please… just work…
(Not based on a real story at all)
I've had projects be perfect on the first try tho… and I'm always like "this is… REALLY suspicious"
You can split a body with a line you don't need a surface
I’ve been tinkering and 3d printing for the last 8 months and I swear you nailed every issues and frustration I’ve been having
ppl who want to do this but are too impatient to print anything over 3 hours
Magically informative
Love your channel, and a great video. For me the 'locating features' was the best tip. Since I"m using FreeCAD, I'm not super sure how I'd do it like your example, but the whole idea of doing something to help align parts is a nice tip in general.
I have a small request; could you not add that subtle high toned tune in the background? I don't mind a little background music, but this is too repetitive for my taste.
FUCK PLA use an engineering grade material like PETG
Great tips and video! Mahalo for sharing! : )
When you talk about using fusion and playing with tolerances. With all the additions of configuration wizards for the commercial side, and the much more powerful script and expression system for variables. My choice is to control tolerances from "Change Parameters" I specifically create user variables for tolerances. I then take my measurement either as a Parameter or just a general defined dimension, and add it to my tolerance in the defined dimension. This is so quick and easy, and since often my projects can get put on the back burner for months at a time. When i come back and sit down to refine a project for myself. Its much easier to find and tweak things quickly.
100% everything spot on. Great video.
Side note McMaster-Carr has cad files to pull in and help in your designing. Lots of fasteners available.
For heat inserts: while prototyping, I would recommend taping directly into plastic. I usually print a 80% dia holes and quickly tap em with drill bit. On final model, just change holes diameter to accommodate heat insert. Yes, inserts are cheap, but with multiple iterations the time to install them into each prototype piles up quickly.
Many of your 3D printing tips apply to electro-mechanical design in general. Thanks for sharing…
I recently designed a enclosure for a 7inch touch screen, deej audio controller and phone stand for use on my desk. I followed all these tips but failed to remember the real world has physics and made the base way too slim and it turned out top heavy and tips over.
Hot glue is the Best Tip
I have tried PCTG last week and I like it much more than PLA. It is not as fast too print, but it looks better and is more temperature resistant;-)
Really good advices! Thanks! But I try to avoid heat inserts, when it comes to weight: They are bulky and heavy. I try to design my models with nuts, bolts and additionally maybe washers instead. Cheaper and lighter.
LTP: M5 x 14mm are rare in Australia. Every other 2mm increment nearby is easy to find from 6 to 20+ but not 14mm.
Hot glue is the first additive building material.
Badass video, Angus! Thanks for the tips!
This is really great advice, thanks Angus!
The first version sounds like a fast fail attempt but also trying not to boil the ocean. Get something out. Minimal lovable product to figure out which direction you're going in.
One of my favorite personal designs uses the bare minimum of 3d printing/filament to augment cheap small binder clips so they reliably hold filament on the edge of spools in a clean arc, embracing the fact that metal always makes a better spring than plastic, the trick (like screw-lengths)is finding a readily available spring everyone has access to! I'm still using my released version to this day 'forever filament clip' on printables.
For hot glue usage: pouring a lot of hot glue will deform your printed parts, unless you use a plastic with good heat deflection, like PA-GF. Silicone sealant will be better if you need more than two drops.
RTV silicones will also be better mechanically.
Funny how I also came to "3 prototype rule" intuitively
Threaded inserts and silicone wire were such a game-changer for me in my antweight combat robots.
Your tip about finding fasteners you can get is a HUGE one. I've designed a bunch of things that require fasteners, and I learned the hard way to design around the actual fasteners you can get and don't rely on preexisting CAD models or dimensions of what they should be.
I don't yet print complex parts, or anything with electronics, but this is incredibly informative for the future.
IS there a reason you prefer using a surface versus the solid "split bodies" command?
Small TPU parts are my favourite to design, like prints to hold radio receivers & antennas on racing drones.
When creating small prints, working 'with the grain' of how a part is printed helps ensure its strength, look at the 5th picture of Thingiverse 5743370 of mine to see what I mean.
Here's a tip that will change your life: 99% isopropyl alcohol will cause hot glue to release effortlessly.