3D Printed Ziptie Gear Labels

[davehicks]

This simple design is a solution to a problem I often face. Scuba gear needs to be serviced at regular intervals and I need to keep track. I use an Excel spreadsheet for much of this, but some of the gear is very generic and not easily distinguished from other similar items. For example, Tank Valves and 1st Stage regulators. So, I wanted to come up with an easy way to label the gear directly. I use a standard thermal label printer all the time and that works for some items. But often there is no space or flat surface that you can stick a label to. I also wanted it to be very small and not likely to snag or get ripped off the gear. I recently serviced 6 of my tank valves and 4 1st stages and this provided the opportunity to solve the problem.

I decided that a label that could be attached flush with a zip tie was a perfect solution. The labels are holding up well after a number of dives, but time will tell if this is robust enough. I'll iterate on the design if it needs to be tougher.

For my uses I printed the Date and my Initials. For example, “Q2 2025” & “DLH”. I kept the text area small with space for two lines. I also created a longer version with enough room for a full name and phone number.

Tough Ziptie Gear Labels - Quick Print by awkward_swine MakerWorld: Download Free 3D Models

Sometimes a standard Label Maker that prints on thermal tape just won't do! They fade, tear, or won't stick to your surface. I needed something better for sporting gear that gets wet, baked in sun, and knocked around. The ZipTie Gear Label is the solution! This simple 3D printed label that can...

makerworld.com

 

[T.K.]

Cool idea!

 

[atestani]

You need a dual extruder printer for this, right?

 

[davehicks]

You need a dual extruder printer for this, right?

No. Lots of printers have multi material switching that let you print multiple colors. I have a Bambu P1S with an AMS feeder that lets you combine 4 rolls of filament in a print. I used it in this design for multi color text printing, but you can do much more elaborate things.

 

[atestani]

No. Lots of printers have multi material switching that let you print multiple colors. I have a Bambu P1S with an AMS feeder that lets you combine 4 rolls of filament in a print. I used it in this design for multi color text printing, but you can do much more elaborate things.

Understood, thanks

 

[davehicks]

Understood, thanks

You don't even need the switcher AMS thing for a print this simple. The second color is the top most layer so you could just pause and manually change the filament for the last layer. I would do that with my starter printer a few years ago.

 

[happy-diver]

Don't expect me to understand any of it but I still like it

 

[rob.mwpropane]

This is pretty awesome. What are you printing out of @davehicks? I've tried PLA (warps in heat) and PETG (starts to crack / splinter after about a year) in the past for scuba stuff, but they don't last forever.

Lately I've been printing PA6-CF20 (on an X1C printer) and that stuff is rock solid. I can beat it with a hammer and nada. Of course no color changes. I just picked up some PET-CF17 to try and print some magazines.

Maybe print the tags in ABS? That's pretty rock solid too and could do color changes.

On a side note, I'm blown away by Bambu. It makes my old ender 3 look like a dinosaur. It prints 95% of what I throw at it in the 1st try.. stuff I never would have dreamed of printing. Going to try some PPS-CF next.

 

[Medel]

I like this idea!
I figure the ziptie would do a good job of keeping warping to a minimum. TPU could also be good if you're willing to do the color change by layer manually... (or TPU AMS, but that's basically super PLA impact-wise).

 

[davehicks]

This is pretty awesome. What are you printing out of @davehicks? I've tried PLA (warps in heat) and PETG (starts to crack / splinter after about a year) in the past for scuba stuff, but they don't last forever.

Lately I've been printing PA6-CF20 (on an X1C printer) and that stuff is rock solid. I can beat it with a hammer and nada. Of course no color changes. I just picked up some PET-CF17 to try and print some magazines.

Maybe print the tags in ABS? That's pretty rock solid too and could do color changes.

On a side note, I'm blown away by Bambu. It makes my old ender 3 look like a dinosaur. It prints 95% of what I throw at it in the 1st try.. stuff I never would have dreamed of printing. Going to try some PPS-CF next.

I print scuba parts with PETG or ABS. Both hold up to the elements well and are easy to print with my P1S. I use TPU as well if i need a soft part like a gasket, bushing, or o-ring. Occasionally ASA. These all work really well in water and have lasted for years. One of my oldest scuba prints are sets of PETG optical fiber connectors which have survived hundreds of dives.

I've read a bit about PA6 but have not bought any yet. I'm not sure if have a problem that needs that solution yet. I bought a couple of Carbon Fiber filaments, but have not used them yet. My understanding is they make more attractive prints but can lower layer adhesion and strength.

I haven't had any parts disintegrate in the elements yet. Probably the most exposed object I have made with PETG is a 4x5 inch sign on my front door. It gets baked by the sun in the afternoon during summer, due to Western exposure. After about a year it is starting to warp. A similar outdoor sign I made with PLA+ is starting to discolor. That one is largely shaded but fully exposed to rain.