3d printed nut for blackplate

[stiebs]

Just got my new Halcyon Eclipse delivered this week, and in setting up the harness got enthused to sort out something which has always been on the todo list with doubles rig - replace those god awful wing nuts with something a bit more practical.

So went to thingiverse to see what I could find, and came up with this:

PJS Hex Clamp Knob by pauljs75

Another clamping knob or thumbwheel thing. Scale and size as needed. The blender file has some shapekeys under vertex properties. They should make it easier to adjust the hex size, hex depth, and hole size. Has subdiv modifier, which should be applied before exporting if you want a smoother shape.

www.thingiverse.com

If anyone is interested, it's a pretty neat Blender model that has vertex groups to adjust the hole and hex sizes to suit with minimal fuss. I scaled the shape to 7x in x/y/z dimensions, then scaled HexSize and HexDepth to 0, and HoleSize to 3.

That resulted in a perfect size model to grip with fingers, and the hole is perfect to be tapped with a 5/16 UNC18 thread. I printed it with PLA at 100% fill - mainly because I wanted to make sure it was solid enough around the hole for tapping the thread.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Nice!

I have a PLA printed goodman handle that's held up pretty well. The only time I've had issues with it has been when I left my 1st one in the sun it warped some. I think in a perfect world you'd want ABS for the nuts you're doing, but maybe PLA will work ok? Please update after using for a while.

Is this for doubles or singles with STA? And how come you tapped the hole and just didn't print it with the threads you were looking for?

 

[happy-diver]

I love smooth, with a bit of checkering

I retap them for M8 too

DGX 5/16-18 Delrin Thumbwheel Nuts, Set of Two

Designed to be used in place of metal wing nuts when mounting backplates on doubles, the larger diameter of these Thumbwheel Nuts makes for easier handling so assembly and disassembly is a breeze.

www.divegearexpress.com

 

[rob.mwpropane]

I love smooth, with a bit of checkering

I retap them for M8 too

DGX 5/16-18 Delrin Thumbwheel Nuts, Set of Two

Designed to be used in place of metal wing nuts when mounting backplates on doubles, the larger diameter of these Thumbwheel Nuts makes for easier handling so assembly and disassembly is a breeze.

www.divegearexpress.com

This is what I currently have on one set, wing nuts on the other.

 

[stiebs]

Nice!

I have a PLA printed goodman handle that's held up pretty well. The only time I've had issues with it has been when I left my 1st one in the sun it warped some. I think in a perfect world you'd want ABS for the nuts you're doing, but maybe PLA will work ok? Please update after using for a while.

Is this for doubles or singles with STA? And how come you tapped the hole and just didn't print it with the threads you were looking for?

Agreed ABS would be better, but PLA is what I have on hand. Haven't experimented much with ABS - maybe its time I start. Will see how they hold up after a few dives. I am a little concerned how they will hold up if left in a hot car for too long.

I've printed up six nuts - two each for doubles and singles, plus two spares.

I've not had great luck in printing threaded components - I've printed up a couple of DIN plugs for my tanks, but the print tolerances need to be pretty spot on, even more sore for a 5/16 UNC thread. A tapped thread is much smoother. After running the tap through two or three times, then on and off the bolt, the nuts spin down easily with little play, and still snug down tight. I doubt I could get that with a printed thread.

 

[The Ruttmeister]

NylonX is probably better than ABS, although you need a steel nozzle for that. PET is almost always better than ABS for anything other than salt water. Unless you need to chemically weld or polish it. Or even just unfilled nylon, it's going to stand up best to salt water and UV.
And while dialing in your slicing profile and going down to 0.15mm will help a lot with threads, I still either chase with a tap or put in inserts. Slicers still don't correctly calculate extrusion volume, and threaded holes are where it really matters.

 

[Wibble]

A nice stainless steel knurled knob. Strong, reliable and simple.

Twinsets are heavy and plastic a lot weaker than stainless. Even the plastic knobs I've seen have a brass insert for the thread.

 

[grf88]

3D printers are great tools and some filaments are remarkably strong but I am not sure I would trust that printed thread to hold my doubles on. Delrin works but it is pretty tough and the threads are cut. Just because you have a hammer not everything is a nail.

 

[jlcnuke]

The force required to cause failure on my PLA 3d printed gopro bolt-snap adapters is around 45 lbs - and that's with a larger cross-section that needs to fail. I'd be very worried about these having the required strength to hold together, especially if left anywhere hot (like a car in the summer - where I've had PLA prints warp previously).

As cheap as delrin thumbscrews are, I'd rather not take the chance personally.

 

[broncobowsher]

The force required to cause failure on my PLA 3d printed gopro bolt-snap adapters is around 45 lbs - and that's with a larger cross-section that needs to fail. I'd be very worried about these having the required strength to hold together, especially if left anywhere hot (like a car in the summer - where I've had PLA prints warp previously).

As cheap as delrin thumbscrews are, I'd rather not take the chance personally.

That is my thoughts as well. Not something that I would want to fail unexpectedly.
PLA is great for mock up parts, or even non-load bearing parts.