New member hoping for some good advice

[enahsParticipant @enahs]

Joined up to get to see if I can more I for on a project I’m working on, thanks

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Pardon?

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Welcome enahs, ask away, what’s the problem?

Dave

 

[enahsParticipant @enahs]

Thanks Dave,, I have 3d printed a item that’s like a tophat as I call it, with 4mm slits down the sides 3 of them. I have tried everything I can think of to make the item slot into a tube and hold in there, I need it so that it fits say 10mm upto 14mm tubes ie flat spring bent, but when I try it in the tube there is no give in the spring so that doesn’t work. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[enahsParticipant @enahs]

Sorry SillyOldDuffer was meant to say Joined up to see if I can get any ideas on a project I’m working on, thanks

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

Welcome to the forum

H

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[enahsParticipant @enahs]

Thanks Harry

[Peter Cook 6Participant @petercook6]

As no-one has as yet responded, my thoughts are.

I take it you are planning different sized inserts for the 10mm and 14mm tubes. I doubt any “simple” design would cater for that range of sizes. It would need to have some sort of expansion mechanism designed in.

If you are printing different sizes, What material are you printing in. If it’s ordinary PLA, then by the time you get the three lugs strong enough to not snap off, they will be too inflexible to provide any realistic spring.

The inserts I have seen to push into tubing seem to use a series of thin flexible ribs round the circumference, which deform when you push the insert into the tube. Something like this.

However it would need to be printed in one of the flexible  materials, and they are reputed ( I have never tried them) to be difficult to print.

I would personally make the insert without slits, and include a groove (or two) for a suitable O-ring. If the insert is a close fit in the tube, and the O-ring groove the right width and depth, the ring will deform when you push the insert in and grip the tube.

[enahsParticipant @enahs]

petercook6 thanks for the reply, I will look into your suggestion as I think it may work, like you say expansion mechanism designed in would have to be done, I have printed both in PLA and PETG as PEDG is more flexible, I shall give it a go and let you know how I get on,

[Peter Cook 6Participant @petercook6]

If you go with the ribs, I suspect you will need something like TPU rather than PETG.

I would go with the O-ring approach.

[enahsParticipant @enahs]

Thanks Peter, what size would you make the grooves for the O rings as they are different thicknesses, ie 1.5mm to 3.4mm.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Welcome to the Forum!

If you decide to print the the sleeeves, for want of a better word, with grooves for O rings. you could consult one of the O ring suppliers.  They will will provide advice as to the width and depth of grooves for an O ring of a particular section and size.

In this way, the ring will provide a good seal.

In your case, you will not be interested in sealing against fluids, necessarily, but using the friction to hold the dleeve in place..

Obviously, you will need to print a different sleeve for each size of tube, and O ring section.

Howard   Typos!

[enahsParticipant @enahs]

<p style=”text-align: center;”>Hi Howard, thanks very much for the information, I will contact one of the O ring suppliers.</p>

[Peter Cook 6Participant @petercook6]

If you are doing this a s  prototype for volume production, then definitely consult the experts. If it’s just for your own project, then there are lots of O-ring design guides freely available on the web. E.g.

Eriks technical manual

allorigs metric

Global Rings – US imperial

They have more detail that you will ever need!

[Lee RogersParticipant @leerogers95060]

So what is it ?

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