【3D Printing News】A Collection of Structural Designs to Make Your Products More Flexible! (Part 2)
In our previous article, we introduced "single-use" interlocking structures that cannot be disassembled and reassembled. This time, we will delve into more advanced "reusable" structural designs and principles, offering you more methods for product design structures. (Further reading: A Collection of Structural Designs to Make Your Products More Flexible! (Part 1))
Detachable "reusable" structures: suitable for applications such as casings, plugs, or top and bottom covers, typically used in structural designs that need to enclose the main body.
1. Detachable Snap-fit
This design allows objects to be tightly joined after assembly and can resist forces that would separate them vertically. However, they can still be easily disassembled by disengaging the snap-fit from a specific direction. This is commonly found in the top and bottom covers of electronic products, and casings for removable batteries, among others.
(The blue line drawing corresponds to the right component, and the gray line drawing corresponds to the left component, utilizing slightly raised triangles to form both a recess and a snap groove.)
2. Captive Screw
With this design, you no longer have to worry about customers losing important special parts inside your product! By adding a protruding ring around the screw, it can maintain 360-degree rotation. Even after the casing is opened, the screw will remain attached to one side of the casing. In addition to making parts easy to store, it also ensures that the product is assembled correctly, especially for complex components with many small parts.
3. Serrated Screw
This screw has a 0.05-0.1mm gap around it to assemble components by increasing friction. If you want to reduce friction, you can increase the gap to reduce the contact area.
4. Locating Sleeve
This structure is both simple and highly effective, conceptually similar to a key and lock. When the pin is rotated to the correct position, it can be pulled out, separating the components. If manufactured with a Sinterit Lisa 3D printer, this structure can be produced as a single, integrated piece, eliminating the need for separate printing or assembly.
5. Butt Joint Assembly
Large-area interlocking casing joints require consideration of both the finished wall thickness and the direction of use, utilizing a simple puzzle-like concept for assembly.
Movable Structures: If your product prototype requires flexible operation, such as hinges or joysticks, then you definitely won't want to miss the following structures!
1. Ball Joint
This structural design provides a large range of rotation for assembled parts and is commonly found in action figures and character models. In addition to detachable open casings, it can also be achieved through a single 3D printing process.
2. Pivot or Hinge
This is also a common hinge structure found on door panels, but in this design, it is detachable and can be printed in a single pass with an SLS 3D printer.
Design Focus: Considering Stress and Tension
When selecting the correct interlocking structure, in addition to accurate dimensions and direction of action, another key factor is all the forces applied to the components. If the model is designed for heavy loads, a wider wall thickness or deeper grooves than those in the illustration may be required. SLS 3D printing technology is highly suitable for high-precision interlocking components and thin-shell designs, especially for components consisting of enclosed elements that require extremely small gaps and error margins. All these examples are applicable to hard molding powders such as PA12 Smooth or PA11 Onyx. If aesthetics are a consideration, one-piece integrated assembly would be the most perfect.
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