I found the original piece frustrating to build and use. With every respect to Ryan for his original design and generousity in sharing it,
I never had enough fingers to get those little spacer pieces in.
The shape that is supposed to brace the nuts that go on the long screws doesn’t work with metric nuts, so it is very hard to tighten them. You need to use pliers or a screwdriver to jam the Nylok nuts so they won’t turn.
I broke one of my big pieces from normal use and stresses due to my last point.
It didn’t seem to contribute much to rigidity considering what a critical part it is.
There are 5 pieces and 8 screws/nuts to assemble, including asymmetrical pieces to keep track of.
I whipped this up last night. It is installed on one end and the other one is printing. So far I like it.
One piece, no additional hardware.
Quick assembly.
Stronger, more rigid.
Symmetrical, with the zip tie channels on all corners.
Prints without supports.
You can drill your tube and run a screw through to secure it if you want.
It is a modelled with a slip fit knowing that would result in a slight interference fit. To install, I heated the end of the pipe with a propane torch for about 3 seconds, and they slipped right in.
Some of the design goals contradict with Ryan’s. This isn’t for everybody.
Saving filament was not a design goal. With 3mm walls and 25% infill it uses about 300g.
It is larger than 200mm long, so a larger printer is required.
Time to print also wasn’t high on my list. My larger printer takes 8 hours with a 1mm nozzle, that would be the better part of a day with the common 0.4mm.
Hi. I really like this developmenty, and I share your frustrations with the original - I REALLY struggle to place the J-pieces and tighten my metric nuts also.
Are you making the file available so others can print it?
Update: I’ve been running these for 2+ months and a couple of hundred running hours, and I haven’t had any issues. There is less flex in the system and tolerances are a bit better, but nothing crazy. I’d say maybe 0.2mm or so less movement at the tool but that’s qualitative.
Yes, there are slots in the design for zip ties. Some people hate the zip tie method, but it has worked flawlessly for me, so I don’t intend to change.