3D printed end caps that allow quick and easy construction of frames from easy to find and cheap aluminium L extrusion.
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The part was designed off an Idea i had to make use of the L channel aluminium extrusions i had been drilling and bolting and JB welding for years to make stands and frames.
The problem with drilling and especially using epoxies is that it can be next to impossible to make adjustments or have areas that can come apart for repair or adjustments.
Drilling and gluing also make reusing the same frame later impossible or very hard and messy job , if your need is just for a temporary rig / frame.
I created a extra part for holing the L ch' bars in such a way that they are 45deg offset . that lets you use them as rails and all sorts .
I also worked out a example roller to make a carriage . Those are 4.7x10.1x4mm bearings .( exact measurements , as the package says 5x10x4mm )
i did a quick video on YouTube of them and the rollers working.
I will add the stl files and link to the public TinkerCad files soon as I clean them .
I'm going to test on some other filaments I have today .
On side note i edited the instructions to include hints as to how you can adjust the scale of your part to match the wall thickness of your extrusion stock . the wall thickness on min is 1.4mm , the part was sized to print with PLA and just be a snug fit on that wall thickness .
you could just try applying % diff in the wall thickness of your stock , to print the first 3 or 4mm high of the part and abort , then when it cools check the fit of your stock in the vertical slot. the key is the thickness as there should be a small but of space at the tips of the extrusion sides. scale your part in your slicer to fit your stock perfectly .
One friend has tested heating up the extrusion before insertion into slightly undersized PLA end caps, it looked to work ok , but then you cant use the vertical at places in the middle of your extrusions very easily . so im not sure if the heating that way is a good idea.
possibly passing a heat gun on finished assembly could further solidify the parts in place . That would be something to try .
I have found the PLA i use to be real strong , but can see why one would want to try to solidify the layers.
I sliced this part in Cura in Repetier host .
Using PLA
layer height 0.2 mm
Infill 10% , but probably higher for more strength jobs .
Brim and supports set to everywhere .
possibly just print or abort after first few MM high have printed . then compare the wall thickness to your extrusion . Mine is 1.4mm thick , yours my be thicker. so print shallow test , and adjust the scale of the part to match your extrusion stock.
glad you like it . I'm currently working on using L ch as rails for X axis on a 3d printer . once I get it ready to test i'll be making a post about that .
glad you like it . And that was my thougts , cheap and quick to get something working . you can convert to 80/20 later or more permanent parts once you know your idea will work .
Also i find have a box of pre cut 'L" extrusions now from changing ideas , pre cutting some common lengths and keeping them handy .
This is awesome - it's almost like having 80/20 as close as my local home depot!
Scott
I came to this page via the new Randomizer and this is really cool :-)