I'm looking into easy fixture solutions and was thinking about 3D printed fixtures. Would that be possible. I'm wondering if I could make some fixture arms, or even some standoffs, or if needed some complex fixtures. That being said, what filament would work well for both precision and accuracy as well as durability. PLA and ABS look like good candidates. Or am I wasting my time?
Has anyone ever come across any good references for designing 3D printed fixtures? I've been trying to find a way to convince my manager to buy a printer. I just watched a video linked in another post (Robotics and CMMs) that showed the holding fixtures and check fixtures, and both appear to be 3D printed. Watching the video kind of reignited my desire to get this going.
Do not be so hard on yourself. These look great and quite resourceful. Keep up the good work! With each design, you will improve. Continue to tap into that creative mind.
How do you stop the parts from moving while measuring? We have started to 3D print fixtures just recently, below is an example. We have used magnets in fixtures machined from plastic and aluminum in the past successfully. Plastic components are a bit trickier.
Printer:
Original Prusa i3 MK3 Filament: PLA
maybe superglue a magnet in a pocket inside the plastic fixture or even a piece of metal glues on the bottom of the 3d print for your mag plate to engage to