die lock nuts

[KenH]

I thought I'd post the loading die lock nuts I printed. I've been pleased how well they work - sorta tight to screw on, but that prevents them from moving since they don't have setscrews to lock in place. The yellow nut was printed with ABS, and black with PLA (I think). The green box is also printed with PLA. These 3D printers sure are fun:)

[littlejack]

Nice job.

[john.k]

Is the thread printed in ,no further cleanup needed?

[KenH]

Yep, thread is printed in, just screw on. It's a tight fit - on a couple of the nuts I chased the threads with a tap to make them screw on easy with finger pressure. I think it's better to leave them tight (not chased with tap) so the nuts stays where you want it since they don't have setscrews to lock in place. You could always use two of the printed nuts, with one as locknut.

To make the nut screw on easy without chasing with tap, increase the size by 1% or so for a looser fit.

[Bazoo]

Pretty cool, thanks for sharing. How long does it take one of the lock rings to print?

[KenH]

Looks like it takes about 20 to 25 minutes to print, depending quality of print. "High" detail is 30 minutes, while "rough draft" is only 16 minutes. I usually print stuff in "normal" which is about 22 minutes or so. 3D printing is not about speed. My longest print was a 14" tall rocketship at 13 hrs I think it was. Started around supper time and finished sometime next morning.

[John Wayne]

Great work with fascinating technology!
JW