Filament Cutter Employs Unusual (But Productive) 3D-Printed Spring Style and design

When a single requirements a spring, a 3D-printed edition is it’s possible not one’s initially selection. It may even be fair to say that printed springs are one thing a single ends up producing, alternatively than one thing 1 sets out to use. That could possibly transform at the time you attempt the spring layout in [the_ress]’s 3D-printed filament cutter with printed springs.

The filament cutter works like this: filament is inserted into the system as a result of one of the pairs of holes at the base. To reduce the filment, one presses down on the plunger. This pushes a blade down to neatly slash the filament at an angle. The cutter is the device’s only non-printed portion a solitary phase from an 18 mm utility knife blade.

The springs are of individual desire, and really don’t seem rather like a usual spring. They acquire their design from this compliant linear movement mechanism documented on reprap.org, and resemble little parallel 4-bar linkages. These springs have constrained vacation, but are surely springy ample for the position they want to do, and that’s the essential aspect.

Want a additional common coiled spring? Annealing filament wound around a mandrel can produce helpful results, and do not forget the superb mechanisms recognised as flexures they have obvious similarities to the springs [the_ress] utilized. You can see her design in action in the small online video, embedded beneath.