
Earlier this month, we linked out to the first three posts in the I Heart Robotics team’s ongoing series about choosing hardware for the fused-filament parts that come off your RepRap-type 3D printer. On Sunday, they published the fourth installment, this time focusing on the best way to make a rotating pin joint between two printed beams, for instance in the “knee” of a robot leg. They experiment with various configurations of pop rivets, tubular rivets, flat washers, spring washers, clevis pins, and E-rings. Click through, below, to check out their results.
Fasteners for 3D Printing: Tenacity and robust pin joints. Part 4 of n










Just FYI, E clips have different sides. one is flat, the other is round.
For example, the clip in this post is upside down. the flat side should be up as it’ll be the “load bearing” side. Looks like the one on the top left is installed correctly.
you don’t think one side is round and the other is flat because they’re punched out that way when they’re made?
Yes, the existence of a flat and a round side (rounded v. sharp edges, really) IS a byproduct of the way e-clips are made, BUT it remains true that orienting the e-clip so that the rounded edges face inward is the Best Known Method of installing them; you want the face with the rounded edges to be against the moving member of your pinned connection. Of course, if you use an e-clip to pin a connection that won’t be in motion, then you don’t need to take into account which side has the rounded edges; abrasion won’t be an issue in your assembly.
// What's Trending
Raspberry Pi Design Contest
Maker Faire: Day Two
Maker Faire: Day One
Seventeen Sneaky Secret Hides
10 Things to Connect to Your Raspberry Pi
A Photo Tour of Maker Faire
Adam Savage Exhorts the Makers to “Work Hard and Work Smart”
DIY Hacks & How To’s: Swiss Army Key Ring
// What's Shared
A better way to slice a pumpkin
DIY Nerf Darts
In the Maker Shed: Minty Boost USB Charger
100 Dollar Store Organization Ideas for Craft Rooms and Beyond
Mad’s Mouse House
Lace Princess Crowns
I Have a (Puzzling) Dream
Play the Rings of a Tree Trunk Like a Record
// Most Commented
DIY Hacks & How To’s: Get Emergency Power from a Phone Line
Resin Casting: Going from CAD to Engineering-Grade Plastic Parts
Ten Tips for Screws and Screwdrivers
Ten Tips for Better Measurement
Makers on TV: Big Brain Theory
Arduino Announces New Wireless Linux Board
Pitches with Prototypes: Solar Tracker
Tool Review: BioLite CampStove