I finally got a hinge printed that works. I’ve tried various methods but either got too thin or too thick or too wide or too brittle… This one is just right.
It is a small, 0.5mm thick flap connecting the bottle to the cap, with 2mm fillets where the flap meets the bodies. It was designed and printed at a 90-degree angle (see attached pic) @ 0.05mm clear settings. I’m guessing I could up the thickness a little, maybe 0.75mm, but not much more.
I have not done a “how many times can it bend before it breaks” test, but will get to that sometime. I totally messed up my measurements and the cap doesn’t actually fit onto the bottle, so it’s destined to sit in the drawer of misfit 3D prints.
Damien - I had to wait a couple days for a good sunny day, but I finally placed the bottle in the sun for a few hours and tested it. I had already done 100+ bends on the hinge – 50 in a row, 25 at various times – and after the session in the sun I got 20 in and it snapped. I figured it would become more brittle, so I was surprised it lasted even 20 bends.
Hi Donald, I am doing something similar to Greg and was wondering if you had any examples of a UV resistant coating that I could try out. Many thanks Toby
It works well but the model needs to be thoroughly cured before applying the spray or the surface will remain indefinitely sticky. My test models are a year old and I can still hang note cards from them.
