Armor Alignment Brackets - Socket

thingiverse

This is My Second Prototype for Aligning COSPLAY Armor and Other Structural Builds. Problem: With large armor pieces that needed to be cut into multiple sections, either for fitting on a human or due to small printer sizes, I discovered that velcro alone couldn't hold things exactly in place during suit-up or while trooping. This became apparent when building my Grand Inquisitor armor for Star Wars Rebels. Attempted Solution: The idea was to glue male and female tabs onto the armor, allowing pieces to slide into place precisely every time, much like puzzle pieces. I could then use standard velcro and/or elastic snaps, just like Stormtroopers and others. My armor is different from a standard storm trooper as 2-4 pieces may need to appear as one, while a Stormtroopers' armor are deliberately separated. I simply couldn't get mine around my neck without some sort of separation. Pins: The pin holes were created to make gluing easier, and glue would seep into the holes. Then, I had the crazy idea that if I made them a certain size (1/8" inch) on the 100% sized print, I could place the mount on a piece of armor and glue it there. Using a 1/8" bit, I lightly drilled a small hole partially through the armor and pinned it in place. Thus, I added the pins. Model Notes: There is a single .STL with all parts for one set (A, B, and 4 pins). I added a 1mm indentation of the letters A and B so that if you print a dozen of these, you wouldn't get confused and accidentally glue two A's or two B's to the wrong location. Then, you'd have to dismantle, pry, curse, and sand to start over. There are also four individual .STL files: * A, * B, * 4 pins, and * 1 solo pin. At 100%, A and B are roughly 30mm x 30mm square by 4mm tall. The pins are deliberately long so you can drill your hole as needed or not at all, and then just cut the excess off with a Dremel, saw, sharp nasty teeth, or device to your will. The benefit of the FULL SET .STL is that you can resize it all. As you can see in one of the pictures where I have them set up to print in CURA, I have several in the middle set at 100%, four sets on the left set at 75%, and four sets on the right set at 50%. I was just testing sizes and having some 'on hand' in various sizes for other things I need to align. Using the full set file allows the holes and pegs to be resized. You just have to figure out your drill bit size, which should be simple enough once you print them at your designated percentage...just shove bits in the hole till you find the right size. Work in Progress: May 07, 2020 This is still a work in progress and has not been fully deployed yet by me as I'm still doing 507 other things to the armor project. However, thought maybe others might have tweaks or comments to better help me in this endeavor. This is currently version 2.0, which has angled edges so velcro and/or elastic doesn't wear when rubbing the corners. Printing: I am currently only printing in PLA and using normal settings for my particular printer but with 100% durability.