Compliant mechanism toothbrush holder

prusaprinters

<p>A perfect gripper to hold your toothbrush, realized using a compliant mechanism.</p><ul><li>It prints <strong>fast </strong>(16 minutes), needs only 2g of filament.</li><li>Its print-in-place, no supports are needed.</li><li>Its <strong>automatically gripping</strong> your toothbrush and only releasing it when you pull it. So you have no more lost toothbrushes on the ground. ;-)</li><li>There are several gripper diameters STL available (from 4.6 to 8.2 mm radius). I tested the<strong> 5.8mm diameter</strong> one, which works for most normal toothbrushes. Let me know if you print another diameter! The gripper works best when the diameter is as close to the neck of the toothbrush as possible.</li></ul><p><strong>Big thanks</strong> go to <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/burt777">burt777</a> whose <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4460283">scad file</a> I used as a starting point. I needed some iterations to make the gripper work. Thanks go to <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/users/116/mark-harrison">Mark Harrison</a> for the <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/45826208/openscad-rotating-around-a-particular-point">rotation code</a> burt777 used also.</p><p>See the gripper in action:</p><figure class="media"><oembed url="https://youtu.be/9RojND3pHn4"></oembed></figure><h4>Printing</h4><p>No supports needed, use "0.2mm quality" on prusaslicer.&nbsp;<br>For material, i have best results with <strong>PLA+</strong> (e.g. from Filament-PM), as it keeps its flexibility better than normal PLA. The structure is optimized for PLA+.</p><h4>Post printing</h4><p>After printing, cut the small piece connecting the two grippers, e.g. with small scissors. I added it to make the grippers print reliably.</p><figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://media.prusaprinters.org/media/prints/146602/rich_content/a52f1844-54e6-4250-8fce-7e1073035709/2022-03-05_12h44_05.png#%7B%22uuid%22%3A%229588f2a7-5d25-4d49-959d-c12558f078ab%22%2C%22w%22%3A990%2C%22h%22%3A592%7D"></figure><p>Then, pull on the gripper, so it stays outward and open. Arms and gripper should be symmetrical also when the gripper is “out”:</p><figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://media.prusaprinters.org/media/prints/146602/rich_content/f2ff5323-893e-481d-82c7-e90872718382/p1300653-1280x721.jpg#%7B%22uuid%22%3A%2233d78e9f-f946-4111-a0f6-c7f469882166%22%2C%22w%22%3A1280%2C%22h%22%3A721%7D"></figure><p>If they are not symmetrical, correct it, e.g. by bending a bit on the hinges. Then you can put in a toothbrush and test the mechanism.&nbsp;</p><p>If it doesnt work:</p><ul><li>Check that the side connectors to the gripper arms are still straight to the front and rectangular to the thicker base of the assembly.</li><li>Check that your toothbrush fits snugly. Measure the diameter of your toothbrush neck. Choose the correct holder from the provided alternatives.</li></ul><h4>Mounting</h4><p>To fix the toothbrush holder to tiles, you can use the small size Tesa powerstrips: Cut them in half horizontally, then stick them to the back of the gripper (should fit perfectly):</p><figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://media.prusaprinters.org/media/prints/146602/rich_content/55e7114a-f4e6-43da-a2dd-2436432d4211/p1300647-1280x721.jpg#%7B%22uuid%22%3A%22a6a7dd73-c53b-476f-9924-42164ca70316%22%2C%22w%22%3A1280%2C%22h%22%3A721%7D"></figure><figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://media.prusaprinters.org/media/prints/146602/rich_content/2f392bca-67e8-4f66-b23d-0a518e396ec6/p1300648-1280x721.jpg#%7B%22uuid%22%3A%22b50cdad6-8247-4982-9fe8-406fc7b371be%22%2C%22w%22%3A1280%2C%22h%22%3A721%7D"></figure><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://media.prusaprinters.org/media/prints/146602/rich_content/34609c0d-b896-4e47-8d71-48d22b49db86/p1300651-1280x721.jpg#%7B%22uuid%22%3A%228cd3abf8-8e34-4222-8f2e-a158cb7294de%22%2C%22w%22%3A1280%2C%22h%22%3A721%7D"></figure><h4>Other designs:</h4><p>Please have a look at all my <a href="https://www.prusaprinters.org/social/13788-makkuro/prints">customizable creations</a>.&nbsp;<br>There are more configurable-text-based creations, the <a href="https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/149586-meme-picture-frame">meme picture frame</a>,&nbsp;</p><figure class="image image_resized image-style-align-center" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://media.prusaprinters.org/media/prints/149586/images/1409103_969921fa-a600-4421-af9b-788a3073f31c/thumbs/cover/1280x960/jpg/meme_frame2.webp"></figure><p>the <a href="https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/33283-label">multi-line label</a>, <a href="https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/33279-display-stand">gadget display stand</a>, <a href="https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/33019-sweeping-2-line-name-plate-text">sweeping name plate</a>, <a href="https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/33280-bunting-banner-birthday-plants">bunting banner</a>, <a href="https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/33268-customizable-text-box-iii">customizable text box III</a>, <a href="https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/33255-customizable-pyramid-text">pyramid text</a>, <a href="https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/33253-customizable-3d-name-plate">name plate</a>, <a href="https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/33259-customizable-text-box-with-lid">Customizable text box with lid</a> and <a href="https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/33250-round-text-sculpture">round text</a>. Have also a look at my configurable <a href="https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/33261-configurable-pack-of-dogs">pack of dogs</a>, <a href="https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/33263-easter-bunnies-easter-rabbits">rabbits</a>, <a href="https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/33275-random-reindeers">reindeers </a>and <a href="https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/33274-customizable-santa-claus">santas</a>. There are also useful <a href="https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/33284-customizable-hook">coat hangers</a> and <a href="https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/33239-chameleon-eye-toy-kids-toys">finger toys</a>.</p><h4>Compliant mechanisms:</h4><p>In case you want to know more about compliant mechanisms, check out <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3163115">these</a><a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5166547/files"> </a>models from <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/BYU_CMR">BYU_CMR</a>.</p>