Customizable Ball Socket Mounting Plate

thingiverse

This adaptable ball socket design can be tailored to fit snugly onto any ball fitting, providing a flat mounting surface to securely attach objects using double-sided tape, adhesive, and other fastening methods. Specifically, the STL file included in this design was created to facilitate easy installation of a Seek thermal camera onto a coolant hose. The mounting pad attaches directly to a USB adapter, which is necessary for connecting the thermal camera to a PC. To achieve an optimal fit, you may need to adjust the ballClearance and openingAngle settings to ensure proper friction when rotating the socket. Additionally, tweaking the amount of force required to snap the socket into place or remove it will be essential. In my own experience with this design, printing the part in PETG plastic yielded excellent results, as it does not warp or shrink noticeably during cooling. By setting the clearance to 0.35mm, I was able to achieve a smooth fit that works well for daily use. However, users working with different plastics or printers may need to increase the clearance to ensure a secure connection.