Flexible Coolant Pipe Adapters

thingiverse

My lifelong pursuit of creating a lasting articulated arm design has finally come to an end. I frequently use the PCB Workstation with Articulated Arms to hold my PCB projects, but unfortunately, all of the arms I have made with printed ball and socket joints quickly loosen until they can barely support their own weight. Despite trying various ball and socket designs and multiple filament types, I was unable to achieve any arms that could last. That is, until I discovered flexible coolant pipe. Flexible coolant pipes are used in the metal fabrication industry to spray coolant over a work piece while machining. The pipes must be liquid-tight, so the fit between the ball and socket is very snug. They also feature a durable plastic without the striations that cause 3D-printed joints to wear down quickly. Flexible coolant pipes can be purchased from Ebay and other online retailers for an affordable price. I was able to acquire my pipes for less than $1 USD each, including shipping. It's best to obtain the type of pipe without the valve at the bottom since it serves no purpose. You can find flexible coolant pipes on Ebay by searching for them. The flexible coolant pipes I bought have 1/2"-20 threads at one end and a nozzle at the other end. The joints are very snug but can be removed with pliers. To utilize the pipes, I designed four adapters to fit them to the PCB workstation: The Base Joint Adapter is used to mount the pipe on the base plate and requires removal of the threaded piece on the pipe. The ball snaps into the bottom socket on the pipe. The Base Socket Adapter also serves for mounting the pipe on the base plate but utilizes the existing threads on the pipe, providing a stiffer and longer-lasting joint. The inside of the socket is threaded 1/2"-20 so that the pipe simply screws in. You may need to chase the threads with a bolt or tap depending on the material and your printer. The Ball & Socket Adapter snaps onto the end of the pipe after the nozzle is removed, adapting the larger ball on the pipes to the smaller ball used by the PCB workstation accessories. The Ball Insert Adapter slides into the end of the pipe and features a ball sized for the PCB workstation accessories. This adapter provides a more durable connection to the accessories than using the ball & socket adapter. The shaft should be a tight fit into the pipe, and you can use a drop of super glue to hold it in place if necessary. All four adapters were designed in OpenSCAD so that you can customize them to fit whatever pipes you acquire. I tested these using PLA and printed the final versions with PETG for added durability. Print Settings: Printer Brand: MakerGear Printer Model: M2 Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: 0.2mm Infill: 100% Post-Printing Instructions: Thread clean-up: You may need to chase the threads on the base socket adapter with a bolt or tap to get the pipes to screw in properly.