Garden net pipe joints

thingiverse

These are a collection of connections to join pipes together using press cleaning pipes from a printing press that I salvaged before being discarded at work. After experimenting with various designs, I came up with a printable design that could be used effectively. I printed it in both PLA and ABS, utilizing infill percentages ranging from 70% to 90% to make them extremely strong. When working with PLA, I printed directly on glass without a raft and set the infill to 70%, securing it to the table using strong glue sticks. The bottoms of the joints are flat, allowing for better adhesion. However, when switching to ABS versions, I used a raft to prevent warping and ensure they stuck properly to the table. During printing, I didn't use my active fan, and I printed these on a CTC printer with upgraded extruders that enabled better filament feeding when working with ABS. The door file can accommodate a metal rod for hinges or hinge files can be merged on top by adding and positioning them in place like the film where the man ends up with the head of a fly and the fly has the head of a man. Simply put, you can merge files together and print one item at a time. I have attempted to drop a hinge file onto another sink the hinge below the first item to merge the join. My net will resemble a polytunnel but with a net instead, which would also make a polytunnel. The size of my pipes is 18mm in diameter and 24mm in outer diameter. You can use any size that fits your needs. I found that using masking tape and paper on the print bed/table without a raft allows you to print a few layers at a time, check the size, and remove the paper without printing an entire piece. Simply turn it on its side to print the pipe shape first and scale to your own water or other type of pipes. I have created some joints with holes for cross supports to prevent wind damage. I could just cut the pipe and add these in where needed. I also made tab links to help join to wood, which are just examples of what you can make yourself and could be used for growing beds. Happy gardening and printing! If you only want low nets, drop the infill down to 10%, making them quicker but weaker joints. I did try printing with holes down the joints to save filament but found that the nozzles were knocking them off the bed due to warping. The flat bottoms make them more printable than my early round bottom versions, which needed support on the table. I added two Sketchup design files for you to alter to your own design. Instructions: Printed using a CTC printer with metal version extruders and printed onto glass with strong glue sticks. I printed PLA directly on the glass and found it better to use a raft instead. ABS versions require rafts and are prone to warping but still work fine. I printed 70% to 90% for added strength, lower infill produces them faster and weaker yet okay for low ground nets. Some of these files take up to and over three hours to print, so I've had my printer running 24 hours some days to produce the amount I need. I have a number of 4mm plain glass sheets that work well. During this run, I only renew the glue stick where the printed item sits or where the glue stick layer is missing. If you print the same item multiple times, just fill the glue stick spaces where lifted or missing to save time and glue stick. You can scale your joint bolts to match the pipe you have. I used Sketchup to make the files. I started by making a six-sided cube with the shape of the inserts on all sides then pulled them out to 25mm size and back deleted the insert shape off the cube, which means you can make many shapes from one cube to match your project. My early versions were weaker and broke so I set about printing a quicker and stronger version and found flat bottom joins made it easier to print without affecting the joining of the pipes. I also needed to improve after-work on the printed product and found these worked straight off the printer without any work done to them. The reduced cube size helped make them stronger, but my larger cubed versions were weak and broke off the face of the cube. The tube overlaps the cube, but I don't mind. The door catch suggests printing lower infill. I have also made catch 1 and 2 files with support and rafts. The full catch took seven hours to print with higher infill, so I made two files to help build it better. A small lock and chain or hook can be used to hold it closed or just a simple chain and peg. I've tried making all sorts of different shapes to make different things around the garden.