Hasbro TFA X-Wing Cannon Jig

thingiverse

For those of you who bought the Hasbro TFA X-Wing toy and were frustrated by its crooked cannons, this tool is here to help! Please read the instructions carefully. This is a simple precision jig that will hold the cannon straight while it cools down after being gently heated with a blow dryer. The cannon doesn't need to be super hot for this to work. Once placed in the jig, it takes about 5 minutes for a hot cannon to cool down and become straight. Don't rush it. The jig cutouts are symmetrical and designed to hold the cannon at key points while allowing clearance around the part details, regardless of which side they're on. The small flat ridge at the cannon barrel base is always intended to be facing up. The STL file is Cura scaled and oriented for printing. The process seems pretty straightforward to me, but I will point out that you use it at your own risk. I've included some tips below to help make this process successful. Let me know if there are additional questions on how to use the jig. I may post a video of instructions if people are interested. As you can see in the before and after shots, it works great! Print Settings: Printer: Rigidbot Big Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: 0.1 mm Infill: 25% Notes: I suggest using a brim of about 10 lines wide if you have problems with warping or want to guarantee a flat jig. As this is a precision fit jig, I also suggest that you use a calibrated filament to print with. You can find the one I use here: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1037301. It will make a huge difference in the quality of the print and the effectiveness of the jig. I used a bottom, top, and side thickness of 0.8 mm. You want there to be plenty of thickness to produce a smooth surface finish. For PLA at 190 C, I used a bed temp of 60 C and at layer 5 turned it down to 45 C just after the part cooling fan came on full speed. Post-Printing: Clean up Make sure there are no bumps or strings in the trough where the cannon will lay. Trim away any defects with a sharp blade. Be very careful if you sand the surfaces (shouldn't be needed with a calibrated print) as you can open the jig tolerances and the cannon might not hold in place while it cools. Custom Section Tips - Using the jig Test fit the cannon in the jig to make sure you're familiar with the orientation required to hold it straight and flat. The jig will hold the cannon all by itself, so you don't need to hold it in with anything else. It's recommended to clamp the jig down to a solid surface to make it easier to place the hot cannon in it and not have it shift around. This has a second benefit of keeping the jig flat if you do have a slight warp. With a blow dryer on high heat, heat the cannon till it starts to sag just a little. A critical point to get hot is at the point where the barrel meets the cannon body. There's a flat ridge there that's a primary cause of the warped shape in that area. Don't get the cannon too hot or stretch it. It's better to try two or three attempts in the jig and have to repeat than damage the part. The best way to align the cannon in the jig is to start at the tip and place the flash suppressor right at the edge of the box, then make sure the ridge at the base of the barrel is flat against the top of the jig. Work your way across the rest of the features quickly from end to end, pressing them into the jig. Note that the flash suppressor may not be parallel to the surface when the flat ridge is. Pay close attention to the image above for placement of the cannon in the jig and when you test fit it. Don't try to heat the cannon while in the jig. You'll likely warp the jig. If the cannon doesn't look straight to you after you remove it from the jig, you can gently repeat the heating process to it without harm. The cannons are soft plastic. If over time the cannons start to sag, just repeat the procedure to straighten them back out.