ImpressArt Punch Rig

thingiverse

V2 update: I hadn't actually received my punches when I designed this, and the width of the 4mm punches turned out to be less than what I could find listed online. They're actually about 6mm. Also, even with slicing tolerance set to Exclusive, the rails didn't fit. I think they would have on my better printer, but I tested this on one with probably worse accuracy, or that is less tuned. Presumably not everyone has a super high end printer, so I threw some all-around clearance in all the holes. Probably still ought to use Exclusive slicing tolerance though. V1: We ought to start marking our 3d prints with what type of plastic they are, so they can be more easily recycled. I thought I'd try doing that with some combination of metal punches, a heat gun, and/or a soldering iron. But doing that by hand, it's really really hard to get a good imprint. One little wiggle and it comes out illegible. So I'm trying to design a punch guidance system. This test version is designed for 4mm ImpressArt punches, which have a diameter of 7.6mm and a length of 63.5mm. Once everything is finished printing, put an m3 threaded insert into the little hole in the side of the plunger. Then glue 4 of the rails into the rig. Probably don't actually bother making this until I have a chance to test and refine it myself though. Basically for use: Step 1, latch your punch into the plunger with a screw. Step 2, feed your punch through a compression spring. Step 3, fit the plunger onto the rig rails and the punch through the hole in the center. Step 4, set the whole rig + plunger + punch setup over the thing to be punched. Step 5, heat either the punch or the object to be punched. Step 6, push down.