Improved Ball and Socket Joint for PCB Workstation

thingiverse

This is an improved ball and socket joint designed specifically for giufini's excellent PCB Workstation with Articulated Arms. The original author used HIPS for his ball and socket joints, but I opted to print with PLA and PETG instead. Despite the material differences, both of us encountered a number of challenges in getting the articulated arms to function smoothly. Here's a summary of the problems we faced: The socket ball wears down quickly, causing the articulated arm to become very loose. The ball also easily pops out of the socket when the travel limit of the arm is reached. Additionally, the arms don't bend with a tight radius, which leads to frequent popping of the balls out of their sockets. I experimented with both versions of an alternative ball and socket design using heat shrink tubing, but it quickly broke down and gummed up the socket. Furthermore, the bend radius was reduced due to the heat shrink. I decided to take on the challenge of designing a better ball and socket joint that would meet all the requirements of the original project. The biggest constraint was maintaining the same size ball so that it would fit all the accessories in the project. Here are the modifications I made to the design: I raised the ball away from the socket by approximately 2 millimeters, significantly improving the arm bend radius and making it much harder for the ball to pop out of the socket when reaching its travel limit. I also made the socket wrap around the ball about 1 millimeter farther down, which helped keep the ball in place better and improved the stiffness of the arm by increasing the surface area in contact. Lastly, I reduced the inside diameter of the socket slightly to stiffen the joint and prevent it from loosening as much. I'm extremely satisfied with the final result. All my printed probe holders and accessories still attach perfectly, but I no longer experience issues with loose arms or balls popping out of their sockets. Enjoy! Print Settings Printer Brand: MakerGear Printer Model: M2 Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: 0.2mm Infill: 100% Notes: Printed with a 5 outline brim offset by 0.3mm