LED Tealight Holder 3/8" Dowel Rod

thingiverse

A fun learning project has reached its final iteration. A teacher needed to put a battery-operated LED tea light onto the end of a long, sturdy 3/8-inch dowel rod. Since this is designed for small children, glue or tape wouldn't last long enough to be reused and remain intact for three days of use. The requirements were: * Sturdy enough to withstand frequent reuse and occasional drops. * Black in color. * Space for an on-switch. * Minimal assembly required (no gluing, drilling, or screwing). * Affordable. A 2-pound spool of ABS plastic cost $32. To create 35 units, I used 276 grams of material - a total of $9.73, or approximately 28 cents per unit. Cutting back on some of the material in the cup might have saved even more money, but it's uncertain whether the resulting product would have been as durable. The addition of a hole for the switch required trimming each print. However, printing the first three layers without supports often resulted in minor imperfections. On this final version, there is no need for glue, drilling, or any additional assembly steps. Simply push the LED tea light onto the dowel rod, and its internal ridges will keep it securely in place. The same applies to the cup, which features a small interior ring that holds the tea light firmly. The STL and Open SCAD files are available here for reference. I recently learned SCAD specifically for this project; if anyone would like to offer some guidance or tips, I'd be grateful!