Locking Plate for Flat Pack Camera Arm

thingiverse

This part is a mod for my flat-pack camera arm design - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2266891. I've written a tutorial on the process of how to cast low-temp metal alloys using 3d printed molds up on Adafruit - https://learn.adafruit.com/metal-parts-from-3d-prints/. The process involves common tools and supplies - a 3d printer, silicone rubber, a hot plate, stovetop casting alloy, and a dollar store skillet. This method can be used to cast a variety of materials, from chocolate to plastic, with the accuracy only limited to the precision and resolution of your printer. I built a camera arm to document projects a few months ago. The joints are clamped down with rubber pads between them to prevent slipping, but I noticed the joint at the base kept creeping down over long periods of time - like while capturing time lapses. I decided to fix it with a locking plate like you'd find on C-stands, but wanted to avoid using a printed part that would chew itself apart after a few months of use. I built the locking plate using a method similar to the one I used to generate the waxes that are part of the Glaucus manufacturing process - https://learn.adafruit.com/soft-quadruped-robot-glaucus/introduction. More details on the project can be found at https://har.ms/blog/metal-parts-3d-prints. Tutorial on building the locking plates is available up on Adafruit - https://learn.adafruit.com/metal-parts-from-3d-prints/.