Longer Ray5 Drag chain solution

thingiverse

Wanting to put the laser in an enclosure I didn't like the idea of having the cable harness rubbing against the lid and sides so I came up with an attempted solution. Please keep in mind that I am a total newbie with Fusion 360 and not very good at it either. I originally designed the drag chain for my 3d printer following this tutorial https://www.instructables.com/Fully-Functional-Drag-Chain-Fusion-360/ In theory the links should have a 40 deg range of motion, there are 42 of them and the internal dimensions are 16 X 6.5 mm. I say in theory because due to the necessary tolerances for the joints the chain moves beyond its designed stops. The design of the chain is "print in place" and no supports are needed as they are already included. They are easily removed by hand or with needle pliers (see photo). To open the chain just break off one of the outer links that can then be glued back in place when connecting it to the bracket. You will need 2 prints of the chain (approx. 13 hrs print each for me) Measurements of the cable harness may vary from mine but I was able to have them reach (barely) by using 39 links for the Y axis and 36 for the X axis. If anyone from Longer is reading this please make the wires to the laser 4-5 cm longer (no pun intended). The connecting brackets on the other hand do require some supports and a superglue. The parts are named in groups and I think it's a pretty straight forward assembly. Threading through the cables is a bit of a PITA but it only needs to be done once (if you make sure to run them through all three brackets as well!! The assembly is pretty straight forward but you will need 6 M3x6 bolts to secure the brackets (A/B) to the laser frame (nuts were not necessary for me but may be added). For bracket C you will need to remove the three bolts securing the carriage, slide the part in and resecure the bolts. This is the first time I upload a "complex" design and I'm not sure how much detail is needed in the explanations. I'll try to check in to see if there are any questions. Have fun!