NASA Handrail Clamp

grabcad

The clamp is designed for strength and printability. It comprises two parts: the main clamp and a sliding retainer. During printing prototypes, the flexibility of ABS plastic helped create unique clamping force on all handrail sides. The main clamp's tapered channel allows the slide to push against it, drawing in sides for lateral strength. Small fingers on the slide press against the handrail to apply clamping force on circular ends. To reposition the clamp, just loosen and retighten the slide without removing the mating adapter. The prototype was printed with 1.75mm filament, using 2 shells and 25% infill, requiring 17,000mm of filament. Infill and shell images show strength at tab center. Prototyping revealed good strength when bending tabs with a screwdriver. The real test is attaching the mating adapter to check if it can withstand torque from the bolt. Varying infill for more support at tab area could be considered. NASA/MadeinSpace may have advanced slicing software. The design allows for filament thickness and includes side rails for redundancy in case of broken tabs. Printable parts fit within printer build volume, requiring no support material. Prototyping aided in identifying weaknesses and attachment ease. Additive Manufacturing's "Fail early, fail often!" motto proved helpful.