Planar Shock Absorber

thingiverse

I designed this innovative shock absorber structure that remains rigid in the vertical direction while allowing for smooth horizontal motion. The concept is to effectively absorb lateral forces generated by your printer's movement, ensuring your print quality remains uncompromised. The weight is transferred via four sturdy pillars with spherical ends, which enables the top and bottom surface to maintain a consistent distance apart even as the damper moves, thereby preventing any bounce in the vertical direction. A flexible harness surrounds the ends of the pillars, providing elasticity and acting as a spring to ensure centering force. A thin pad can be printed separately using your flexible filament, serving as an additional feature that prevents the base from slipping and marking your table. I'm currently utilizing four of these under my Flash Forge Creator Pro printer, and I've observed no negative impact on print quality, while also reducing bench vibrations significantly compared to before. The default size is 40mm square with a height of 28mm, but printing it larger will result in a softer mount, whereas using two or more next to each other will yield a stiffer setup. Printing it smaller may not be practical due to potential structural issues. To be honest, this print can be quite challenging, requiring a dual extruder and flexible filament paired with rigid filament. I successfully used TPU and PLA together, starting by ensuring the two models were aligned and their coordinates correctly set relative to each other in the STL files. Some slicers may drop both models to the table, so resetting offsets to zero and grouping the models together is crucial. Full supports are necessary within the volume between the plates, and I recommend using your rigid filament for these supports, even though they're supporting flexible material. This helps prevent separation issues due to the different materials used. Alternatively, printing with flexible supports might be feasible, but that approach has yet to be tried by me. One of the trickiest aspects involves getting the first layers of the rigid columns to adhere well to the flexible layer below them. It took some trial and error when combining PLA and TPU; other material combinations may prove easier. I recommend capturing a time lapse video and inspecting it to determine if the bases remained in place or got pulled out during another pass of the printer head. An ooze shield and prime pillar are essential for this print, as they play critical roles in maintaining print quality and stability.