Printable Water Tight End Caps

thingiverse

This is San Diego City Robotics watertight end cap for an autonomous underwater vehicle. Included are the .STL files as well as the SolidWorks files. These end caps fit snugly inside a McMaster Carr acrylic 8 inch tube. The O-Ring is a 70 Buna Size 441, which can also be found at McMaster Carr. The epoxy used to fuse the two prints together is https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004RCQ20E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1\nBE ALERT, This epoxy contains toluene, which will dissolve ABS plastic into water. Print out this part in PLA if you want to make it watertight.\nThis is an alternative to machining aluminum end caps for a pressurized tube. This solution minimizes the cost of manufacturing end caps for our submarine. SDCR needed a rugged enclosure that would keep water at bay, and machining proved to be too expensive, so SDCR made these end caps. They take roughly a week to make, and only cost $100 to produce two end caps.\nTo assemble this part, first coat both parts with epoxy inside and out. Then place part A into part B's corresponding groove. Pour epoxy into part B, the epoxy should drain into part A. After filling both parts with epoxy, use a foam brush to even out the application of epoxy on the outside. Even out the epoxy every 20 minutes until it holds its shape. Place the entire setup in a safe place to cure, and curing takes 24 hours. After curing is done, grease O-Rings with silicon grease and place them in the corresponding grooves. Then coat the entire plug with silicone grease. Make sure to re-apply silicon grease often, as it's the key to watertightness.\nPrint Settings\nPrinter Brand: Robo 3D\nPrinter: R1 ABS + PLA Model\nRafts: No\nSupports: Yes\nInfill: 100\nNotes: This print will take over 30 hours