ST1000 / ST2000 Raymarine Tiller Pilot Thrust Cap G004

thingiverse

Our autopilot system suddenly malfunctioned when the connector detached from the control stick. It quickly became apparent why this failure occurred, and we suspect that it won't be an isolated incident. The original thrust cap has a hollow thread where the greatest stress is concentrated, which seems to be a design flaw. A genuine replacement part is available, but its high cost suggests that it's made from exotic materials. However, upon closer inspection, it appears to be identical to the original plastic part. Given that Raymarine calls this component the "thrust cap," one would expect them to have designed it with more durability in mind, such as a solid core and no weak neck. But they didn't, so we decided to create our own replacement using PLA instead of rare and expensive materials. Our custom part features an inner ring that snaps securely into place when installed. The thread is slightly offset to allow for easy screwing until the end, where it binds up like a nyloc nut for added security. We printed it with 9 perimeters for maximum strength and used a 0.2 layer height for optimal durability.