Tank3D Drag Cable Chain

thingiverse

Hi, This is a cable chain I designed from scratch for my incoming TANK3D printer that I am currently designing. Hence the name, as it will be part of it. I will soon post other parts, linear stages and the whole printer, so keep in touch. I'm sure you'll like it. So it may look like other chains, but it's not a copy. It's a design from scratch. About The Drag Cable Chain: It's a working cable chain up to my standards. I tried most of the chain designs and they had one thing in common - they didn't work properly. At least from the point of view of a CNC guy like me. Its a very strong chain. Once all snaps in place, you can't pull it apart easily if at all. Size is relatively speaking around 20mm, so connector can pass easily through it. Experience told me its better to be on the bigger side than on smaller. It's ideal for custom builds It has a minimum bend radius of ~55 mm. It is self-supporting even for long distances, side or normal position. I would say up to 1m. Still no ends designed. Six ends are needed - female/male X up/down/side mount for the chain to be complete. Will do that soon Its a quiet chain, even printed from PLA. Step file attached so you can split, scale up and in general work easily modifications The "No derivatives" license is for reason that if you change even 0.2mm somewhere it will have problems moving, clicking together, self-supporting, strength and so on. Basically you could do whatever you want, hence the STEP file, but don't call it Tank3d chain. On the other side if you need sth I will customize it for you, check if its working properly and then post it here, so all could benefit from Working designs Here is a video of it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EyVTwjgCQQ Join me on Facebook so you get first the updated files for Tank3d printer https://www.facebook.com/groups/tank3d Thanks! Print Settings Printer: Rafts: Yes Supports: Yes Resolution: Normal 0.2mm with 0.4mm nozzle Infill: 50% Notes: All of the above will be true if printed properly. As per the adjustments I show in the pictures. I print in PLA3D850 which is basically the same as normal PLA except temperature is 230C and when heat treated after it will stand 80C without problem. Though the picture says 50% infill, most of the part actually is solid as I use three outside layers on top, bottom and perimeter. So 50% infill is actually valid for the thicker parts of it, all else is solid. And it would not make a big difference in final print time or material So it could be printed from any material: PLA, ABS, Special PLA. Of course some Nylon will be best. I print all with supports and rafts. Why? So my prints always have the correct dimensions. Material is cheap, Printer must never stop. Some extra work is required to clean but its well worth it Post-Printing How to clean it from raft and support and put it together Using Simplify3d is quite easy to clean the supports and rafts. You will need pliers and sharp knife, plus some patience for perfect result. For the links to move free and the chain to extend to flat position, the links have to be very clean from support material, ooze, and residue. I connect the links together previously leaving all in hot water for a minute and click them in the water. They will click even in normal conditions but for 100% positive outcome plastic should be heated a bit. If PLA bends just straighten it with the pliers. When cold it will stay in the correct shape. Though note that I print with 3D850 filament so hot water actually makes it stiffer after that How I Designed This Design principles Well, it had to be working chain, not some toy. Some could think its a bit OTT but this is to avoid creep in material with time. I am designing a printer and I like to put extra attention on details. First I printed all the chains in Thingverse at that moment. Looked at their problems. Some worked, some not, some not at all. Some simply made me laugh. I was not very much to spend a day on a drag chain but at the end I needed it and could not find anything Open source for my standard. The biggest problem was to click it together without breaking sth and at the same time to be strong enough. I printed links many times, so in reality it took me a couple of days and different designs to achieve the result