VEX License Plate Holder - Slide and Flip

thingiverse

Inspired by this VEX double plate holder: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2802291 Found the above holder, but wanted to add a few features. This was drawn from the ground up, so it has some differences from the original, but I wanted to give credit for the inspiration. The license plates holder is designed so that a red and blue plate can be fastened together with 0.5 in bolts and standard (or KEPS) nuts (in case you've lost the plastic IQ connectors). They can be slid in/out of the holder and quickly flipped as needed for each match. There are clearances in the holder for the bolt heads and nuts. I don't believe that there is enough clearance for nylocks, but the thin nylock nuts might work. Depending on the accuracy of the printer, the plates may fit snugly or be a touch loose laterally. I added a skinny piece of velcro (the soft side only - to take up space and provide a touch of compression) to one of the inside walls of one of my test prints (the white one) and it held the plates in very nicely. It was not needed on prints from the other printer. The first version has a grid of 28 mounting holes that match the VEX spacing. The second version has a slightly thicker frame on the bottom and sides to permit additional countersunk mounting holes. The two test prints shown were printed in different orientations: One vertical and one on its back. Both methods work fine, but I added a bit of support to the one on its back. Note: There is a thin wall of plastic on the back of every hole. This is intentional and is only 0.2 mm thick (an average layer). It will easily cut/poke out when installing bolts. It is intended to completely mask the color of the unused plate from the back. As of publishing time, these have not been tested for durability or function during a competition, but I expect them to work well.