Wire guide and cover for V-slot/T-Slot rails (CNC mills and 3D printers)

thingiverse

Our robots are cluttered with exposed wires. As I built my CNC mill using V-slot rails, I consistently pushed the wires into the rails to keep them out of the way and wished they would stay there. After searching online, it appears that most people rely on cable ties, but those things are terrible. Here's a better solution. These small plates cover the open slot and hook into the rail to remain in place and keep your wires organized and secure. They snap in and out easily. No more plastic bands cutting into my wires, and no more accidental wire splices when I need to move things around! This setup works better for me than cable ties or velcro, and the components are easier to work with. I designed this for a CNC mill, but V-slot rails are common in Open Build machines, so this piece should be useful for various applications, particularly those involving CNC machines (mills, routers, 3D printers, etc.). I began with a 30mm wide cap, planning to place them every few inches to keep the wires secure. It then occurred to me how simple it would be to create code that produces these at different lengths, and I decided to completely cover all of the openings on rails with wire runs. I included STL files for the sizes I needed for my build (18, 25, 35, 120 and 160 mm). If you need different sizes, you can use the Thingiverse Customizer or open the included SCAD file in OpenSCAD and modify the capWidth parameter. This design is for a 20mm V-slot rail. It should be interchangeable with a 20mm T-slot rail, but I don't have one of those to test the fit. 20mm seems to be the common size for Open Builds. Adjustments can be made in the Customizer or in the included OpenSCAD file. Now that I've got this going, my CNC mill is self-contained, and my only exposed wires are power, the USB cable connecting the Raspberry Pi (used as a dedicated gcode sender), and the short runs into and out of the harnesses. That's nice! Other pieces that are pictured: - Box to contain the GRBL controller: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2781593 - Cable chain: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2775316 - Raspberry Pi case: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:922740 Now my robots are making things for each other. Crap indeed!