Wooden Dowel Replacement - Various Metric Sizes (LR Basics)

prusaprinters

Here is my design of straightforward replacements for wooden dowels. I created them for the FFF process to print them using PLA or PETG material.If these dowels are printed with the described settings and in the correct orientation, they are a suitable replacement for wooden dowels.How to Print the DowelsPrint the dowels in the orientation shown below:I created an example project LR2240 Example Print.3mf for Prusa Slicer, where all required settings are pre-made. If you need to create your setup, check out the following table:Nozzle Size:0.4mm (0.6mm or 0.8mm should work, not tested)Layer Height:0.2mm for 0.4mm nozzleFilament Materials:PLA, PETG or ASAPerimeters:Five perimeters (important!)Prusa Slicer Profile:“0.2mm Quality”Extra settings:Disable “Fill Gaps”DimensionsThe part number and file name have the following format:LR2240-T<tolerance>-D<diameter>-L<length>.3mfToleranceThe tolerance is a value between 0 and 100, where 50 is the middle and means zero tolerance. For dowels, this is the standard tolerance to create a press-fit.Tolerance IndexDiameter AdjustmentT40+0.1mmT500.0mmT60-0.1mmT70-0.2mmI provide models with these tolerances to compensate for low-quality prints.DiameterThe diameter is the nominal diameter of the dowel in mm. LengthLength is the length of the dowel in mm.How to Use the DowelCompared with wooden dowels, dowels printed with PLA are more brittle. Do not hit them directly with a hammer, but carefully press them into the wood.About the DesignThere is nothing special about the design, and it is a cylinder with a flat side optimized for the best printability.There is this waved groove in the dowel, which allows a minimal deformation of the object without affecting the integrity. As PLA will permanently deform under pressure, the force from this deformation will vanish after a few weeks - but it is enough to prevent the dowel from slipping out of the positioning hole.The shearing resistance of the printed dowels is comparable to wood, except for hard hits, where wood is superior to PLA. Use PETG or ASA if the dowel has to withstand impacts.ConclusionThis dowel is a straightforward model, but I hope it will save you the hassle of designing a dowel from scratch.Happy printing! 😄