Frame clip and locking pin for Velleman K8200 3D printer

You probably discovered that mounting any accessories on the printer’s frame is a bit inconvenient. It is a good idea with these square nuts slid in the frame but unfortunately if you want to add something after the printer is fully assembled – it can be very ungrateful.

Some of the areas are easy to be modified, like the vertical aluminium profiles – it requires just removing the top caps. However, some areas are very hard to access (like the Z carriage arm) – you would need to tear the printer apart to get into the groove in the aluminium profile.

I had to figure out how to hang something on the frame without disassembling the printer or drilling holes in the frame. The list below shows what I would like to change/add to the printer:

• mounting the controller board on a separate base (probably with some cable tights)
• mounting the power supply on the side/back of the frame
• mounting the fan properly (it is very wiggly by default)
• adding a LED lighting (probably PWM controlled)
• adding a RaspberryPi to control the printer remotely
• adding a webcam to see the printing progress
• adding an extension lead where I could insert all the plugs (printer, RPi, LEDs)
• mounting the extension lead to the frame (the idea is to have the printer portable, with only one cable sticking out with the rest mounted securely)
• adding a filament cleaner
• adding a dishwasher (or maybe not, it would be too much for the frame :))

Here is a cross-section of the aluminium profile:

My first thought was to design a locking pin that would slide through the slot and then lock if rotated 90°.

After some measurements I came up with this bracket and pin:

I have created rectangular holes on the sides of the clip to allow the pin slide through.

Below are the printed objects.

A flat M3 bolt + washer or flat M4 bolt (like the one below) can be used.

To download the files - visit my profile on Thingiverse (http://www.thingiverse.com/ljwinkler/designs) or use direct links below:

• bracket (http://www.thingiverse.com/download:409393)
• pin (http://www.thingiverse.com/download:409394)
  

 

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