3D Print Thread Inserter

[awemawson]

I've been playing with 3D printing recently and wanted to insert some thread inserts into mechanical parts - ie things that are functional rather than artistic.
Doing it with a normal soldering iron is perfectly feasible however I found it difficult to keep it truly vertical. So exploring making a press, or a fixture for the Bridgeport I realised that this particular wheel has been designed before and Amazon have several offerings already manufactured !

Not expecting much I ordered one and found when it arrived that actually it was quite well made and stout. Two things need tweaking:

Firstly the mains plug purports to be a standard UK 13a one however totally illegally and unsafely is unfused - I knew this from the illustrations and it was a simple job of cutting off the the dangerous one and replacing it. (*)

Second issue is that although it has an upper stop and a depth stop setting the depth stop with the required accuracy to get an insert sunk to exactly flush with the surface isn't possible - far too much wiggle while tightening it. Now they have just used a Tee nut in an aluminium extrusion which is cunning but something more robust is needed. At the moment I'm thinking to use Tee Nuts to fix a brass block to the extrusion, with a fine pitch screw acting as the actual stop.

Experimenting with my Planer Gauge gave me something solid to bring the hot tip down onto while locking the knurled screw, but that's only a temporary solution.

* (For our over seas friends UK 13A sockets are fused at 32 amps at the consumer unit and plugs carry a fuse to protect the flex rather than the appliance - this wire would smoulder nicely well before that limit)

[vtsteam]

That's pretty neat. Took me awhile to grasp from the description what the device was, but the pics explained all. The plunger heats the insert, and then presses it into the plastic part, controlled by a stop.

And the fused plug, if accurately labeled, would pass something close to 7 Kw before blowing? So the cord is more likely to protect the fuse than vice versa!

Aaah, got it Andrew. I'm slow some mornings...

[BillTodd]

Always amazes me. They go to all the effort of making a plug and then not make it compliant (even if not actually tested)

I was eyeing up one end of that scanner I'm scrapping, it'd make a nice little press like that ;-)

[awemawson]

I actually like the way the (presumeably) Chinese designer has used several standard parts to make it. For instance the clamps holding the (repurposed) soldering iron are a pair of hydraulic pipe clamps intended for use for surface mounting. The frame is made from standard aluminium extrusions - even the thing the counter balance spring hooks onto is just a wiring 'Pee Clip'. Just a stamping for the base which is pretty heavy duty, and a folded piece to form the upper bracketry.

Reminds me of British Leyland where many parts were common across models - the lights - the instruments - the brake components. Whereas nowadays every thing is unique and stupidly expensive.