Kinect Camera Tripod Mount with Embedded Threaded Insert

thingiverse

I needed to make a sturdy 3D-printed camera mount for MakerBot's current artist-in-residence Kyle McDonald who is doing work with the Kinect. I found a bunch of 1/4-20 threaded inserts in the BotCave and thought: "Why don't I build this model around this hardware?" I built this part with Tinkercad, a solid modeller, so that I could continue to tweak parts of the model based on my printed tests with relatively tight tolerances. Additional benefit, you can jump in and make your own version of the mount with whatever baroque embellishments appeal to you! Edit the part online at: https://tinkercad.com/p/acc0d8eff4d75895 Rather than aiming to trap the threaded insert in the part mechanically, I designed the model so that I might turn on the extruder after the print has finished and use the nozzle like a hot glue gun to fill in the cavities around the mounting spikes and weld it in so that the hardware cannot shift during use. Also, you can source threaded inserts here: http://www.mcmaster.com/#90975a025/=cbpva0 Instructions Print the body of the mount. Drop in the threaded insert. Turn on the extruder and fix the threaded insert in place by filling the cavities around the mounting spikes. Clean out the countersunk holes on the back for the M3x12mm bolts with a file or screwdriver. Sand away any residual plastic that might interfere with firm, flat mounting. Fasten 4 M3x12 bolts down into the four tiny holes on the Kinect. You should be able to create threads and mount the Kinect reliably. Be gentle when/if you unscrew the bolts such that you can re-use the threads a second time. Research Kyle McDonald's Processing sketches so that you can 3D scan somebody!