Modular Yoke/Spreader Bar

thingiverse

This is a modular assembly that can be configured in to various yokes, spreader bars, or even just cuffs. It's still somewhat of a work in progress, but I haven't had much time to work on it, so I figured I'd go ahead and upload what I have so I can hopefully get any necessary feedback for when I have more free time. There's only a few parts, but most have a handful of configurations that have been exported each as its own STL. Here is a quick overview of what each part is: * Cuff Body, End - This is the main body for a cuff that goes on the end of an assembly, it only has one connection point. * Cuff Body, Middle - This is the main body for a cuff that goes in the middle of an assembly, it has two connection points opposite of each other. * Cuff Loop - This is the other half of a cuff, it is compatible with both styles of cuff bodies. * Bar - This bar connects two cuff bodies together. One end is male, and one end female, so multiple bars can be connected together if longer lengths is desired. * Link - This piece connects the female end of a bar or cuff body to another female end of a bar or cuff body. * Cuff Hook Point - This can slip over an open cuff if you want a way to tie or anchor the assembly to something. So if you wanted to make a traditional yoke for example, you would need to print two end cuff bodies, one middle cuff body, three cuff loops, two bars, and two links. The file names have the diameter of the cuffs and overall length of the bars in inches. Diameters that have an "R" suffix have a reversed swing. They're not necessary, but if you're like me and having the bottom layer texture on the top on one side will drive you crazy, you may want to use these. Note that the cuffs aren't actually circles. They're actually two parallel 0.5" lines with R1.5" semi circles on each end (think of the straight slot sketch tool for you Solidworks users). So the actual "diameter" will be slightly larger than the indicated diameter. For reference, the height of the parts is 1.380" and the width of all cuffs and bars is 0.500". Like my previous upload, this is designed to fit on the popular Ender 3/5 beds (the 12" bar is tight, but it fits the 235x235mm bed). It also uses M4 hardware, specifically M4x30mm bolts. To "lock" the cuffs, I used some clevis pins I had lying around. As long as they're on the bottom side, a person wearing this can't reach them. They're just standard 1/4" clevis pins. You can print your own, pick up a variety pack of em at Harbor Freight, or if you want a more exact length like the ones I have pictured, 1-7/16" length pins off of McMaster, part 97245A245 are 25 for under $9. I printed this in standard PLA again, and it seems reasonably rigid with a 30% infill, and a 1.2mm shell. I'm mostly worried about the longer bars, as the extra length gives you a lot more leverage to break something. Once again, make sure your prints come out dimensionally accurate beforehand. This should have little to no post processing required, other than maybe cleaning up support mesh and truing your hole sizes. The fitment on the hardware is tight to minimize any looseness/wobble between parts. Any feedback is welcomed. I'm trying to see if I can make a model that requires no hardware, but I still haven't even finished designing or printing a complete model for that one yet. It also uses actual locks instead of clevis pins.