Printable Kapton Tape Applicator

thingiverse

This is only a partially successful attempt to create a 3D printable derivative of thing 27518 (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:27518), using a rescale of thing 9512 (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:9512) to join the pieces together. I really liked the idea of drandolph's Replicator Kapton Tape Applicator, but I do not have access to a laser cutter. So I decided to attempt to convert it into printable pieces. Converting the spline to a 3D object and splitting it into full-sized pieces that would fit on the build platform was the easy part. The trick is to determine how to join them together, and this I did not get quite right. After a couple failed attempts to make up my own connections, I decided to try applying the Openscad lego-like brick (thing 9512) to the pieces. It would need to be rescaled, however. In the end, I misjudged the rescale and offset of the connector pieces and they didn't fit. I had to remove the nubs and ended up gluing the whole piece together instead. Despite that one gotcha, it otherwise works. So while the project was only moderately successful, I'm uploading it here in case any one else finds it useful and may have a better idea of how to fix the connections. Instructions Unless you plan to build with supports, make sure to flip the pieces on the build platform so that there are no overhangs on the connector edges. Print all 4 corners. Fixing the misaligned lego-like connectors for now will require either sanding the nubs down, or removing them with wire cutters. The pieces can then be glued together with epoxy.