Top 4 Springs You Can Design with 3D Printing

[@alanrushing2807]

There is a guy with a video somewhere here on KZbin where he designed a printer with a rotary axis that allowed him to print springs around a mandrel to make the layer lines in the ideal orientation.

[@slamoto2]

can you name his channel?

[@SeerWS]

@@slamoto2 I believe it's @printerwithrotaryaxisforspringsaroundmandrel

[@marsniper27]

I know the video you are talking about... but I cont remeber the channel and can't find the video

[@TRiX_ONE]

@@slamoto2 Maybe its David Fricke

[@Youshallbeeatenbyme]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2mkdWqwhdOrmbcsi=f-bPfT2RhliA4XDx took me a bit to find it, but was in a 3d printing blog. The video is delisted. I remember watching it when it came out as well.

[@RingpopSmiths]

One MAJOR consideration when making springs from plastic: creep. Virtually all plastics creep when held continuously under even relatively small loads, so polymer (plastic) springs will almost always permanently deform if they're continuously loaded. This is why pressure vessels are rarely made from plastics or, if they are, they are typically reinforced with something else (like a metal or carbon fiber sheath) that has a MUCH higher creep stress.

[@Athune]

Glad to see someone else already made this point. You can only store energy in plastic springs over very short periods of time, so the torsion example only really works if it’s for something like a pull-back toy car. Wouldn’t work reliably for something that unwinds slowly like a watch mechanism.

[@charlesstaton8104]

The other major consideration is *material choice,* which plays into creep and every other important aspect of this. I have done weeks of systematic testing, printing dozens of spring geometries from just about every material out there, and it makes a HUGE difference. Just about every material that doesn't snap when compressed, permanently deforms the first time you compress it, and/or has unacceptable creep. The only material I found to make a decent spring was PC, and at that, I had to make the spring about 600% larger than it really needed to be, so that its compression would be limited to about 10%, so it wouldn't shatter when compressed. At the end of it all I concluded that unless you're making single-use fidget toys, 3d printed springs are a terrible idea, regardless of material or geometry.

[@SeanLumly]

Another banger video. This is a concise, high-level breakdown of common designs and their implications.

[@goosedaddy]

Slant team: please do a video going into the nitty gritty of doing print-in-place assemblies, i.e. (vertically) how your slicer interprets 0.2 vs. 0.15 vs. 0.3mm gaps, and what happens next on subsequent layers, and (horizontally) what kind of gaps you need for axles, etc, and whatever other considerations (diagonally-oriented axles?) I'm not thinking of. Thanks for all y'all do!

[@cobbce]

I second this!

[@s.sradon9782]

I love springs but never 3d print them: Young's modulus of steel is simply a lot more, you can make a much smaller and tougher part with steel, but making steel springs is actually really easy and steel springs are much easier to design. I use a 2-part 3d-printed mandrel/coil guide that glues over a 3mm steel rod and make them in a hand drill chuck. with 3d printing you can make a perfect custom spring for a few pennies of wire.

[@Liberty4Ever]

Another great 3D printing design video. You're amassing quite the library that now constitutes an entire class in 3D design using practical examples. I've always seen the spiral spring described as a clock spring, whether used in a clock or not. 3D printing compliant mechanisms along with the rest of the part is incredibly useful. No springs to purchase. No assembly labor. I'm imagining four compliant towers at 45, 135, 225 and 315 degrees to support a rocker pad on top that actuates four push button micro switches at 0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees, possibly with a central push button that could also be depressed. This rocker pad is a common user interface input for 2D navigation or navigating through complex user interface menus.

[@typeaboutit]

I could really feel the tension in this video

[@SeerWS]

Could you feel the tomato that just hit your head?

[@typeaboutit]

​@@SeerWS thankfully I sprang out of the way just before it was about to hit!

[@azalea_moon-kee]

But, Gabe's explanation of the underlying physics of springs was highly compressed...

[@CordSchneider]

If not perhaps a little tightly wound...

[@3DPrintingGuy-UT]

Hey I looked into this for my FMX design class! It was pretty cool to test out different styles of springs!

[@TheNadOby]

Nice shake editing trick on a leaf spring intro. So, is the next topic going to be compliant mechanisms? I'm going through a lecture course on this topic-fascinating stuff.

[@t.josephnkansah-mahaney7961]

@@TheNadOby How is that lecture series? Are you designing your own compliant mechanisms yet?

[@TheNadOby]

@t.josephnkansah-mahaney7961 It is here on KZbin for years. Nope, wrapping my head around the math. Need to watch it thoroughly

[@s.sradon9782]

@@TheNadOby link or name that I can look up? Also is said lecture in fact good?

[@TheNadOby]

@s.sradon9782 pretty good in my opinion kzbin.info/aero/PLWeErkRyxkhKL_pjYBCR2jYcvAh5PaXoP

[@TheNadOby]

@s.sradon9782 it is pretty good in my opinion Compliant Mechanisms Lecture Series: kzbin.info/aero/PLWeErkRyxkhKL_pjYBCR2jYcvAh5PaXoP

[@AecertRobotics]

With my RC transmitter that i've been making (which i have a video of on my channel), I used a stabilizing spring for the 4 push buttons on the top. It's awesome to see a video reinforcing that idea!

[@garyf5192]

Another very interesting and useful video. I also found especially interesting the momentary switch application.

[@dachmachunabachuna123]

I used a normal style extension spring for a small 3d printed gift for a friend and it worked great but took a long time to print (without supports)

[@kdt85]

Stabilizing spring as a button is ingenious

[@Proton_Decay]

One unmentioned application of spring I've been playing with is impact absorption -- I use a magnetic door hold-open for my garage/workshop, and have been toying with designs for a compact one-piece/one-material part that absorbs the impact of the door being slammed into/stuck to it. Using PETG as a kind of test because PETG likes to shatter, so far the best design has been about 4 months before shattering.

[@FounderOf4]

@@Proton_Decay I'd love to hear more about this idea. Do you have it documented so that you can share with me?

[@jacobm2625]

95A TPU is gonna last forever with that design, probably.

[@JJFX-]

@@Proton_Decay Trying to imagine what you're referring to.... I assume it's a solid door with a spring hinge and you're using this in place of something like a piston damper on commercial doors? The downside to PETG is its prone to creep under load which might start reducing its effectiveness if the spring stays under compression when closed. Unless I'm misunderstanding I think something similar out of TPU would make more sense. It's softer, stronger and wont rebound as much.

[@Alex_vGrafenstein]

One of the most important tips is missing: Don't print anything that has to stay under tension out of PLA. Especially springs are a hot candidate. PLA will adopt the deformed state after a surprisingly short time and stay in the new form without springing back. PETG is much better for that. It happily keeps its shape for a long time.

[@CK3DPRINTS]

This 👆🏻

[@fraudbuster1456]

You can make a decent coil spring out of PLA, but only by printing a winding jig from ABS or PETG and using hot water to wind the filament around the jig and letting it cook before removing. This spring type is limited to the filament diameter for the wire size and isn’t a very strong spring but it’s very popular as a bobble head spring.

[@TheOneAndOnlySatan]

I really like the intro, other channels should learn and do it too!

[@slant3d]

Thanks!

[@iam-music]

Really great stuff!

[@_NFE]

Filament spring - design and print a spiral mandrel/jig (print in something higher temp). Wrap raw filament around it (petg has worked well for me). Drop the wrapped mandrel in a bowl of hot or boiling water to lock in the spiral. Obviously you are limited by filament diameter, but this is still another really useful spring.

[@PAPO1990]

You can also have a hybrid between spiral and stabilising springs, I've worked with them before, though normally they were laser cut out of acetal, they do have various uses

[@Quifuh]

One of my first few prints was a coil spring at it worked great. I printed it vertically with supports and this was when I didn't know what I was doing.

[@RVJimD]

Was it a pain to remove the supports? I would like to try making some coil springs for my RC car.

[@JJFX-]

​@@RVJimD If you print it vertically I'd use a square coil and chamfer the edges so only a small area between each coil needs support. Or you could try printing a square coil horizontally with a brim and/or support on the outside only. Supports should come off fairly easy but it comes down to slicer settings. Keep in mind that many plastics will deform with use, especially the first time it's compressed so I'd make it longer than it needs to be.

[@Hangs4Fun]

I really like using magnets for limited motion springs. Just use neodymium magnets in opposite orientation and either insert magnets during printing or afterwords with CA

[@christianbureau6732]

Thanks, always learning, cheers

[@alanurteaga7413]

I used similar springs for a damping feature into a design. But yea compliant mechanisms are cool.

[@timinwsac]

What I've found about springs, made of PLA, is that if you leave them compressed or extended they will take a set.

[@ytskt]

Does set mean permanently deform?

[@timinwsac]

@@ytskt Yes. If you compress the spring and leave it that way for a period of time and then release it will remain compressed.

[@ytskt]

@@timinwsac got it. Thanks!

[@afeefazaman4373]

A spiral compression spring can be 3d printed and be usable many times. There is one in the famous 3d printed print in place Cannon.

[@noanyobiseniss7462]

I'm trying to design clips that will hold down but need to flex up to 1mm during install due to variance in the board production. These clips will be under tension, what material should I shoot for? I am guessing petg will suffice but am not sure, I think pla is too brittle. The clips will be 3.5mm thick and width is not a consideration as they can be as wide as I need.

[@veggiet2009]

Forgot the most important downside: you can't make extension springs walk down the stairs like a slinky

[@GennasPapa]

There are videos wrapping just filamentaround a rod then annealing to make traditional springs .....just fyi. Not printed but using the filament.. thanks. And excellent video for printed springs!!!!

[@raton2356]

Super video! Just out of curiosity, why your fusion 360 is in french ?

[@tylerpreall3780]

What materials make for the best springs? The PLA springs I have printed in the past usually just break.

[@msszone]

Thank you Very oriented

[@ifell3]

Great video. I've watched this old Tony's spring video so nothing is too in-depth here 😅

[@FlavioMenegasso-jl8wg]

Can't you make springs with a hot air blower and standard size filament or straight printed lines

[@armstrongskyview2810]

What software are you using to make your designs

[@powersprouter]

Helpful thank you

[@JoseBerruezo]

Nice video.

[@FounderOf4]

Would a 45 degree or "slant"ed bed allow for printing a coil spring? I would think that as long as you have good bed adhesion, then you could basically print in thin air, so to speak

[@njdotson]

There was an insane design for a 3d printed coil spring that's a deformed planar print that was made by bending it in hot water

[@JV-pu8kx]

No 3-D printed Slinky?! 😉

[@jeffreychow8853]

Where's a good place to go to get feedback on improving a design for 3d printing? I want to utilize slant3d's servjce more, but need to design around multiple parts or requiring additional hardware.

[@weberito]

I like that useless spring example in 6:31, well assembled ;)

[@B0A2]

Cool stuff which there was more examples though.

[@KalvinD]

Stabilizer spring is how the button was held in the ouya case. Works for that too! Oh, then he goes on to say it was used for buttons. I'm not an idiot I promise.

[@micah2936]

If you just draw a zigzag /\/\/\/ and extrude it, then just draw a circle that is on the top face and then extrude the circle into the extruded zigzag and create a body from the intersection, then you split it on one side to be flat on the print bed so the zigzag pattern is printed horizontally, then you can print a compression spring… Left Bottom /\/\/\/ top Right

[@josearnaldopinheirodossant7712]

I've tried to print compression springs to a .22lr magazine, I didn't was happy doing this . . .

[@khimbittle7705]

Coil spring in vase mode?

[@user-bt2lx4gy7h]

That was my thought too.

[@frankbauerful]

You're still printing in thin air, so you'd need exceptional cooling for this to work. And you're limited to the width your nozzle for thickness. And you can't embed it into another print. IOW, you need a very finicky setup to print a very bad coil spring very slowly and you end up with an isolated part that needs assembly. It's something you can do to show off your skills at calibrating your printer and slicer. But this video is about mass production 3D printing. And 3D-printed coil springs have no place in this context.

[@riba2233]

@@frankbauerful "And you're limited to the width your nozzle for thickness" - you absolutely aren't.

[@frankbauerful]

@@riba2233 Vase mode can only print 1 continuous line and that line's thickness must be close to your nozzle size. You have a little bit of wiggle room but you can't print 1mm lines with a .4mm nozzle.

[@riba2233]

@@frankbauerful you absolutely can, I printed 1.5 with 0.4 nozzle in vase mode 10 years ago, and even thicker with 0.6mm nozzles. no issues at all and you get nice results.

[@Nathan69]

What about SRINGO from make anything

[@MasTerchelf]

What language are you using in fusion? Doesn’t look familiar to me.

[@DanHerbertHD]

They're using French.

[@error-hj4ik]

Why is your Fusion 360 in French? Just curious.

[@HFR_SpartanFred]

Fusion is in French?

[@ocoro174]

"Mass Production" missing from title 😐

[@Rallade]

huh, didn't know fillet was called congé in french

[@Benoit-Pierre]

Its not.

[@Layerfusion]

I have never noticed this before, but are you French (Canadian???) or just showing off? LOL. Great Video.

[@jacklu-mo2ki]

this saved my 20 bucks on springs… but lost me 1k on a cat ascendent emmm yes yes😅

[@ClaytonMacleod]

Extention?

[@MrGTAmodsgerman]

You sound like you have a cold, get well soon

[@TS_Mind_Swept]

Disappointed there was no springy boing noise in the video; ik that's not the point of it, but it woulda bin funny :p (tho then you get all the deadbeats that like to complain about having fun ruining it, so whatever I guess..)

[@Benoit-Pierre]

0:30 wrong. Home made slicers can print flat surfaces without support since »1y. Integration in public softwares are expected before fall 2024. Then coils will be child game.

[@TheKohlwebb]

@@Benoit-Pierre news flash, it’s fall 2024.

[@Benoit-Pierre]

@@TheKohlwebb expectations not met. Still hoping for rising 2025

[@Benoit-Pierre]

@@TheKohlwebb hope the algo allowed my link above ?

[@chekhoninSN]

++

[@arpittarang1]

weirdly hard to listen to. did you have a cold while recording this?

[@an11thHR00-lf1ff]

I actually printed a compression coil spring ( mentioned in the first part of the video) last night, they do print quite well standing up. but an issue with 3D printed springs that I found out, is that if they remain compressed or extended they will form a memory and will not return.