Overview

Recently, at Fluxspace, we have been building and testing a new product: enter the FarmBot. The FarmBot is a CNC garden bed that uses technology from 3D printers to water, plant, and remove weeds, all from a laptop.

While building the FarmBot, we had to adjust eccentric nuts in difficult-to-reach places; unfortunately, the wrench we had wouldn’t reach. While adapting a tool we had on hand might work, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to utilize our 3D printers.

Our problem:

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The tool we needed to replace was an 8mm box wrench. To achieve a proper tool and nut interface, the wrench needs a ninety-degree bend. After gathering the necessary measurements, I designed and printed the part. I was excited to see that it fit perfectly. However, as I turned the second nut, my tool snapped.

When 3D printing, many aspects contribute to making a durable product. One aspect that I failed to account for was the direction of the printed layers. In many cases, layers are the point of failure in 3D prints. To resolve this issue, I reoriented the model in my 3D printing software to change the direction of the layers. Here are my two versions:

Successful vs. failed tool:

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The finished product does exactly what it needs to and allows us to properly adjust the eccentric nuts on the FarmBot!

Improved interface:

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