New Leg CAD design

So a major problem with the previous design was the TPU being both inflexible and flimsy (this would be a tradeoff in a standard design). So, I added these cutouts along the TPU sleeve, which should in theory help with flexibility. This will also allow me to increase the wall thickness, without sacrificing flexibility. I also increased the size of the hole (increased tolerance), as well as optimized the model for 3D printing (horizantal bridges, instead of a circular bridge).

CAD brush up and slice + second print

Today, I 3D printed out the new iteration of the tripod leg made out of TPU. The thinner walls definitely helped with flexibility, but it feels really weak and flimsy. In addition, the aluminum wire (5mm diameter) is having trouble being fully inserted. Will need to improve on this design!

CAD Work

Made a plethora of updates in CAD
New appearances:

• Created a mounting system that will use heat set inserts for a modular mount. I aim for this to be compatible with phones, cameras, GoPros etc.

• The Tripod will use 3 legs (circular pattern)
  Model updates/revisions:

• Added m5 mounting holes on the "ends" of the legs. This is for potentially mounting the tripod on aluminum extrusion.

• Reduced Wall thickness of TPU sleeve

• Added Chamfers and improved sagging by deleting circular overhangs.

CAD brush up and slice + first print

Made some small changes to the CAD model: added m3 mounting holes for the soon-to-be tripod. Definitely a nice print. Printed with Prusa Slicer and factory Prusa i3 mk3s+. The TPU came out fine, but it is really stiff (walls need to be a bit thinner). In addition, the hole sagged, so it is very hard to fit a 5mm aluminum wire in. Will need to make the changes in the next iteration!

Created first TPU leg sleeve mockup CAD

In this work session, I created the first version of the TPU leg. It is currently in a very basic form. Essentially, the TPU will form a sleeve around the Aluminum craft wire. I'm not sure if the TPU is too thick - we'll need to print it out to test it!

Inspiration and Research (and material acquisition)

I was scrolling through reddit and I came across an inspiring post where the OP used TPU and Aluminum wire. The OP created many cool projects like tripods, helping-hands, and other cool contraptions. The process incorporated pausing the print and embedding aluminum wire in the TPU print. I am thinking of expanding on this idea:

• Create slots so that aluminum wire doesn't need to be added in the middle of a print pause
• Create useful mounts, adaptable and modular This project seems to have died down on the internet, so I am seeking to bring it back to life!

And I also researched and bought the materials:
95A TPU (already had)
5mm diameter aluminum craft wire
I have all of these supplies, so we should be ready to go!