Did you know that you can incorporate things like electronics, batteries, magnets etc. using the Markforged composite printers? Here’s a step by step guide from PLM Group’s 3D printing expert Stian Mork on how to 3D printing a clip with living hinges and adding magnetic inserts.
1. First off, we need to design our clip. We use SOLIDWORKS to design, and make sure to make room for some newly purchased magnets.
2. Next, we need to convert our design to the 3D print file format, stl, and import it in Markforged Eiger, a proprietary software for slicing, calculating material usage, plan reinforcement fibers and more.
3. In order to incorporate the magnets into the design, we identify the layer which is the last layer before the holes are closed and checked the option Pause After Layer. By doing this, we can remove the part from the printer at this layer, put in the magnets and continue printing.
READ OUR GUIDE: Corona-safe door opener 3D printed to last
4. After setup, we start our print, and stop at layer 40/50.
5. Next, we remove the support material inside the holes.
6. With the holes open, we insert the magnets.
7. We then put glue on top of the magnets to make sure that the material sticks.
8. After gluing, we put our part back into the printer to continue printing.
9. And here’s our finished part, printed in Markforged’s build material Onyx. If you need a sturdier part, there’s the option of reinforcing with continuous carbon fiber or glass fiber.
→ Read more about the material Onyx
→ Read more about Markforged Mark Two
→ Read more about Markforged’s industrial 3D printers
