The Fraks Flexarm is a tool-balancing arm designed to keep the attached tool parallel throughout its movement. It was created to hold soldering irons to install heat set inserts into 3D printed parts.
It has a large working area for its size, and has quick release tool holders that are held in place with magnets.
Thanks to Zack Freedman for making Gridfinity an open source project, I have included Gridfinity storage into the base. You can read more about Gridfinity at https://gridfinity.xyz/
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You will also need either pocket screws or a wood working fence clamp to secure the base to your work surface.
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4 pieces of 1515 extrusion, all cut to the same length and tapped on either end. I have tested this with 200mm and 270mm lengths.
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10x1x60mm extension springs, these seem to work well for 200-300mm builds. You can adjust the tension rate by moving the spring posts along the 1515 extrusion.
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10x100mm dowel pin and a 10x14x30mm brass Bushing
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M10 washer, a 25mm diameter is listed, but any diameter and thickness washer will work.
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M5x30 FHCS are recommended, but BHCS are also supported. The springs will touch button heads slightly, but will not affect performance from testing.
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You will need a Soldering iron with a heatset insert adapter. I personally recommend either the Pinecil or TS101 Soldering Irons along with the adapter set from CNC Kitchen.
| Current Supported Irons: | |
|---|---|
| Pinecil with CNC Kitchen TS100&TS101 Adapter Set |  |
| TS101 with CNC Kitchen TS100&TS101 Adapter Set |  |
| Imported adjustable solder iron (Generic) |  |
| Part Description | Quantity | |
|---|---|---|
| 1515 Extrusion 200-300mm (All the same length) | 4 |  |
| 10mm OD x 1mm Wire Gauge x 60mm Long Extension Springs | 4 |  |
| 10mm x 100mm long Pin | 1 |  |
| 10mm ID x 14mm OD x 30mm Length Brass Bushing | 1 |  |
| 10mmx24mm Washer | 1 |  |
| M3x8 FHCS | 16 |  |
| M3x8 SHCS | 10 |  |
| M3x12 BHCS | 4 |  |
| M3x20 BHCS | 4 |  |
| M5x30 FHCS (Or BHCS) | 8 |  |
| M3 Heatset Inserts (5mm OD x 4mm Length) | 10 |  |
| M3 Hex Nuts | 20 |  |
| M5 Washers/Shims (10x1) | 16 |  |
| 6x3 Magnets | 6 |  |
| 6x2 Magnets (For Gridfinity Base) | 12 |  |
| 1-1/4 #8 Pocket screws (For screwing base to table) | 4 |  |
| Table Saw Fence Clamp (For clamping to table) | 1 |  |
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0.2mm layer heights
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0.4mm Line Width
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4-5 walls
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4-5 top and bottom layers
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40% infill
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ABS and ASA have been tested
- The center arms use a pair of magnets to pull the arms together when parked. Build 2 arms with magnets that that attract to each other.
- Build the other 2 arms like the image bellow, with the spring standoffs placed 90mm from one end. You can adjust these later.
Shield:
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