Part of the Week — MechEngineerMike’s Composite Cable Clamp

Dan Topjian, Sr. Application Engineer at MarkForged likes to keep things neat and ordered. While cleaning up the shop, Dan decided a reinforced nylon and Kevlar® cable clamp was exactly what he needed. Figuring that someone else must have solved this problem already he went to Thingiverse and found the Ratcheting Cable Clamp by MechEngineerMike. The design is great - a good solution from the community.

This design is two pieces linked by a post. The MarkForged Eiger Software imported the two STLs from Thingiverse.

Adding Kevlar with the Click of a Button

Once the STLs were imported, Dan clicked the "Use Fiber" toggle and selected Kevlar. Dan selected Kelvar® because it would flex well as the clamp was opened and closed. Fiberglass and Carbon fiber would be stronger but would probably be too inflexible for this application.

The software automatically added two layers of fiber to make a sandwich panel. Dan decided to add a third layer of fiber to increase the strength of the clamp.

The Composite Cable Clamp in Action

The first of the two clamps is already at work in the shop. You can see it holding it's own here.

Specifications

Composite Cable Clamp Part 1: Size 144.5mm x 85.72mm x 12.69mm; Estimated Print Time ~6h 33m; Nylon Cost $4.96; Carbon Fiber Cost $2.41; MFP Download

Composite Cable Clamp Part 2: Size 76.08mm x 59.17mm x 12.69mm; Estimated Print Time ~3h 31m; Nylon Cost $2.69; Carbon Fiber Cost $1.85; MFP Download

STL Download available on Thingiverse