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Thurmy7

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Updated with link to file: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5024535

I have a 3D printer so I decided to draw up and print a mini accessory rail. The picatinny rail section I had is only 5.5 inches but you can buy longer ones on amazon. (This is just what I had already).

I should put up the disclaimer that I don't have high hopes of this holding up on hot summer days but its not hot right now, and there's nothing on the market anyway!

So far it works great, just wrapped up a 1000 mile road trip up to Copper Harbor and back with well over 50 miles off-road. Everything held firm and steady and it didn't take long for it to feel like a seamlessly integrated part of the Bronco.

The Rail: It is just a 5.5" 13 slot aluminum m-lok to picatinny rail adapter from amazon (part of a bundle I bought previously) and a 3D printed base. The rail has two screws which fasten it to the PLA base, but I also opted to add superglue to make sure the rail isn't coming off easily. I designed the base to use the same accessory mount and to fit firmly over the center pocket on the dash.

The phone mount: I am a huge fan of the magnetic phone mount, why people use anything else is beyond me (unless you are literally racing the baja 1000). I designed the mounts to fit with a generic amazon magnetic mount and included a slot so they can easily slide onto the pic rail. There is a bolt through the back of the mount to tighten it down once you have it in position.

I would consider selling these but honestly I can't imagine a price high enough to be worth my time, while being low enough that anyone else would want to pay for it, especially considering there's a high chance its going to look deflated come the first 90° day next summer.


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That's a great design. Thanks for sharing.
 

shoelessjoe

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I have a 3D Printer and could print a few in PLA & PETG.
 

EIGHTLUG

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Updated with link to file: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5024535

I have a 3D printer so I decided to draw up and print a mini accessory rail. The picatinny rail section I had is only 5.5 inches but you can buy longer ones on amazon. (This is just what I had already).

I should put up the disclaimer that I don't have high hopes of this holding up on hot summer days but its not hot right now, and there's nothing on the market anyway!

So far it works great, just wrapped up a 1000 mile road trip up to Copper Harbor and back with well over 50 miles off-road. Everything held firm and steady and it didn't take long for it to feel like a seamlessly integrated part of the Bronco.

The Rail: It is just a 5.5" 13 slot aluminum m-lok to picatinny rail adapter from amazon (part of a bundle I bought previously) and a 3D printed base. The rail has two screws which fasten it to the PLA base, but I also opted to add superglue to make sure the rail isn't coming off easily. I designed the base to use the same accessory mount and to fit firmly over the center pocket on the dash.

The phone mount: I am a huge fan of the magnetic phone mount, why people use anything else is beyond me (unless you are literally racing the baja 1000). I designed the mounts to fit with a generic amazon magnetic mount and included a slot so they can easily slide onto the pic rail. There is a bolt through the back of the mount to tighten it down once you have it in position.

I would consider selling these but honestly I can't imagine a price high enough to be worth my time, while being low enough that anyone else would want to pay for it, especially considering there's a high chance its going to look deflated come the first 90° day next summer.


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1634585787746.png

1634585802762.png
This is awesome! This would be a perfect use case for a metal 3D printer. I’ve kicked around producing our TAP rail that way. The cost of a metal 3D printer is a pretty big deterrent, though. I definitely have to commend you on the design and bringing it into the world! Nice work! 🤙🏽
 

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For those new to this and thinking of getting a printer, anticipate some fiddling and fussing to get a machine dialed in and producing well. There’s absolutely a learning curve - if you expect that going in, it’ll help avoid disappointment/frustration.

That said, it’s very rewarding and not terribly costly.

I do suggest at least PETG for anything that will live in a vehicle in summer. PLA can soften at pretty low temps.
 

Phil

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Updated with link to file: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5024535

I have a 3D printer so I decided to draw up and print a mini accessory rail. The picatinny rail section I had is only 5.5 inches but you can buy longer ones on amazon. (This is just what I had already).

I should put up the disclaimer that I don't have high hopes of this holding up on hot summer days but its not hot right now, and there's nothing on the market anyway!

So far it works great, just wrapped up a 1000 mile road trip up to Copper Harbor and back with well over 50 miles off-road. Everything held firm and steady and it didn't take long for it to feel like a seamlessly integrated part of the Bronco.

The Rail: It is just a 5.5" 13 slot aluminum m-lok to picatinny rail adapter from amazon (part of a bundle I bought previously) and a 3D printed base. The rail has two screws which fasten it to the PLA base, but I also opted to add superglue to make sure the rail isn't coming off easily. I designed the base to use the same accessory mount and to fit firmly over the center pocket on the dash.

The phone mount: I am a huge fan of the magnetic phone mount, why people use anything else is beyond me (unless you are literally racing the baja 1000). I designed the mounts to fit with a generic amazon magnetic mount and included a slot so they can easily slide onto the pic rail. There is a bolt through the back of the mount to tighten it down once you have it in position.

I would consider selling these but honestly I can't imagine a price high enough to be worth my time, while being low enough that anyone else would want to pay for it, especially considering there's a high chance its going to look deflated come the first 90° day next summer.


1634585733909.png

1634585776350.png

1634585787746.png

1634585802762.png
how long did it take to print that rail holder? been googling around and youtubing these printers and seems like most things take many hours or a day to print
 

Toecutter

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im definitely going to try this i have a 3d printer that is capable of using abs for smaller items like this, the ones being made out of aluminum currently look nice but have a price thats a little high for me, i have also been wanting to model something in our cad at work to make out of aluminum on the cnc mill i just need my bronco so i can get measurements
 
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JeepersCreepers

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Very nice. These are clever and unique solutions to be proud of.

I am still perplexed that the BYOD rail still remains at large. It was one of the interior accessories that caught everyone's attention at the initial launch (including me) and although it is just a small thing, I'd like to have one and by now I thought I could've. That people are willing to go to these lengths shows that someone, somewhere missed the opportunity to service the market at an early juncture.
 

jehines3

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I will likely still do that, but prototyping with wood takes FOREVER compared to designing it in CAD and printing it out.

I already CAD all my woodworking projects before I build them so I comprehend the process without wasting material. Once I find a good design, I'll likely make it from wood..
You can actually buy wood based print media now. It’s freaking awesome. Not sure of the binder material and hot weather for that product though. I didn’t use my 3D printer much in the last year, after a few failed ABS projects, so I disassembled it and put it in the box. This may have me pulling it back out. If you can’t run it on ABS or another high temp material it won’t make it.
 

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how long did it take to print that rail holder? been googling around and youtubing these printers and seems like most things take many hours or a day to print
The base took about 8 hours, and the phone mounts took a little less than that I think. Time is very dependent on how you "slice" it. Slicing is the part of the process where you generate G-code, dictating things like number of walls, infill density, layer height etc. I've done multiple prints that took a whole week! so anything less than a day to me seems fairly convenient.
 

KyTruckPlant

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You can actually buy wood based print media now. It’s freaking awesome. Not sure of the binder material and hot weather for that product though. I didn’t use my 3D printer much in the last year, after a few failed ABS projects, so I disassembled it and put it in the box. This may have me pulling it back out. If you can’t run it on ABS or another high temp material it won’t make it.
For those new to this and thinking of getting a printer, anticipate some fiddling and fussing to get a machine dialed in and producing well. There’s absolutely a learning curve - if you expect that going in, it’ll help avoid disappointment/frustration.

That said, it’s very rewarding and not terribly costly.

I do suggest at least PETG for anything that will live in a vehicle in summer. PLA can soften at pretty low temps.
Thank you for sharing your design. I'll be printing one out of nylon 12 next week.
I had heard that carbon fiber impregnated nylon can be as strong as aluminum in some use cases, but is very abrasive, and you need to use hardened steel tips.
 

Garemlin

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That's pretty cool. Nice work. I'm sure you could sell a ton of these.
 

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Would an ABS filament perform better under hot conditions?
ABS works, but PETG is typically a better product to print and it's just easier to work with. PETG should hold up over time. I have used some PLA stuff on car mounts in my car, haven't had warping yet, but then again they aren't in direct sunlight.
 

Petey

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I'm printing out a test now to see how it looks! Results in the next 8-10 hours!
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