Heat Set Threaded Inserts

[Sowa]

I had a part that I wanted to try a blind hole mounting solution. Makes it much easier to print with no overhanging material, or increased build time due to support material.

I ordered the M3 threaded inserts from McMaster and installation tool: Link

They get installed using a soldering iron with a special installation tip.



With the iron on medium and about 10 sec of heat they easily press in with a little force.



My calibration cubes got printed too hot on accident, so the holes were much smaller than what was suggested on McMaster.

This caused two issues:

- It proved difficult to keep the heat serts centered as it was being installed.

- The extra material will foul the threads. This can be chased by a tap.

I now design a small 3mm hole at the bottom of the tapered bore for the serts. This allows the tap to full pass through the sert should it get fouled, and to act as a reservoir for extra material.

Doing a torque test, I'm incredibly happy with how much torque I can put into an M3 thread. Just holding the parts by hand I could not get the insert to slip. I could however feel the material around the insert deforming. This was at a much higher torque than what I'd use for this type of bolted connection.



Will post later after the parts start seeing some abuse, but so far it looks promising.



I would recommend printing a handful of test parts and get a feel for installing these as they are a little tricky, but with a little practice they are relatively easy to install.

[MariaFan]

Nice!

(I always say that if McMaster doesn't stock it, you don't need it)