Simplify Assembly with Glue Slots | Design for Mass Production 3D Printing

Understanding the right design techniques is crucial for creating durable and cohesive assemblies. In this episode of Design for Mass Production 3D Printing, we go over some of these techniques, in order to uncover the benefits of manufacturing products with 3D printing.

We'll walk you through the intricacies of applying glue to 3D printed objects, highlighting how to leverage 3D printing's unique ability to design parts with enhanced surface features for superior glue adhesion. From exploring the challenges of traditional gluing methods to showcasing the innovative solutions offered by 3D printing, we cover it all.

Discover how to design parts with relief cuts, internal cavities, and precise glue paths to ensure a stronger mechanical bond and more controlled glue application. We provide expert advice on optimizing your designs for better adhesion, taking into account material properties and the critical role of first-layer adhesion.

Join us to unlock the full potential of your 3D printed projects. Learn how to achieve seamless assemblies that boast not only aesthetic appeal but also unparalleled structural integrity, making your creations more reliable and easier to manufacture.

If you want to learn more about how you can transform your approach to manufacturing products with mass production 3D printing, don't forget to subscribe to Slant 3D!

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About Slant 3D

🏭 High-Volume 3D Printing: Scalability Meets Flexibility
Slant 3D's Large-Scale 3D Print Farms utilize 1000's of FDM 3D printers working 24/7 to offer limitless scalability and unparalleled flexibility. Whether it's 100 or 100,000 parts, our system can handle it reliably, while still allowing for real-time design updates, ensuring products evolve with the times. This adaptability is key in today's fast-paced world.

🌿 Sustainable Manufacturing: Eco-Friendly Efficiency
Embrace a system that drastically reduces carbon emissions by eliminating carbon-intensive steps in the supply chain, such as global shipping and warehousing. Our approach minimizes this footprint, offering a more sustainable manufacturing option.

⚙️ Digital Warehouses: Parts On-Demand
Think of print farms as a "Digital Warehouse", meaning we can store your parts digitally on a server rather than physically on a shelf. parts are available on-demand, reducing the need for extensive physical inventory.

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Produced by Slant Media

[DigiLab]

Thank you for being so generous with your knowledge. I've learnt so much from you that I now apply to my personal 3D design and printing.

[ZURAD]

Love to see the mention of adhesives in 3D printing. Using glues in assembly is often overlooked, especially by small companies! This is a process that is easily automatable, which decreases overall costs for fulfillment!

[m]

What type of glue do you use for these applications? I use superglue and 2-part epoxy regularly but epoxy is often quite thick so it would require a lot of pressure to push it into a channel. And I'm not sure if superglue is meant to be applied so thick that it can fill cavities. In your video it looks like you used white Elmer's glue or something similar?
Also, these types of patterns that you showed in the beginning could also be useful for silicone that doesn't stick, where the silicone has to actually grip the part. Very cool!

[christianraafkes]

Brillant and show the potential of 3d printing

[shurmurray]

Yep. One day I was making an adapter for low-pressure air. There was a tube with treaded end and I needed to connect it to a 3D printed part - both mechanically and with air-tight seal. I designed a hole to just unsert threaded end in. And additional cavity around to pour the epoxy from the top when the threaded end already in place. Turned out perfectly.
Also there is some strange satisfaction glueing such stuff, especially when the part is clear and you can actually observe glue as it flows in.

[Badbufon]

people REALLY hate glue in the comments lol, i find this video insightful for having tricks in the toolbox to solve different kinds of designs, sometimes things are really small and you cannot do dovetails or other mechanical structures that deform the print or require exact tolerances, make a hole insert glue seems interesting and i will try it someday for sure.

[MatthewBHoth]

Not to the stage with our TPU product where it's appropriate to contact you yet, but am absolutely LOVING these nerdy manufacturing. THANK YOU for these

[jonnyhifi]

Another superb video - thank you. I just hadn’t thought of these subtle ways of dealing with glue. I really like the idea of the serpentine channel to threads you touched on at the end.

I’ve got a whole lot of plastite screws in a . Design I want to thread lock -
I’d be really interested for your thoughts on how best to do that to minimise hassle / failure in assembly.

I’m using plastite screws to avoid heat inserts / tapping / helicoils etc or the always near disaster of assuming machine threads will “self tap ok” into plastic. They just don’t compared to thread forms designed for the task!

[babylonfive]

The glue channel you showed wouldn't work well, as air would get trapped on the end of the circle... much better to make an exit channel right next to the entry channel and require the glue to go all the way around the loop and appear at the other end to assure the entire loop was filled. Refer to mold-making knowledge where they leave a entry channel and a 'vent' channel.

[JohnUllrey]

A dovetail joint made from glue, very cool.

[alaingrignon]

@gabe man I love these videos. You inspire so many new ways to think of design. That channel filling makes me think of how you can use epoxy to fill in an I beam style groove that crosses 2 parts. Once hardened it creates its own structural clamp. Keep them coming! You also reminded me that I need to submit my models to you for a quote on printing them on demand since I plan on launching my business this month. On that note, what do you recommend for lead time to setup a print on demand service with you? I’ll be doing this through a Shopify store.

[BloodyMobile]

3:21 ...how's the air getting out in this example? I don't know any glue that'd be liquid-y enough to work with such a shape in the way shown.
Best case would be the air eventually deciding to bubble up, creating a mess when it bursts out from below the glue, but most likely case would be it just sitting there, not letting enough glue past in the first place.

That aside, this topic is really something I never even considered for my designs. Most of the time I already had a hard time getting alignment features to actually align after printing. But glue "hooks" are something that never crossed my mind until now.

[Stuart_F]

That's pretty cool and a great idea, but what about increased print time from more complex geometries, would that not add cost.

[oliverherzog]

Well if you exclusively focus on glue this video is helpful.
But IMHO every glue surface should be protected with anti shear help to get it lasting as long as possible.
Or aligning help shoult be considered part of a glueing interface.

[WhyplayGaming]

Another thing to test is by adding force too the glue will it seap threw the layer lines and will this make it stronger

[patricktierney]

This is a nice little topic. I remember asking about something similar a while back. Very cool to see it explored in greater depth.

[WhyplayGaming]

It would be good to see if pouring the glue inside a parts weak point makes it stronger.
And what glue is best, so it flows and has great addhition to itself and the part. IE you could use resin, PVA, super glue.

[AerialWaviator]

I was surprised to see white glue being used. My assumption had been that drying time would be increased, but clearly Slant 3d has tested this. Typically I've stuck to cyanoacrylates (superglue) or hot glue on prints.
The topic of glues and when/where each type is more appropriate might be useful topic for production design.
Realizing the best glue is no glue, but realistically there are times when glue is the right tool.

[shurmurray]

3:21 white liquid *inpregnating* the 3D printed part looks so mesmerizing.

[oldphart-zcjz]

Glue HOLES are handy too, and commonly used on metal parts like aircraft wiring standoffs. Complementary voids can make much stronger joints then otherwise at negative cost (less filament used though the amount is trivial).