Impressively Strong Farm, Garden & Cord Ties

I originally designed this as I needed a strong and robust flexible tree tie to support newly planted trees to support posts.  I did not find any other options that were both strong enough to support the loads needed, were flexible enough to not damage new bark, could be easily repositioned and adjusted over time, and could be easily and cheaply 3d printed.  Since this didn't seem to exist yet, I designed it myself. After a few iterations, I was able to achieve exactly what I needed. 

While designed for agriculture, this tie has proven equally as useful for pretty much any task that a strong reusable tie is needed for.  I use them across the garden, for anything that is trellised or needs secured to a stake or post.  I added a version recently that attaches to electric extension cords or power tools (any cord or rope really) so when you are finished you can easily secure the coil for tidy storage.  The uses are pretty much endless.

If you need extra length, simple attach multiple ties together!

Originally I printed these with non-bambu lab TPU90, TPU85 or TPE86 (lower the number correlates an increase of material flexibility, softness and elasticity).  I have also found that due to its elasticity, TPU85 has a much higher breaking point in practice.  For demonstration, see attached photo of a TPU90 strap easily supporting 20lbs (9 kgs for you enlightened, base 10 people, who think measures should make sense ). In previous tests I hung well over 80lbs before I stopped for fear of destroying my floor should it fail. You can be confident that you will not break the strap when used for typical tasks.  The only weak place I have seen is the delamination of the teeth, but this only happened under high use and was an early print profile that used print speeds far above what the profiles above are set to. 

With Bambu now rolling out their own line of TPU, and the refining of the default TPU print parameters, I suggest starting with the these before modifying, as TPU isn't the easiest of materials to print.   I have had great success using newer Bambu TPU profiles with my stockpile of non Bambu TPU.  When I run low of my current TPU supply, I will be giving the Bambu TPU a try to see how it compares.  The price of the Babmu TPU is lower than most other TPU's I have bought thus far, so hoping it it performs as well if not better.  If you print with it, I would love to know how it works for you. 

I will mention that I had concerns with UV damage early on.  However my first version ties have been through 1.5 years of exposure to rain, sun, heat, and snow and aside from a little dirt and grime, they look, feel, and function just like day 1.  

Last note for now, TPU90 prints really well with a 0.4mm hotend, but TPU85/86 can be challenging.  The new Bambu TPU85 profile only works with a 0.6mm hotend.  My tests with the 0.6mm hotend nozzle have been fantastic, but print times are mind-bogglingly slow for some reason.  Still need to tweak and see if this can be improved.  

Anyway, enjoy and let me know how it works for you all.  Cheers!