F2 (read: "Finally Final") Cable Chain Clip

F2 (read: "Finally Final") Cable Chain Clip 

…. Uhhh … What ?? Another Cable Chain Clip?

Well … yes. This is a PTFE Tube Chain Clip, but this is NOT just another one. Not ordinary clip that you know... It's actually a Pretty Cool Clip :-) Its universal solution allows you to attach the PTFE tube either from above or from the side, so you can adjust the PTFE tube routing exactly according to your needs and ideas.

Moreover, both holders are FULLY ROTATABLE (print in place) so they adapt to the tube as needed - in different places on the printbed, in different positions, the tube changes its shape, tension, slope ... and the F2 Clip can respond thanks to its rotating holders. The result should be the last clip you will ever need for your printer - that's why it's called F2 - Finally Final :-)

The model also includes an optional "CoverHat" - I added this for my friend with OCD :-)  who was bothered by the idea that something might get caught in the unused "open jaws" of the clip. CoverHat solves this. It fits into the unused jaws and thus "disables" them :-) In addition, CoverHat can be printed in a different color than the F2 clip itself, creating a pretty cool effects :-)

IMPORTANT - Technical information - please read carefully … 

The rotating mechanism is printed as "print in place". Given the size of the model/clip, it is really tiny … delicate, so printing it can be a little tricky. For success, I recommend carefully reading and following the instructions below:

Loosening the rotating mechanism

After printing, it is necessary to manually loosen the rotating pins by turning them. Use a small & reasonable amount of force to loosen them. On the contrary, after initial loosening, I recommend thoroughly "running in" the mechanism. The more time you spend on it now, the better and more freely it will work for you later in the printer.

BTW, wait after print is finished, let the model cool down properly. If you try to move the rotating mechanism too soon, you risk destroying it (unnecessarily).

Installation

F2Clip has protrusions that, when properly seated, prevent the clip from slipping along the chain. During installation, gently push the clip onto the chain and carefully slide it sideways / back and forth to find the spot where it clicks into the chain (it has a small amount of movement, approx. 2mm on each side). Then it will fit properly, not open up, and stay in place.

Material

I strongly advise against PLA. Not only is it unsuitable for use in the print chamber (temperatures), but there are also problems with its use to print this model - see below for more details. 

PETG, with which the model was developed and tested, seems ideal. It should provide as trouble-free printing as possible and subsequent use. If you want to use a more temperature resistant filament, the model has also been tested with ASA. I have not tried any other, more advanced materials in this case.  Personally, I use F2 Clips printed from ASA. 

Print BY OBJECT not BY Layer !!!

The prepared print profile - Plate1 - contains 5pcs of F2 Clip (imho a sufficient number) and is set so that the individual clips will be printed sequentially - BY OBJECT. This is IMPORTANT !!! If the printing method is changed to BY LAYER (which is more common), the clips will not print correctly - the rotating mechanism will most likely "jam" and cannot be released - it will break.

The reason for this is the behavior of the slicer (which is not yet entirely clear to me), where printing multiple objects together in "By Layer" mode increases the FlowRate to a value that causes the rotating connection to print incorrectly (as a whole/glued). There are several possible solutions to this, but only PRINT BY OBJECT is user-friendly and simple.

Slow Speed .. SLOW

The print profile is set to a very low speed, and this has a purpose (among other things to keep the flow at a low value). Do not increase it ... or feel free to try increasing it, but you have a higher risk of unsuccessful printing. In addition, with a small model size, the time difference between a low/reliable speed and a high/risky speed is minimal (not worth it, imho).

0.16mm Layer High Quality

This resolution was chosen deliberately - again in an effort to support trouble-free printing of the rotating mechanism. Printing also works at 0.20, but not as reliably. Again, the time savings when using .020 are minimal.

"LuckyCube" 

On Plate1, along with the F2 clips, there is also a small "sacrificial" object (a cube measuring 10x10x2mm). It has no later use - it's just printed first and its job is to "warm up the printer" and prepare it for the delicate work that awaits it :-) 

Seriously – to be honest, I don't really know how and why it works, but if the printer is "cold" (it's the first print of the day), it used to happen that the clip print failed. If the LuckyCube is printed first, the print usually turns out OK. The exact reason? I don't know, but let's call it superstition :-) If you don't believe in superstition and don't want to waste time printing it (about 2 minutes), or if you have a printer running all day, warmed already, feel free to turn it off (mark it as non-printable) or delete it at all.

CoverHat 

is on the second Plate2 and there are no restrictions associated with its printing. CoverHat is actually optional - F2 Clip does not need it - it is just an accessory. But nice :-)

Support/Brim - No support needed (it would actually break the model, I think) and also no Brim is necessary (at least in my case).

Problems with printing and using PLA?

Additional info for printing with PLA, or in situations where printing (rotary mechanism) fails

The main source of the problem when the rotating mechanism fails to release after printing (it is stuck) is a higher Flow Rate value. PETG material, like ASA and similar materials, has a default FlowRateRatio parameter set to 0.95 or lower. With this value, printing should be OK.

However, PLA has a default parameter set to 0.98 or even higher (in case the user has calibrated the filament themselves). With this value, the model simply could not be printed in a functional form (at least not for me). If you insist on printing with PLA, you will need to change the FlowRateRatio to 0.95 or less in the specific filament settings. Then it works (verified). Use this low value to print the F2 Clip and then return it to original value (suitable for printing normal larger, static objects).

You can also experiment with changing (lowering) the FlowRateRatio parameter for other materials (PETG, ASA, ABS, etc.) when printing is not successful - for example you have previously performed Flow calibration and increased the value of this parameter above 0.95. 
Then … just for this print …  LOWER it ! 

Moreover each printer and filament is different, and such a small model is actually sensitive to even minor differences. Try reducing the parameter value by 0.01 or 0.02 and print again. This should help. Test one object only, then print all of them. After printing F2 clip, return parameter to the original value.

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That's all, I think, folks ... 
I wish you successful printing and hope you enjoy the F2 clip.