Optical Post Collar

We all love our friends at ThorLabs, but sometimes you just need a quick part and you don't have the cash or time to wait for one to arrive with your order of Lab Snacks. The solution, 3D printable optomechanics designed to print easily and reliably on any FDM 3D printer.

This item is a locking height adjustment post collar to accompany the posts and post holders. Simply slide it over the post and lock identically to the post holder. This Printables listing includes collars for M6, M4, 1/4-20, and 8-32 locking nuts with the default tolerances for the post passage. If you need to adjust tolerances, please see the OnShape Configurator for the post holders.

If you download your parts from OnShape, please download a version from here or drop a like here on Printables so that more people can find the system.

If you find the system useful, please share it with your colleagues. If it makes your lab easier or cheaper to setup, perhaps Buy Me a Coffee so I can continue to develop the system and keep it free and openly available under the Open Community License (OCL) with the General Attribution (GAtt) Plugin.

If you have any issues, please drop a comment or send me a message. Bug fixes and suggestions are greatly appreciated. You are also welcome to develop and upload your own components for the system! Just be sure to share them under OCL or any non-commercial, share-alike license of your choice.

Recommended Print Settings

The system is designed to be as simple to print as possible. No supports, no special materials, no slicer tricks. I started developing the system on a Prusa Mk3s and am now using a Snapmaker U1 and Prusa XL. General printing guidelines are as follows:

• Print in PLA for maximum rigidity and ease of printing. 

• Use PETG, PCTG, or Carbon Fiber reinforced filaments if you need higher temperature stability (staring at your combustion researchers).

• Use three perimeters with five top and bottom layers for best results.

• Designed for a 0.2 mm layer height, but there is not reason you couldn't got thicker or thinner. No particular reason to go smaller as details are designed for 0.2 sizing on a 0.4 mm nozzle.

• Infill is not critical here. I usually use 10% Adaptive Cubic. If you find yourself having warping problems, a non-linear infill type like Gyroid may be helpful.

• While it can be printed in any orientation, printing with the nut pocket facing upwards identically to the orientation of the post holders will ensure like-for-like tolerances.

Assembly and Use Instructions

1. Insert nuts into the appropriate nut pockets. If the tolerance is tight, thread the nut into a screw to provide more leverage when inserting them. Any standard sized flat nut should fit. I sized based on parts ordered from Amazon.co.jp and McMaster.com dimensions.

2. Slot the post into the collar before inserting it into the holder.

3. Tighten the locking screw into the nut from the front. You'll hear a cracking-like sound when the post locks into the holder. This is the post layer lines snapping into the layer line of the holder dovetail. This is where you should stop tightening the locking screw. Tightening further will simply dent the post.

4. Remember, plastic is cheap, your time isn't. Don't kludge things together when you can just configure and print the exact size and type you need.