After walking around with some ideas for simplifying the mechanisms of the first version of UTILITY KNIFE inspired by HP Precision, which I designed a little over two years ago while learning CAD modelling and 3D FDM printing on my first Prusa printer, I present to you:
UTILITY KNIFE 2.0
A complete redesign, now fully improved and refreshed!
compatible with most standard trapezoid utility blades!
Some major improvements include:
permanent locking mechanism while open to prevent knife from closing while in use
closed back which reduces risk of knife opening while kept on key ring or stored in backpack/pocket significantly!
incorporated sliding and blade change mechanism, now 2 in 1, which allows for much sturdier design, eliminates weak spot and should improve lifespan significantly!
overall size slightly reduced to speed up print time
improved design and ergonomics
improved smiley, wipe away those tears!
elimination of spring mechanism in lower body allows for half of the knife to be printed in PLA
improved and tweaked tolerances for very smooth and sturdy feel!
Notes on printing:
infill → 100%
BODY → PLA/PET-G
SLIDER → PET-G only!
I print with 3 perimeters!
for transparent filaments infill could be reduced to around 70% for looks, try it out!
→ Please leave a comment if you'd like me to upload gcodes for MINI or MK series.
Tip for accuracy of print, in case you're having trouble:
the sliding mechanism needs accurate first layer leveling! If you print with elephants foot (flat first layer) you might print a stiff or perhaps even unusable utility knife! Calibrate your first layer and if without success, print ‘UTILITY_KNIFE_2.0_SLIDER_BADPRINTER’ for lower tolerances, this might help! (I'm sorry I don't mean to insult your printer.)
It can help to let the print cool down on the build plate to around 30°C to avoid unnecessary warping.
Believe me or not: if at first the mechanism does not slide smoothly, assemble the two parts and let the print rest for an hour or two, for lack of better wording I'd say the two parts find their final shape when assembled and it works wonders!
Notes on assembly:
as shown in video
Design notes:
I designed everything using FreeCAD, fully parametric, final version 4.5.2 - about 40 test prints with major and minor iterations, great fun!
sliding mechanism demonstration:
blade change demonstration:
All beautiful renders and animation of the model, based on its actual print g-codes (!) by Joseph Töreki <3 → https://www.darkdragonlord.de/
VINNIE3000
