Parametric Styrofoam EPS XPS Foam Screw Anchor

This is my take on printed anchors. I designed them for use with XPS foam from which I made an enclosure for my 3D printer. In combination with wood screws an washers they can be used to hold together foam boards or mount things like hinges or in my case also a spool holder. If the foam is dense enough you get a quite tough connection. 

It is parametric and can be adjusted within quite a range with very basic FreeCAD knowledge.

The gcode file is just a sample printed in PETG. But PLA works just as well. In fact I used this project to get rid of some particularly bad PLA since you wont see the print defects anyway.

The FreeCAD (version 0.21.2) model is adjustable (within reason) by just typing in the parameters in the dimensions table. 

Printing advice:

1. use 0.6mm nozzle and 0.30mm layer height, no need to make the screws/anchors pretty
2. set your slicer to print the screws/anchors individually if you print a whole batch to reduce stringing 

Usage advice:

1. hold printed anchor with a towel/rag and then pre-drill it with the desired screw (see  picture or check video)
2. do not use for load bearing applications/use common sense ;)

Needed hardware:

• woodscrews
• washers

Enjoy.

Check the video for more instructions on how to customize the screws/anchors for your needs and see some sample usage: