C-clamp / G-clamp cap and top

This is a replacement cap for g-clamps that can be fit in diameter and even removed without breaking it.

Since I have clamps with a diameter of 19,5 mm and 17,8 mm I added a stl-file for these dimensions with a thickness of 1 mm for the bottom. If the dimensions from above don’t fit for you the settings for the following points can be adjusted for the cap:

• inner diameter

• inner height

• bottom/wall thickness

• removability

For the top-caps I used for the first a width of 14 mm, a height 3 mm, a length of 21 mm and a gap of 5,4 mm and for the second a width of 18,4 mm, a height 4,7 mm, a length of 25 mm and a gap of 5,5 mm. If these dimensions don’t fit for you the settings for the following points can be adjusted for the top-cap:

• width

• height

• length

• gap_width

• shell

I used PLA which works great for me for now. If you can and want to print with some material that has more flexibility maybe disable the removability feature since it relies on the stiffness of the material and the gaps would be counterproductive.

While working on the final design I broke some clips and printed some with a wrong size. These caps can still be used for mixing paint. You might also be able to use them to cover bottles or other objects with round openings.

Post-Printing

After printing...

...snap it on the clamp. If there is some resistance remember that you have the right tool for applying some gentle pressure already in you hands. That's it.

How I Designed This =================== I'm pretty sure that I'm not the first one who has (nearly) broken or missing caps for other than that still perfectly working G-clamps. Since the peace of wood I used as replacement tended to come loose (when I was in a hurry) it was time to find a more permanent replacement. So I thought that there has to be already something useful on thingiverse as printable replacement. However everything is with fixed sizes as if there was only one in the whole universe...

'original', first designs and working cap.

While creating a OpenSCAD that solves the size and wall thickness problem I also wanted to design it removable (without breaking it). After some testing it already serves a good job in my workshop.

Category: Parts

Design and description by pixelhaufen , licensed CC-BY-SA.