H960 blank panel clips

[Vincent Slyngstad]

From: Noel Chiappa: Monday, July 27, 2015 8:58 AM
> Time to find someone who can do injection molding... (I don't think these
> could be 3D printed, the necks of the bulb-heads are under a lot of stress
> when removing panels, they often snap off; will 3D printed parts be that
> strong?)

They are actually pretty straight-forward to cast, especially if you don't 
need the metal nut in the middle.  I've made molds with RTV, then cast 
parts out of 2 part resin.  The molds do wear out, where you pull the 
bulb-heads through.

I've also had them 3D printed successfully, and if you're careful about 
the print direction, the bulb-heads are sufficiently strong in ABS.  (I 
haven't tried it in PLA.  Sintered nylon would also probably work, but 
would be expensive.)

From: quapla: Monday, July 27, 2015 9:14 AM
> Maybe a future possibility to have a (maybe Chinese) manufacturer make
> a batch of 1000, 2000 or maybe 10000 clips with a type of plastic which
> is slightly more flexible so that they do not break off to quickly?

I like that they almost always break before the panel itself does, so 
don't make them too strong.  I actually damaged a panel once by 
replacing the bulb-head with a screw (head).  (Maybe should have 
used a nylon screw.)

Also, there are several flavors.  You can see a few toward the bottom of:
http://www.so-much-stuff.com/pdp8/cad/3d.php
though I don't have that exact flavor with the nut in the center.  That makes 
ordering 10000 a challenge, since what's actually needed is probably a 
mix of the various flavors.

    Vince