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3D-printed Flangeless Fittings
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posted on 2022-03-04, 08:37 authored by Andrea du PreezAndrea du Preez, Reinout Meijboom, Elize SmitA flangeless fittings kit was designed using Fusion 360. The kit consist of syringe adapters, unions, flangeless nuts, T-mixers, and male Luers. The fittings and connectors were designed to be compatible with its commercial counterpart. Damaged or misplaced pieces can be replaced at low cost, or the complete kit can be used on its own.
The kit was fabricated using fused filament fabrication (FFF) with polypropylene (PP) as printing material. It can also be fabricated in polylactic acid (PLA). The fittings and connectors were used several times in a flow system with minimal damage to the threading. However, it is important to note that these fittings have a finite lifespan.
A cost analysis showed that approximately 78% of research fund were saved by self-manufacturing the flangeless fittings kit using 3D-printing.
