3D Printed Pipe Connectors, Awesome Practical Use

**Larry** · 05-10-2014, 09:11 AM

What I hear the most of skeptics of 3D printing are things like, "Yeah you can make little tinkets, but how about items which are actually useful," or "3D printers are just toys, you can't make anything at home that's actually practical, which will save you money." Usually the people making these remarks are misinformed about the technology in general, but it's easy to get misinformed.

Well, here is an extremely practical use to 3D printing. It's the making of pipe connectors. What happens if you are running pipining and the usual 45 or 90 degree angled connectors won't work the most efficiently? Just 3D print your own custom connector. Check out some of the pictures below. What a great way to use a 3D printer:

**RobH2** · 05-10-2014, 11:55 AM

That's a great idea but I worry about water-tightness and and pressure resistance. I guess you'd just have to do it and test it to know.

**RobH2** · 05-10-2014, 04:11 PM

I just did a test. I downloaded this hose nozzle from Thingiverse (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:26730) and printed it with a layer height of .2 at a speed to 30mm. It has a fantastic stream but it leaks like crazy. I printed with no infill, i.e., a solid object.

To be fair, there is nothing scientific about my first test here and with a few more iterations, I may be able to figure out how to make it more watertight, but my initial feelings about 3d printed parts being used as plumbing parts, especially if they are mission critical or under pressure, are that you should be careful. An expensive commercial 3d printer may be able to make sufficient parts but our basic RepRap printers may not.

I used Pet+ to print this. It's possible that if I use ABS and then smooth it, the smoothing will seal it. I may try that later.

Here's a shot of mine in action. Maybe I'll use if for a "soaker"...lol....

Hose_Failure.jpg

**jimc** · 05-10-2014, 04:38 PM

i agree. its a great idea but its weak, and even if it is watertight, that is gal pipe so who knows what kind of psi someone will decide to run through it. someone can get easily hurt by flying plastic. i could see someone using on their compressed air system or something like that. for display, maybe toys, a prototype or even a mold for investment casting its great.

**RobH2** · 05-10-2014, 06:21 PM

Agreed. I'll tell you a trend I'm seeing a lot. And it's not necessarily their fault but a lot of people who are casual observers of 3d printing are seeing it as a replacement for all other manufacturing processes. No doubt, 3d printing is an exciting technology and is a game changer for many purposes. The fact that it's accessible to the common person is where the problems start. Regular folks don't know about or understand injection molding, blow molding, casting, extrusion and a host of other manufacturing processes. Few of these will be affected by 3d printing. But, 3d printing is all the buzz and everyone is clambering to figure out how they can become billionaires using it. Believe me, billionaires will be made with it over the next few years. I hope I'm one of them...lol...

I applaud people trying to find uses for 3d printers, but I also think it's dangerous to try to replace better production techniques with it. Part of the design process is wild exploration. You have to reach way out but you also have to come way back in when you find that it's not working. We certainly need to adopt and propel 3d printing but we need to keep our giddiness from causing us to make bad decisions about where and how to use it.

Where I see the attraction for the common man is the ability to cut out what we all know are huge profits from manufacturers. Why pay $29 for a phone case when you know it only costs them a few bucks to manufacture it? That makes us all mad. Why not make your own for a dollar of filament? That's exciting and there are certainly money saving opportunities for 3d printers being in everyone's home. But, in the end, you are only going to save hundreds of dollars and not thousands. After you print all of your cabinet knobs (that will have inferior finishes), your phone cases (that aren't as nice and slick as Apple's), your this and that, you will run out of things that you actually need to make on your own. I see so much promise for 3d printing and RepRap, but, I don't think it's going to change the world after the new smell is gone. It will give us a step up the ladder, but it's going to ease off I think unless there is another massive technological development associated with it such that it essentially becomes a Star Trek Replicator. Until that happens, it's just another tool in the kit for manufacturing, but not the Holy Grail.

Don't think I'm a hater because I do own and love my 3d printer. It has opened a world up for me that I had no access to. I don't have a metal shop so now I and prototype parts. It's so incredible for that. But, 99% of the public does not need to be able to do that. I'm just watching and observing the hype and trends. I hope that I am wrong and it changes the world in some profound way that I'm not currently seeing.

I'm laughing at myself now as I see what I just typed. Maybe I need to move this to "Off Topic." Anyway, I rambled a bit...

**beerdart** · 05-10-2014, 07:40 PM

Rob you would be surprised how much the DIY 3D print world will and has changed life. From the bonding of father and son to reinventing the "wheel" its a great technicality and will always be. Now we have theses bright minds off Nintendo and spending time designing stuff what ever that might be its positive. Crap it got me to try new things and i love it. From the build and design of the machine to the software behind the scene im always looking for more.

An idle mind is a waste..
Keep Thinking..
beerdart 2014 ©

**RobH2** · 05-11-2014, 12:36 AM

I absolutely agree. I'm sure there are 1000's of stories like yours. My son is off and gone to college but there is no doubt that it has created an unexpected side effect. If it does nothing else besides get dads, moms, kids and everyone to plug their minds into something other than a computer game then that alone is a win-win. There is a place in the 3d printing world to be just that and nothing more. Families can have fun making things and learning. What's great is that there will be huge new crop of experimenters. And, some of them will innovate and take the industry in new directions. I'm a convert and a believer and I'm not trying to minimize the importance of this technology.

**dreece** · 02-08-2016, 10:23 AM

I agree with you that you can actually make useful things with a 3D printer, but pipe fittings are tough. A pipe fitting is tapered and the outward (hoop) stress will split the layers apart easily. I have had some success in wrapping the fitting with thread and then epoxy coating the thread reinforcement in place. For straight threads in ABS printed parts, I have used heat set threaded inserts with great success, but those are not watertight. There are some watertight, straight thread types that use an oring to seal. I have not tried those.

**RobH2** · 02-08-2016, 10:57 AM

I've tried about 10 times to print something, anything, that is watertight. So far I have not succeeded. No matter what my layer height or how many outer layers, or even solid infill, I can't get a watertight print in ABS, PET, PLA or Nylon.