Prusa i3 MK3 Y Rod Holder Without Zip Ties by carbonbased

Last crawled date: 3 years, 1 month ago

UPDATE 12/31/2019
Uploaded V2 - bottom part now has provisions for a captured m3 hex nut for the screws that hold the two halves together (per user request). I have not tried it out so use at your own risk. Top part has been made just a hair thinner in the hopes that it will not need filing to prevent rubbing.END OF UPDATE
So, you have waited over three months for your spanking new i3 Mk3, and it is wonderful and all the kids in the neighborhood are jealous of you. In their cruelty, they focus on the one thing on the printer that is...inelegant...and make fun of you for having a printer that is held together with zip ties. This will fix that.
On a serious note, I can kind of see that there are some design constraints that led them to using zip ties for holding down the Y axis rods, the most notable of them being that there is only about 1.2mm of clearance between the top of the rods and the Y-carriage. And I'm sure they work fine, but it just sort of bothered me so I made this part to replace them.
These are modeled after the latest version of the original parts. Some early MK3s had different parts for the front and rear, but they are now the same so you simply have to print four of mine with no worries as to front or back.
I retained the same basic geometry as the original parts with the same exact critical dimensions. Therefore, if you have trouble with something fitting, it's on you.
NOTE
After installation, you will probably need to file/sand down a tiny amount of plastic from the top to prevent rubbing against the Y-carriage. Sorry, but it is a tight fit.