From the Loftsmith Workshop

Nut and magnet tolerance test with pause-at-height layer

Saves you from guessing whether your printer's nut and magnet pockets will hold. One small plate has hex pockets and round magnet pockets at three clearances, each labeled, so you pick the one that fits. Set your magnet's diameter and height to match.

1 part · 10 g · 55 × 43 × 6 mm

by Loftsmith Workshop

Flat rounded plate with three hex nut pockets, three round magnet pockets and engraved clearance labels
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No adjustable sizes

Ask for the sizes you want to tweak, e.g. “make the width adjustable”.

Change it in the Studio

Parts

  • block · PLA · Flat on its bottom face, as modelled

    Everything printed before the pause: the floors, the bolt holes and the pocket walls, up to Z 4.40 at the defaults. Each row's floor is set so all the hardware tops out at the same height. PLA is stiff and dimensionally steady, which is what a clearance test needs.

  • roof · PLA (filament 2 optional) · Printed in place on top of the block, same object

    Everything printed after the pause: a 1.6 mm roof with the clearance labels and pause layer cut through it, hex marks over the nuts and rings over the magnets. Swap to a second colour at the pause for the two-tone look, or keep one colour.

Print settings

Layer height
0.20 mm with a 0.20 mm first layer (set both sliders to match your slicer profile; the pause layer depends on them)
Walls
2
Infill
15%
Supports
None
Notes
About 11 g and 16 minutes at 2 walls/15% for the default block (55 x 43.4 x 6 mm, M3 nuts and 8 x 3 mm magnets). Add a pause before layer 23 (Z 4.60 in the slicer) at the defaults; the number updates with the sliders and is cut into the top. Larger nuts or magnets, or the 608 row, make the block big

Hardware

  • 3 × M3 hex nut, ISO 4032 (5.5 mm across flats x 2.4 mm) · Default nut size. The Nut size option also gives M4 (7 x 3.2), M5 (8 x 4.7), M6 (10 x 5.2) or M8 (13 x 6.8). The roof has a bolt-clearance hole over each nut and overlaps it by at least 0.8 mm per sid
  • 3 × Round magnet, 8 mm diameter x 3 mm · Default magnet row, set by the sliders from 3 to 20 mm diameter and 1 to 6 mm high. The roof over the magnets is closed, with no hole (the 'Closed roof over the magnets' check). Turn the Magnet row op
  • 3 × 608 bearing (8 x 22 x 7 mm) · Optional, with the 608 bearing row option. A 14 mm hole in floor and roof keeps the inner race free, and the roof covers the outer ring face. This uses typical catalogue diameters of 12.1 mm (inner-ri
  • M3 bolt, any length · Optional. It passes right through: a 3.4 mm hole runs through the floor, the nut and the roof, so you can thread it through each nut to check alignment and that the nut doesn't spin.

Assembly

  1. Set the Layer height and First layer height sliders to the values in your slicer profile, choose the nut size and magnet size, and read the pause layer from the 'Pause before layer' check (default: layer 23, shown at Z 4.60). The same number is engraved on the block.
  2. Slice the block flat with no supports and no variable layer height. On the layer slider, select that layer and add a pause there. In the preview, confirm the layer before it is the last one with open pockets.
  3. When the printer pauses, drop a nut or magnet into each pocket and press it flat with tweezers. It must sit flush or below the pocket top. Don't force a part into the tightest pocket; if it won't go in, that's your result.
  4. Resume, swapping filament first if you want a two-colour roof. The first roof layer bridges over the hardware 0.20 mm above it at the defaults.
  5. After printing, shake the block, run a bolt right through each nut, and feel each magnet with a steel tool. Choose the smallest clearance in each row that accepted the part without force and holds it without rattling, and use that clearance in your own designs.

Good to know

  • The pause layer assumes a constant layer height above the first layer and no variable or adaptive layers. Always confirm it in the slicer preview before printing; a wrong pause means the nozzle can hit the hardware.
  • Clearances and the pause layer were checked in the Loftsmith engine, not printed. Which pocket holds best depends on your printer, filament and slicer, which is what the test is for.
  • Strong magnets can jump toward a steel nozzle when printing resumes. Use the tightest pocket that accepts them or a small drop of glue, and mark the polarity before closing them in.
  • This shows fit and seating only. It does not measure pull-out strength, torque or magnetic holding force through the roof.
  • The 608 checks use typical catalogue diameters for the inner-ring shoulder (12.1 mm) and outer-ring land (19 mm); measure your bearings if they differ. PLA softens at about 55 °C.
I printed this Remix

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