Bracket design

In november 2013 a guy called Aleksandr sent us an email asking our input for a design problem.  He sent us an email with some Sketchup pictures laying down the problem. He also made some sketches of possible solutions.
The brackets he proposes will not be taken into production, but the sketches are great to discuss here.  They clearly demonstrate a design problem we often encounter with MakerBeam. In working on our stepper motor brackets for example we encountered the same problem. The problem in short: MakerBeam is definitely small in size!

First the problem Aleksandr had. Aleksander wanted to connect beams crosswise, see below.

Beams to connect crosswise.

He also made pictures of possible brackets that will solve this problem. He was thinking of what looks like a combination of the 90 degree bracket and the corner bracket. We could see his problem. We could also see that this problem could be easily solved by our right angle bracket. Back then we just had received some samples. This helped to explain Aleksandr we were working on a solution. You can see his drawings below and a picture of our solution at the far right.

The brackets suggested by Aleksander make clear it is not easy to create brackets for MakerBeam. Here is an overview of his suggestions.

Suggested corner style brackets

What is not immediately obvious from these drawing is the problem of space. The corner style brackets leave no room a nut driver. Or, since you do need a nut driver, it is better said they leave no room for the bracket itself.
Let’s do the math. The diameter of the nut driver is 8mm (nut outside dimension: 5,5mm). The width of the beam is 10mm. This leaves for ony 1mm of space on both sides for the material. This is too thin for metal to make a strong corner connection.
The diameter of the screw by the way is 2,8mm (M3).

The right angle bracket is a much simpler solution. It is now available in our shop. Here is a link.

Leaving room for a hex nut driver is something that is overlooked in a number of bracket designs we received. We love to hear ideas regarding brackets and are always looking forward to receive new ideas for brackets.  Or for other products suited for MakerBeam (and OpenBeam) for that matter. If you think of designs remember MakerBeam is a wonderful small and lightweight product with the emphasis on small!

Team MakerBeam

Hex nut driver makerbeam

We added a new hex nut driver to our range of accessories.  It is the very first makerbeam branded accessory! We love it. Not just because of the name. That is just a nice touch. We love it because this hex nut driver is suited for both 6mm and 12mm length bolts. It also fits our M3 nuts well.

This hex nut driver, or nut spinner, comes to replace the other hex nut drivers we have for sale.  The small hex nut driver and the regular hex nut driver are no longer available in our shop. The small one could not handle the 12mm length bolts we sold. The regular hex nut driver we thought was too expensive.

The new makerbeam hex nut driver, as mentioned, is suited for both lengths. Plus it is available for a good price.  The third aspect of this nut spinner we love!

Team MakerBeam.eu

4.50 €

Price includes VAT, without delivery

Customers from non EU-countries are not subject to VAT

Our hex nut driver is suited for standard M3 nuts and differnt bolt lengths. Our hex nut driver is suited for both the 6mm and the 12mm length bolts we sell.