Threaded inserts for resin prints?

[jaicensolo]

Anyone have any recommendations for adding threaded inserts to 3d prints made in resin? I'm building the Anders PKD from an old kit i've had for several years that I got from the US, and i'm having trouble tapping the m3 holes. The taps are just reaming the resin as it's so soft, so I was thinking of adding an insert of some sort.

The issue is that a lot of the parts are really thin so i'd need quite shallow inserts, and since i can't use heated insertion they'll need to be the knurled type and probably need glue.

Can anyone recommend a source for inserts? I'd be happy with some advice on how to improve the tapped holes, but the resin is so soft I have doubts about the durability of it. I really want to be able to assemble this using the correct fasteners, so I don't want to glue in the screws or anything like that.

As a side note, the clear plastic grips i got with the kit have crazed and cracked and will need to be replaced. i've had them stored in a box, that might have been near a radiator, could that be the issue?

 

[Captain Dunsel]

Anyone have any recommendations for adding threaded inserts to 3d prints made in resin? I'm building the Anders PKD from an old kit i've had for several years that I got from the US, and i'm having trouble tapping the m3 holes. The taps are just reaming the resin as it's so soft, so I was thinking of adding an insert of some sort.

The issue is that a lot of the parts are really thin so i'd need quite shallow inserts, and since i can't use heated insertion they'll need to be the knurled type and probably need glue.

Can anyone recommend a source for inserts? I'd be happy with some advice on how to improve the tapped holes, but the resin is so soft I have doubts about the durability of it. I really want to be able to assemble this using the correct fasteners, so I don't want to glue in the screws or anything like that.

As a side note, the clear plastic grips i got with the kit have crazed and cracked and will need to be replaced. i've had them stored in a box, that might have been near a radiator, could that be the issue?

Standard threaded brass inserts work great and I highly recommend them:

 

[jaicensolo]

Can these be pressed into the resin with an appropriately sized hole? I'd have to shave some of them down quite thin as well. I'm concerned that a press fit could crack on some of the more fragile parts.
I've already found some broken parts like the bulldog grip frame, i assume from storing the kit carelessly. I think the resin used for this print is quite soft but also brittle which is not ideal.
Given the number of fixes i've made to it so far, i'm almost treating it as a dry run with a view to ordering a new kit from TipTop to do a better job.

 

[TazMan2000]

I agree with Captain Dunsel . I've seen people use a soldering pencil to push them in. It would probably work better if the wall count of the print was high, or if the original design had a hole there, so that the slicer would add in walls. Otherwise there would be no strength if the only thing supporting the insert was infill.

TazMan2000

 

[jaicensolo]

To be clear, the kit i'm building is super soft resin that's prone to breaking already so i'm nervous about push fits. Looking at other Anders PKD build threads, the issues i'm having don't seem uncommon, and I guess it's down to the quality of the resin and the print on a case by case basis as to how problematic the kit is. There are some fairly fragile pieces, but so far the parts that i've broken have been substantial, like the bulldog frame and the main part of the Steyr receiver which actually arrived broken.

I've had the kit a long time, several years at least and it came in from an ebay seller in the US before TipTop started offering their kits so this shouldn't be seen as representative of the kits available now.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but I don't think you can use heat to install inserts in resin prints either because the resin doesn't thermoset like an FDM print will. I could be wrong, that's just what i've been able to figure out from googling.

 

[TazMan2000]

To be clear, the kit i'm building is super soft resin that's prone to breaking already so i'm nervous about push fits. Looking at other Anders PKD build threads, the issues i'm having don't seem uncommon, and I guess it's down to the quality of the resin and the print on a case by case basis as to how problematic the kit is. There are some fairly fragile pieces, but so far the parts that i've broken have been substantial, like the bulldog frame and the main part of the Steyr receiver which actually arrived broken.

I've had the kit a long time, several years at least and it came in from an ebay seller in the US before TipTop started offering their kits so this shouldn't be seen as representative of the kits available now.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but I don't think you can use heat to install inserts in resin prints either because the resin doesn't thermoset like an FDM print will. I could be wrong, that's just what i've been able to figure out from googling.

Yes, you're right. I missed the point about resin and automatically assumed it was filament. But you can drill out the hole for the insert into the resin (carefully) and use thick CA to secure the insert. Just make sure no glue gets into the threads. Use baking soda to fill in the spaces. The baking soda will automatically harden in contact with the CA.

TazMan2000