3D-Printable Parametric Velcro

A parametric velcro generator for 3D printing, created in OpenSCAD. This project allows you to create customizable velcro strips of various sizes and characteristics.

Description

This project represents an improved version of a 3D printable velcro generator. Based on the original work by MM Printing and subsequent remixes, this generator offers:

• Full parameterization - all dimensions and characteristics are customizable
• Optimized geometry - improved tower shape for better grip
• Flexible settings - ability to adjust density and grip strength
• Ease of use - intuitive parameters

Features

Customizable parameters:

• Tower dimensions: base diameter, height, top diameter
• Pattern dimensions: width and length of velcro with automatic ratio adjustment
• Base plate: thickness and borders
• Print quality: resolution and preview mode
• Grip strength: interference adjustment between elements

Key improvements:

• Automatic dimension adjustment: The velcro pattern has a 2:1 ratio (width:height), so for square results, the length is automatically doubled when Auto_adjust_dimensions is enabled
• User-friendly: No need to manually calculate the correct dimensions
• Flexible: Can be disabled for custom ratios

Technical characteristics:

• Automatic calculation of optimal element placement
• Support for various sizes (from 10x10 mm to 500x500 mm)
• Adjustable rendering quality
• Informative parameter output to console

Usage

Requirements:

• OpenSCAD (recommended version 2021.01 or newer)

Instructions:

1. Open the 3d-printable-velcro.scad file in OpenSCAD
2. Adjust parameters in the "Customizer" section or modify variable values
3. Press F5 for preview or F6 for rendering
4. Export to STL format for printing

Recommended print settings:

• Layer height: 0.2-0.3 mm
• Infill: 20-30%
• Supports: not required
• Cooling: enabled
• Print speed: 40-60 mm/s

Parameters

Velcro towers:

• Base_diameter - base diameter of tower (0.5-5 mm)
• Height_multiplier - height multiplier (1.0-4.0)
• Top_multiplier - top diameter multiplier (1.1-2.0)
• Interference - grip strength adjustment (-10 to 10)

Pattern dimensions:

• Width - velcro width (10-500 mm)
• Length - velcro length (10-500 mm)
• Auto_adjust_dimensions - automatically adjust length for proper velcro pattern ratio (recommended: true)

Base plate:

• Thickness - base plate thickness (0.2-5 mm)
• BorderH - horizontal border offset (1-100 mm)
• BorderV - vertical border offset (1-100 mm)

Quality:

• Resolution - cylinder resolution (5-100)
• Preview_mode - preview mode (true/false)

Usage Examples

Small velcro for electronics:

Width = 20; Length = 20; Base_diameter = 0.8; Height_multiplier = 2.5;

Large velcro for furniture:

Width = 100; Length = 50; Base_diameter = 2.0; Height_multiplier = 1.8;

Dense velcro for clothing:

Width = 30; Length = 30; Base_diameter = 1.2; Height_multiplier = 3.0; Interference = -5; Auto_adjust_dimensions = true; // Length will be automatically doubled to 60mm

Custom ratio velcro:

Width = 40; Length = 80; Base_diameter = 1.5; Auto_adjust_dimensions = false; // Use exact dimensions without adjustment

License

This project is based on original work under CC0 Public Domain license. This version is distributed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license.

Authors

• Original work: Amarjeet Singh Kapoor
• Parametric version: MM Printing
• Improvements and remix: Greg Kolens