(Relatively) Wobble Free Durable Articulated Arm

11/25/2025 Update

Added a longer screw and a foot for to install on to the screw for more strength.

Please note with the longer screw it is also more prone to breaking due to the torque.

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10/31/2025 Update V1.1

Revised the design for the clamp and consequently the holder. (file for v1.0 has been removed)

• Clamp : The revised design should be better in terms of stability (less flex)
• Holder : Because of the revised design for the clamp, the old holder design cannot be used in certain orientations. With the new design for the holder, it should be compatible with the clamp/arm in any orientation.
• As a result there is no more table top base; however the holder can be assembled with the table clamp to serve similar purpose.

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Originally I needed an articulated arm I could use in my car, but after trying out several designs and couldn't find one that quite fit what I needed, I decided to design my own.

As the name of the model will suggest, the two biggest criteria I needed was that it had to be :

1. Wobble Free - As it will be used in a car, any wobble could potentially become a hazard, not to mention the creaks is just down right irritating.
2. Durable - As it will be used in a car, it will be subject to vibrations and sudden jerks, structurally the adjustable joint mechanism needed to be durable enough to handle that.
3. Entirely 3D printed - I understand just by using heat-inserted nuts and metal screws the strength and durability could potentially be increased significantly, but for this project I wanted to keep things entirely 3D printed and see how far I can take it.

Personally I think this design has achieved all the criteria under the circumstances.

The biggest bottle neck was the tolerance of the dovetail assembly between the clip and the arm.

While a tighter tolerance would take out a lot of wobbles, it will also increase the difficulty of joint adjustment and assembly.

Eventually I decided to sacrifice a slight level of play for the ease of adjustment and assembly.

Having said that, anyone who finds the wobble-free-ness not quite up to their satisfaction can try adjusting the tolerances to this area.

Note :

1. The model is optimized for printing with PETG, as tolerance is a big point for this model, please adjust the tolerance accordingly if printing with other materials.
2. The screws are recommended to be printed with 100% infill to ensure strength. At 100% infill I think the screw is strong enough to handle most scenarios, still, it goes without saying, do not over-tighten the screws as they could still break.
3. The parts in the print profile are oriented with consideration to their strength after printed, so any changes in that should also be considered accordingly.
4. The number of arms / screws / clips can be increased/descreased as needed, but please be reasonable with it.

Lastly, there are plans for more parts and accessories to go with this system, so if you find this model useful, stay tuned!