MECH 101: Fasteners & Joint Integration
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- ✓Video lessons with real 3D printing setups
- ✓Calibration parameters
- ✓Downloadable STL examples + gcode profiles
- ✓AI tutor for questions
- ✓Completion certificate
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A 3D printed part rarely works alone – it almost always connects to metal hardware or to another plastic component. This course covers the joining techniques that turn a prototype into a product.
What you will learn
- Threaded hole geometry for direct screwing into plastic
- Heat-set inserts – selection, hole preparation, installation
- Threaded inserts with machine threads and when they pay off
- Snap-fit joints – cantilever, annular, torsional
- Press-fit and interference-fit tolerances for FDM and SLA
- Load distribution principles in a polymer part
- Durability testing and comparison with metal equivalents
Course outline
- Lesson 1: Why joints break 3D printed parts
- Lesson 2: Threaded holes – modeled vs tapped vs self-tapping
- Lesson 3: Heat-set inserts step by step
- Lesson 4: Snap-fit geometry and deflection calculations
- Lesson 5: Press-fit tolerances across technologies
- Lesson 6: Hybrid joints – printed plastic and metal together
- Lesson 7: Final project – an enclosure with a lid and electronics
Prerequisites
Basic CAD skills (sketch, extrude, fillet) and a completed course-fdm101-basics or equivalent experience.
Outcome
You design and produce functional joints that survive repeated opening, vibration and load – without relying on hot glue.
Who it is for
Product engineers, designers of electronics enclosures, makers running small production batches, and technicians in R&D departments.