Customizable locking rings

Makes Rings with a simple overlapping hook to hold them together.

I have uploaded some samples. 12/2021 updated code to flip for print. Fixed alignment and added customizer sliders.

The openscad script can be customized to generate custom rings of your choosing.

• square or round
• Diameter

• thickness

  ============ Support Notes ===============
  Round ones you should probably brim if you have troubles with small contact surfaces breaking free.

You don't need supports in most cases.

For really small rings consider a lower layer height... like when sub 1.5 to 2mm thickness

=========== Material Notes ===================
It works well with PLA as it is rigid with some spring.
I have been printing at 20% fill.
Remember if you go too low on fill, PLA can take on its new shape with time loosing its spring.
For PETG you may want to set your fill higher and/or use thicker ring. I have not printed any yet.
I have not tested other materials.

ROUND vs SQUARE
Round will have more flex resulting in less close pressure so add more fill to make it more firm

If you printer has issues with round edges.. use support or do the square which sits on the bed.

================== INSTRUCTIONS ====================
To use Customizer select VIEW, Un-check "HIDE CUSTOMIZER" press F5 and set settings in customizer.
1) Set your ringthickness
2) set your Ring Diameter
3) Only change the hook tolerance if you have an issue or are printing thick rings of a small diameter
4) F5 to preview... check that the gap between the hooks is still there.

If for some reason the configuration you entered causes the hooks to touch, you may have to increase bottonhookoffset_factor

I have typed in many random functional ring combinations and the current formula's seam to accommodate them reasonably well without the rings touching.

The hooks are generally just shy of 3 times the thickness if you need to estimate how big of a hole it will fit through. For instance I recently used 2mm thickness with a 5mm hole in the spirograph pieces I was hanging on the hook.

=========== How to run this code ================
This is an openscad file. The program is open source and available at https:www.openscad.org/downloads.html
Press F5 to refresh
OpensCAD program F6 to generate/render and then STL export
Slice your STL in your slicer and print

Maybe customizer in Thingiverse will work for you. It has never launched for me.