Printable seal/panel retainer for Voron clicky-clack door mod

Parametric Printable Clicky-Clack Seal

This is a parametric FreeCad model to generate printable seal strips to replace the Misumi panel clamp (HSCPF3H-B-2000) called for in the original clicky-clack door mod. The panel retainer can be printed in the Voron's accent color for a nice visual effect. It may take a little bit of tinkering to get the sizing just right, but the results are well worth the effort. The CAD model includes a test piece to simplify getting a good fit.

Requirements

The acrylic door panels must have enough clearance for the printed strips to fit. I assembled my door from an LDO kit that came with a panel that had 2mm of play in both the vertical and horizontal direction, which is exactly what the BOM of the clicky-clack door mod specifies. The image below shows the profile of the seal strips. The model contains a strip for the horizontal and vertical door frame members as well as a test strip. The bottom section is 0.6mm thick by default, so the minimum clearance for the acrylic panel is 1.2mm. It might be possible to adjust the bottom thickness parameter in the CAD model spreadsheet and only use two printed layers for the bottom to lower the minimum clearance to 0.8mm. See below for an explanation of all model parameters.

How to Use the CAD Model

The provided FreeCad file contains a table of parameters that can be used to adapt the seal strip to your printer. At a minimum, you need to enter the thickness of the acrylic panel and the width and height of the door frame (including the width of the extrusion). The model parameter spreadsheet is shown in the image below for a 300mm cube Voron Trident.

After adjusting the model parameters, the CAD model automatically updates and you can export the strips for printing. The model generates half length strips so they can fit on a typical print bed size. For a complete seal, four vertical and four horizontal strips are required.

Due to the shrinkage of 3D printed materials, it is recommended that you first print the 100mm seal and measure the length with calipers. Then, adjust the shrinkage parameter of the model by entering the measured length divided by 100mm. It is better if the strips end up slightly too short (small gap in the corners) vs. slightly too long (difficult or impossible to assemble). Also check the fit on the acrylic panel and make sure the strip fits into the extrusion with the panel inserted into the strip. If it is too tight or too loose, adjust the clearance parameter of the model.

Of course, you can also just YOLO send it and print all eight strips from the get-go if you have your filament profile tuned. If you want to go that route, set the shrinkage parameter to 1, export and print. Then, adjust the parameters and get it a bit closer on the second try...

The following model parameters are available in the spreadsheet, the rest is hardcoded in the sketches based on a CAD drawing of the 2020 extrusion cross section on the Misumi website.

Print Settings

The strips can be printed using the settings recommended in the Voron manual. It is recommended to turn the strips by 45 degrees on the printbed so that the mitered end is at the back and then tell the slicer to put the layer seams on the back edge. This minimizes the gap in the center of the door panel.

Door Assembly

The strips are designed to fit the panel tightly and stay in place in the extrusions. That means they cannot be inserted like the original seals after the door is already assembled. The easiest way to assemble the door is by first pushing all the seal strips onto the acrylic panel edges. Make sure that the miters meet reasonably well. If the strips are a bit too long, they will have to be trimmed. After the retaining strips have been applied to the panel edges, the shorter extrusions can be slid onto the strips. It is best to do this before threading in the button head screws for the blind joints, as the screw heads interfere otherwise. After the two short extrusions are on the panel, the button head screws can be threaded into the ends of the shorter extrusions. Finally, the two longer extrusions can be slid on, capturing the screw heads and seal strips in the process. Note that the screws have to be threaded in just right to make assembly possible. If they stick out too far, it is not possible to get the seal strip into the extrusion without pulling it off the panel. If they are threaded in too far, the extrusion will not go past the screw head. I found it easiest to thread the screw in so far that the extrusion caught on the screw head, and then back the screw out little by little until the extrusion easily clears the screw. Be a little careful to not scratch up the anodization or powder coating of the extrusion in the process. It sounds much more complicated than it really is, the whole assembly process takes just a few minutes.