Heat Insert Press (Fusion 360 customizable)

Design

There are several press designs available. Many require parts like rods or rails. Some are all plastic but require support. I set out to design one that requires no support, uses only cheap commonly available hardware, and is very adjustable.

The result is this Fusion 360 design (included) that is parametric and about 95% customizable.

I have included optional parts, possibly needed extra parts, and clearance tests.

The critical part of this press is the soldering iron. Since they come in all sizes and shapes, the mounting area was the most difficult to design to accommodate the most common shapes.

Parts List

Printing

I used PETG but PLA, ASA, or ABS should work as well.

Due to the close tolerances and tight fit of the parts, I recommend everything be printed with .20 layer height.

All parts that have circular openings should use scarf seams to prevent a seam from interfering with the fit.

Assembly

Refer to the picture to identify the various parts:

Prepare and test fit the parts. All parts should fit together easily but snugly. The "upper slider" part must slide up and down easily (but not wobbly) on the "uprights". The "lower slider" part needs to be movable during the iron mounting and adjustment, but it will be pinned afterward, so it doesn't need to slide quite as easily as the upper slider.

Print the clearance test files. If the fit is not good, you may adjust the "uprightClearance" parameter. Note many things affect the clearance; your printer, how well it is dialed-in, layer height, elephant foot, and finally, the clearance parameter in the design.

The Inserts

Press 4 inserts into the "upper slider".

Press 2 inserts into each "clamp rear".

Press 4 to 8 inserts into the "mount plate". If you are sure where you will mount the soldering iron, you may only need 4 inserts; otherwise you should install all 8.

The Frame

Insert each "upright" into the base and secure it with a "pin".

Slide the "lower slider" onto the uprights. Do not install its pins yet; you will need to position it later.

Slide the "upper slider" onto the uprights. Let it fall to the bottom for now.

Install the "cap" onto the top of the uprights.

Soldering Iron Mounting and Alignment

Vertical Mounting

To position the iron vertically, you need to decide what the lowest point should be and where the clamps should contact the iron. It may be helpful to loosely screw the mount plate to the lower slider. Note that the mount plate may be attached in any of 5 positions to give you a great range vertically. It may also be helpful to loosely screw the rear clamps to the mount plate. Note that there are 6 possible combinations of clamp locations.

When you have decided how and where you want to mount the iron, bring the upper slider and lower slider together (spring removed) and move them as a pair to the nearest pin hole and insert the pins in the lower slider.

Vertical Alignment

The "V" grooves in the clamps will align the iron left and right. If your iron's handle has a straight shaft, you may skip this next step; however, if it tapers you may need to shim the upper clamp so its "V" will contact the iron when it is truly vertical. For this, I have included some extra parts to aid in the process.

The "jig" is designed to snugly fit over the iron's heating shaft. {Mine is 8mm in diameter and I used .2mm clearance.} Slide the iron into the jig and ensure the jig's base rests flat on the surface – this will position the iron properly vertically. Position the iron/jig where it makes contact with the lower clamp. There will likely be a gap between the iron and the upper clamp; measure this as best you can.

I have provided shims for this in 1, 2, and 4mm thickness – this will give a range of 1-7mm in 1mm increments. Place the needed shims between the mount plate and the upper clamp.

Final Steps and Notes

Tighten all screws snugly – do not over tighten. Be especially careful when tightening the clamp screws as too much will bend and possibly break the front clamps.

Raise the upper slider and install the spring. Test push down on the upper slider to verify you have the desired range of motion.

Remove the jig before heating the iron.

If you feel the iron is too close to the sliders, I have included a 5 and 10mm shim you may install between the mount plate and the upper slider (of course, you will need longer screws).

Notes and Tips

I have included the Fusion 360 design file (as always). It is parametric and many important dimensions may be changed. Here are the most common ones:

Some useful links about threaded inserts and heat setting:

How to use Brass Inserts on 3D Prints: make your own tips, cheap!

Tips & Tricks for Heat-Set Inserts used in 3D printing

Heat Set Inserts - M3 standard 100 pcs