The Kondor Klaw - Versatile Clamp for Attaching Camera Gear Outdoors

Where the Blue Kondor alights, trees grow NATO rails and camera's hang off lamp posts

I do all my filming outdoors in nature and the available mounting points for cameras are large and oddly shaped. This clamp allows you to attach heavy gear securely to large awkwardly shaped objects you find out in the world (up to 4" diameter).

To achieve a high clamping force in a (relatively) compact package, a worm gear mechanism actuates the clamp so that you can get a high clamping force by hand, without a tool. To make it work at these high forces with FDM printing there are a few bearings, nuts and bolts, they are all very common and you can find them at a local hardware store.

Features:

• Clamps onto 1-4" objects of various shapes.

  • Covers larger diameters than the Bessette CineJaws, but doesn't go as small. A perfect complement to the existing Kondor Blue lineup.

• NATO Rails and ARRI Rossettes on every possible face, you are guaranteed to get your gear attached.

• Interchangeable Talons:

  • The included Nato Rail Profile talons are work on objects 1-4" in size. They wrap around and clamp onto large objects like tree branches, poles (square or round), chairs, fences, etc.

  • The 3 Arm/Talon Layout allows it to find a clamping position on many different oddly shaped objects.

  • Interchangeable talons. With metal ones the clamping range could be expanded even more with higher forces.

Mounting standards

• The mounting points are published standard (small tweaks for printability), so it drops into an existing rig without adapters.

• NATO rail: standard 21mm dovetail rails on the body and on every talon.

• ARRI rosette: standard 31.8mm ARRI rosette, M6 or 3/8"-16 options Nested on top of every NATO Rail.

Fully optimized for FDM printers. No supports, compatible with engineering materials that try to warp.

• No Supports required.

• STL files pre-oriented with adhesion discs where required.

• Works in PLA.

• Key areas of the prints are reinforced with internal metal screws so that loads do not rely on interlayer adhesion of the print.

• Everything prints flat on the bed, no supports, can be printed with high infill or engineering materials using the included "with tabs" .3mf files in which I have added adhesion tabs at corners to prevent lifting if it warps.

Manufacturing in Metal

This thing could be significantly improved when made from metal:

1. The worm gearbox could be shrunk down a lot. (Probably using a standard TR8x2 trapezoidal leadscrew for the worm screw).

2. With the worm gears shrunk down, the gearbox can redesigned to be made from a set of flat aluminum plates with the mounting features milled into one side of each plate (a 3 axis CNC will do it), all screwed together with machine screws.

3. The modular talons could be attached with a hook mechanism and a single screw for quick changes.

4. The need for bearings can be eliminated (bushings will be enough).

Assembly Guide (See PDF in project Files):

Included in the project files is a PDF Assembly guide built from progressively exploded views of the CAD model. Video guide coming soon...

Vitamins Required (from your local hardware store):

(Slightly excessive variety of screws, I was just using what I had lying around in my workshop).

Print Settings:

• Use high wall count (>6 with a 0.4mm nozzle)

• Infill 30% or more

• 10 top and bottom layers

• 0.2mm layer height for everything except the Worm Screw

• Worm Screw: 0.1mm layer height, slow it down and max the cooling, there are shallow overhangs on the underside of the screw threads, but it is oriented so that those are not the functional faces and they can be rough.

Will change the name away from the "Kondor Klaw" after the competition in case Kondor Blue doesn't like the IP overlap...