Cable tracks / cable chain - fully customizable - [v8]

Since I did not find customizable cable tracks that fit my need, I designed my own. I tried to make it as easy as possible to modify everything using OpenSCAD!

How to customize?

Customizing the cable tracks is as easy as it could be. Just open the file in OpenSCAD, modify some variables and export as STL. Each setting is described and if you use invalid values, an error is thrown telling you what you have done wrong.

You could use the builtin OpenSCAD Customizer to modify most settings, but I highly recommend you just change the variables in the source code, since not all settings are shown in the customizer.

Main settings. Here you can set the size of the cable tracks, the wall thickness, as well as the maximum angle each chain element can bend.

Printer specific settings. Depending on your printer and print settings you may have to modify some of these variables. Here you can change clearances, offsets, etc. I recommend you print two chain elements at a time and find the best settings for your setup.
The preset settings are optimized for my Original Prusa i3 MK3S.

Extra settings. It is very unlikely that you will have to modify these settings. You can most likely just ignore them.

Mounting bracket settings. If you want to screw the start- and / or end- element somewhere, you can select the screw diameter, etc. here.

If you are somehow unable to modify the parts yourself, leave a comment with your preferred configuration and I will upload the STL-files.

What's included?

Regular chain element
The regular chain element has hinges on both sides. They can be easily (dis-)connected without any tools.

Start- & end-element
The start- and the end-element have the hinge only on one side. You can enable one of my mounting brackets, or easily add your own. My design includes possibilities to screw the start- and end-elements to a surface from the top or the bottom.

File naming scheme

If you are satisfied with one of my cable track configurations and do not want to customize them yourself, you can use one of my STL files.

C_T_v8 - [part]_[bracket] - [width]x[height]x[depth]_[max_bend_angle].stl

[part]. start has only the male hinge, end has only the female hinge and main has both hinges.

[bracket]. Only start- or end- elements have brackets. (You can easily add brackets to a main chain element by uncommenting one line. I did not find it useful, so I did not export it as STL)

[width]. The width of the cable slot.

[height]. The height of the cable slot.

[depth]. The depth of the cable slot. (The hinges are not included in the depth, so the total depth will be bigger.)

[max_bend_ange]. The maximum angle (in deg) each hinge can bend.
 

Note

Currently the bend limitation of my design only works with bend angles bigger than 50 deg (approximation - depends on your specific settings). Also the bend limitation is not perfect at the moment; it is however good enough for normal usage. I will try to solve these issues in the next versions.

 

Feel free to modify my design and upload a remix! Just make sure you add a link to the original :)

If you have any questions or ideas for improvement, let me know!

Latest version: 8
Last change: 2022-02-06

Print instructions

Support

I recommend using support only for the hinges and in the middle of the chain element. Using support enforcers makes it much easier to remove the support afterwards.
Of course it also saves you some printing time and you waste a little less plastic.

If you print small cable tracks, you may be able to print without any supports.

Layers

Nothing special here. Just make sure that your layer height is small enough to print all the details (especially the hinge-pins and hinge-holes).
Using variable layer height is great for saving some print time here!

Filament

The filament type does not really matter here since you normally don't put a lot of stress on the cable track. Use whatever you are comfortable with: PLA, PETG, ...