When I heard about 3D-printing the first time I was fascinated at once about its undreamt-of possibilities. Now that the further development of technology rushes the ordinary man is able to print his own 3D-models. So did I with the tips of my spreaderbars.
When I made my first BH and tried to get tent poles in the right diameter as spreaderbars it turned out that I couldn't find any suppliers for these "extravagance" stuff here in Germany. So the only decent option I could find are collapsible tarp poles. Nothing to complain about but purchasing the tips is still a big problem. So I created a digital 3D-model and went to a public library where you can use a 3D-printer for free and made my first prototype. Back home I added this tip to my spreaderbar system and it fits in very precisely without any extra work. Wow - how easy that was!
Except for the minimisation of weight (currently I'm using tips which are actually modified parts from caravan canopies) there are other advantages to me:
The hemispherical shape of the nob should be a good tarp protection and it gives more options to attach the underquilt by preventing the shockcord of sliding off the tips. And because the spreaderbars are collapsible in a way like a russian nesting doll I have to detach the tips everytime when I take off my hammock and store them separatly. That's a big issue of loss but now I can simply leave them attached, they won't get lost because of that nob. And if so I'll just reproduce the required count of tips (of cause not in the field ).
Inter-conclusion:
For now there are no experiences in long-time using but after one night in the hammock I couldn't notice any negative evidence of damage at the plastics. The material seems to be heavy-duty and I'm shure that it will be suitable for other projects. But it's to be mentioned that the surface of the product isn't even as one probably likes, it's made up of many layers and they will leave tiny little steps. But you can simply do a little sanding for a smoother finish, if you wish.
So in the end I can say it's definitly a successful experiment!
Have fun
wowbagger
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