Anybody Have or Seen A Good Net Post Cap Design For Longevity?

[suds79]

I run our local small week club here in the states. One of the biggest rackets in all of table tennis are flimsy net post caps that break or fall out of the posts and you have to buy a completely new new post set for around $70 give or take up or down depending on what you're looking for.

Furthermore, you'll notice the metal posts are not all the same size. Some might be pretty small in a net set clamp. Some are rather tight (of which our club members when helping out know not to force it).

Some time ago in CAD I thought the idea of printing just net post caps. I have a design that works. It fits fairly well in almost any post. However it slides in & out. I resort to putting scotch tape along the sides of the cap & post to hold them together. I can't help but think there must be a better method than the net post caps that simply squeeze fit in these posts which vary in size. Here in my picture of thinkercad here I have a setup that has pretty good tolerances fitting. You see the post & post cap. But I'd made a modification I wanted to see what you guys think of. What if there wasn't a net cap to get lost or broken. What if there's just a circular divot on the far side of the post to be the string guide. Now the net post on the inside could fall out if you were to hold the net upside down. Is this a bad idea? Is there a screw cap on method I'm not thinking about?

Appreciate any ideas you all might have. Thanks.

 

[Der_Echte]

A small tube of Gorilla glue is uber cheap.

So is whittling away at some wood... bound to be sum old-timer in the TT club bored off hiz azz or off hiz rocker with nothing better to do...

 

[Der_Echte]

Bundle ur project on Insteegrammy Internetzski with the tide pod challenge and now u got the teenage crowd doing ur work.

 

[Der_Echte]

OK, I waz quite the smart aleck on a serious question or issue.

I agree with Suds' assessment on poor quality design and its practical consequences, plus empathize with his desire for better quality durable products.

Reality is, that this is often done purposely... which would piss off one discerning this even moar.

 

[suds79]

I am contemplating some sort of glue method. While super glue is thin and would for sure practically weld those plastic parts together, problem is that when a net eventually wears out, I'd like to not destroy the post and or cap that I 3d print. I need a glue that's removable but can hold good enough for the time being. I'm considering hot glue. IDK. I think it's a little messy to apply hot glue in application and my bead of glue can't be too big or gunky because then my post won't fit in whatever designated net post holder as part of the net set.

I really don't want to get into this but I guess i could consider printing my caps with some sort of flexible TPU vs standard PLA plastic. But then TPUs being flexible work better with direct drive 3d printers and I have an ender with bowden tube. And I'd have to make my caps bigger so that they squeeze fit better. Not against the idea but ideally thinking not this route.

Ultimately in fantasy land there should be some sort of flip up latch for caps attached to net posts for when you want to replace nets.

 

[Der_Echte]

Might look a little ugly, but a drilled hole with a small cotter pin would keep that sucka in there until u take it out.

 

[Gtsnake]

How about a barbed design that is narrower at the bottom and gets wider to the top. That way it can fit a variety of diameters and you just push it lower for wider holes and not so far for narrower holes.