I've finished a basic render of the PA tube design I've been working on. A nylon prototype should be arriving from the 3D printers in the new year. For this, I've had a custom security screw machined locally but there's no reason it couldn't be easily adapted fo a padlock or magic lock. The design's dimensions are easily customised and the device is fairly cost-effective for printing in stainless steel & titanium. Whaddya reckon?
I like it. I'm very good at sculpting in 360 with tspline. If you did this in fusion I'd love to have the file.
Thanks, I'm going to open a shop so I don't really want to share the file. It was difficult to model in Fusion though. I spent ages trying to create it in the parametric environment but it was sooo challenging to get it looking decent. I love Fusion's sculpting mode.
I love the look. Would definitely consider it when you open your shop. Any thoughts on cost? That's an important consideration for me.
I like it, but I'm not crazy about a lock hanging from the glans, any chance of a version with an integrated locking PA hook?
What do you mean by a locking PA hook? How would your version be different to the pic? If I can get an idea what you mean, I'll certainly look into designing it.
Think I know what you mean, the render looks like a push lock but it's a security screw. The actual device has c-shaped screw head so you can't get at it with a screwdriver.
I'll offer options for printing at fairly low cost. with nylon pin it may be possible to keep costs of the device below £200. The most significant cost will be the key. I could cust costs significantly by printing it in plastic but I can't say how long it would hold up.
My concern would be inserting the PA pin. Seems like it would be difficult to get it into the piercing hole. I have a penicap that goes in from the front and it is a PITA. This looks like it would be more difficult I assume that is why the Evolution Bijou has a separate top piece. Device looks great though and I am intrigued.
Yes, I get that. A custom pin setback measurement should help line things up a little at least. I'm keen to keep things to as few parts as possible and coming up with a pin design which could be inserted from either way is a real head ache. I'm talking to my screw manufacturer at the moment about a smaller custom screw. With two of those, I could offer a lockable PA ring and cut some of the bulk of this design. I could also manage a pin design insertablle from before or aft, but that would require a minimum piercing gage of about 6mm Turning my ideas into a 3D concept has tested every ounce my limited logic!
I've had a long re-think about this design. The most difficult part to design is the 3D-printed PA pin, which needs to threaded and - as @JCNTX points out - would be difficult to insert from the bottom. I've sourced a security screw manufacturer which can provide screws to fit a custom PA ring. This solves loads of design headaches while adding loads of customisability and flexibility to the design. Loving this revision - it's comfortable, easy to use and VERY secure!
I found that when I tried and experimented with some of the cheap tubes off ebay/amazon with my PA and a cbr ring .... i would get some pinching where the cbr and the tube come together. Also the cbr ring would kind of fold over when wearing pants or snug undies and that would also result in some stress on the piercing. I wonder if with the new design you have there .... could an entrance on the bottom side of the tube be made to kind of cradle the cbr ring so that it in essence can hold it fairly snug so that it would not flop or fold over which might also keep the ring from pressing upwards and causing stress on the piercing? Of course it would have to be designed for each cbr gauge. As far as a visual I am thinking in the lines of a plug that the ring would go through. (does this make any sense at all lol ) If going with original design .... could a screw ball type of end be used where you insert the pin from the front side and then it goes through the piercing and would end up protruding out from the bottom side and could be manipulated by holding the tip and moving around until you "find" the hole on bottom side of tube ..... and then screw the security type of screwball or nut or whatever into the pin? Do the Lori tube devices have this kind of locking pin? I have a Bijou and that is really the only thing I would change is having that large of a locking mechanism hanging off the underside. It would be so great to have a streamlined device without that big of a lock underneath. Keep up the great designing .... love seeing new product enter the scene.
@bincorona Thanks for the feedback! Believe it or not, I've been working on and off with this for almost four years now and I'm happy it's finally coming together. I think I understand what you mean by the CBR being cradled. By slightly thickening the bottom of the tube and experimenting with various clearances/tolerances, this design does a pretty good job of eliminating pinching. It'd be fairly easy to design a sort of groove for the ring to sit in though. Believe me, I have considered every which way of trying to secure a pin with a screw. The Lori screws go laterally - IE, through the pin at 90 degrees. But this makes production difficult for a non-engineer as small threads can't be 3D printed and must be manually tapped. I also considered the nut or ball you describe. However, I once paid a small fortune for a custom device with a similar setup only to find the pin could very easily be wiggled loose. There are, of course, ways of preventing this, like designing irregularly shaped pins and housings. But all of this causes more unnecessary weak points - not to mention design headaches! I hated the locking mech on my Bijou too. In fact, I've really no love for those magic locks at all - far too prone to corrosion and jamming. Bulky too. I wanted to avoid them altogether and go with a security screw. Initially, something niggled me about the fact that I couldn't quite make a pin work but the more I think about this ring solution, the more elegant and practical it seems. The prototypes I've run off on my printer are really comfortable and I can't wait for the professionally-printed version to finally arrive.
Looking forward to seeing and hearing about the outcome .... errr or lack there of. lol if you need any "testers" .. let me know ;-)~
I don’t know about using a nylon PA pin. I’d either make them out of quality stainless or at least dip the PA part in a silicon resin. You could buy SS rods then shape them to fit a standardized hole in the cage. You could also make a retaining ring for those that won’t do a PA. You could make SS or nylon but either would benefit by being coated in 2 part silicon resin. I’d also include a smaller hole if someone wants to add a security tag/ cable in addition to or in lieu of any other lock.
I use a twist lock that keeps the security screw small and this mimizes the profile of the lock. Was able to 3D print the key and the security lock on a home 3D printer. I have had no issues using PETG for the PA hook without having to seal it. But maybe different for you. I love being able to iterate on my home printer, as sending out for prints gets costly real quick.
The pins I was originally working with were printed in stainless steel. Pretty good quality but not easy to thread for the screw. The PA rings pictured are 316L stainless steel and manufactured, not 3D printed. It may the rendering that makes them look like nylon. I've toyed with the idea of a small hole for a security tag. Don't think it's possible without drilling the ring.
Both my PA tubes don’t utilize threads in the PA pin. Something to think about. Seems like a real pain to try and thread through the pin.
My Lori tubes use a security machine screw. Only threaded on part after it goes through PA pin. The head of the screw is countersunk. The Chinese locks are garbage but these are A grade from Germany. https://www.steinlock.com/burg-wachter-me2-lock-blocker-for-furniture.html