A mini tripod helps secure your camera while taking pictures or filming videos. You can find them in most camera shops; they come in various sizes and prices. If you have access to a 3D printer, however, you don't need to buy a mini tripod: you can print your own that fits your exact specifications.
The good thing about 3D printing is that it is an affordable way of creating customized parts based on your own requirements, and the only limitation is your imagination. Follow along to learn how to build a mini tripod at home using 3D printing.
What You Need to Build a Camera Mini Tripod
You need just a few things to build a mini tripod. These components include:
- A 3D printer: Any 3D printer can do the job.
- Filament: The filament is the 3D printing material we will use to 3D print the model. We are going to use white PLA filament.
- 3D slicing software: The 3D slicer helps convert the design into a format the printer understands.
- A pair of nippers: For removing unwanted parts in the 3D print.
- Sandpaper: For smoothing the surfaces.
- Screws: For attaching all the parts of the mini tripod.
- Camera: For testing if the mini tripod is working as expected.
Follow the steps below to start building your mini tripod using 3D printing.
Step 1: Download the 3D Model
There are many 3D models of a mini tripod for a camera, and you can download them from various free websites for 3D printable files. An example of such a website is Thingiverse, which has a simple interface and enables you to search for and download designs of all categories for free.
For this project, we shall use the Mini tripod 150mm developed by DiAleksi; download the files from the Thingiverse page. To get the files, click Download All Files, as shown below.
The files will come in ZIP format; you must extract them using WinRAR or another archive extractor. You can also use the Command Prompt to unzip your files in Windows. After getting the 3D designs, you can either import them to any 3D modeling software for customization or go directly to prepare them for 3D printing in a slicer.
Step 2: Prepare the Models for 3D Printing
A 3D printer understands a file format called G-code. The G-code consists of instructions that control the movement of the 3D printer and how it operates. It contains specific commands specifying what type of motion the printer should perform, how fast it should move, and how many times it should repeat.
To prepare the G-code, we will need to use a 3D slicer. There are a lot of 3D slicers available, but we are going to use Cura. Once you install the software, go to File > Open File(s).
After importing, select Slice, and you will see the number of hours it will take to print the design and the size of the material it will use. You also have the option to preview the 3D model and see what the 3D printing process will look like. After that, save the file to your computer or a USB drive and send it to your 3D printer.
Step 3: Prepare Your 3D Printer
Before hitting that Print button, you must prepare your 3D printer by performing various actions like leveling the 3D printer bed, setting up the Z offset, and loading and preheating the filament. All of these activities vary depending on your 3D printer type.
We will not level the bed manually as the machine we're using has automatic bed leveling capabilities. So we shall go to Menu > Leveling > Auto Leveling.
After selecting that option, the 3D printer will start leveling itself. When it finishes, insert the filament through the hole on top of the print head and then go to Menu > Prepare > Load Filament, and the filament will be pulled inside.
After that, you can set the Z offset, preheat the filament, and proceed to the next step.
Step 4: 3D Printing Process
We have four parts that need 3D printing: the three legs and the middle section that will connect all the other parts (center hub). You will print one leg first and repeat the same process with two others.
Printing them when lying flat instead of standing is a good idea to avoid the need for 3D printing supports. After 3D printing, you should have the parts shown below.
The next step will be applying various finishing activities to the 3D prints.
Step 4: Finishing 3D Prints
After 3D printing, you might find that the 3D prints are not smooth enough, and you can find some rough surfaces around them, so you will need to clean them up. To do this, remove unwanted parts using a pair of nippers.
When you finish, take a piece of sandpaper and start smoothing your 3D prints.
As you do this, ensure that you do it gently, especially when smoothing the center hub, as the hole sections holding the screws are delicate and can easily break. You can then wipe it with a cloth to remove any remaining debris.
Step 5: Assembling the Mini Tripod
Take an HJ garden camera fixing screw and insert it in the hole of the center hub, as shown below.
Rotate it in a clockwise manner until it fits. Next, take the three stands and attach each of them to the center hub using M3 X 16mm screws.
As you tighten them, be careful not to apply much force, as it can damage the center hub.
Step 6: Mount the Camera
Take your camera and fit the hole that is just below the camera to the HJ garden fixing screw. Then, start rotating the camera clockwise until the screw fits entirely into the camera. You can then move the tripod's three legs further apart to increase the mini tripod's stability so that it can carry the weight of the camera without wobbling.
If you need to adjust the camera's height, you can either bring the three legs closer to each other or move them apart. Remember, however: the tripod will be fairly unstable when you move the legs close together.
Make a Simple Camera Mini Tripod at Home
If you have a functioning 3D printer and some filament, you can make an interesting camera mini tripod without spending a fortune if you follow the steps above keenly. To make it even better, you can customize it to fit your needs and even paint it with your favorite color to make it stand out.
After 3D printing and assembly, just remember to apply some pressure to the tripod to confirm its stability before mounting the camera, to prevent it from falling in case the tripod isn't strong enough to carry its weight.
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