For the "Up" Challenge I decided to make something that I have wanted to make for a while now; a 3D printed GoPro mount. They are expensive to buy at stores, and I now have access to not only Solidworks designing program, but 3D printers. It does cost money of course, but at least I have access to them. Thank you Mr. Ericson from Eaglecrest High School for the materials, design programs, and 3D printer.

Step 1: The Original Sketches

These are the original sketches that I did. I worked off of these for the next couple steps, but had to change them eventually. You will see. I measured my mount using a dial caliper, and a standard ruler. I wrote the measurements down on the paper that you can see in the pictures and on a few other papers. Eventually I drew the entire thing onto AutoCAD, so I could reference it while making the 3D model in Solidworks. If you have any questions as to what size or distance something is, feel free to contact me.

Step 2: Original GoPro in Solidworks

Making the mount in Solidworks was somewhat easy. Nothing but simple "Boss/Base Extrusions" and "Extruded Cuts." It was especially easy due to the fact that it has a definite line of symmetry. I finished this in under 15 minutes.

Step 3: Modify It

I had to modify the model because of the minimum thickness requirements of the 3D printer. The most important part about this step is to only widen the model outwards. The internal area is what matters, and if you change that, the 2nd piece of the mount wont properly snap into place. Once again, if you have any questions on just what these dimensions are, feel free to contact me. I extended the thinnest areas 0.1 inches outwards so that they have more integrity, and I also made the mount longer, just so it would be easier to work with. Remember, I did not change any of the internal distances. Those are crucial. I also made sure to add in an angle that I completely forgot about while making the original.

Step 4: Whoops!

After checking and double checking my part, I found something that caused a bit of concern. If you look at the first picture, you can see the handle of the bolt that attaches the camera. I was scared that by increasing my wall thickness by 0.1 I would interfere with the handle. Because of this, I simply cut off .05 (a small amount, I know) just to be sure. You can see that in the 2nd picture.

Step 5: Making the Part

My Technical Drawing teacher printed out the file for me through a large 3D printer. The white on the top of the part is just a different colored plastic. He ran out of the black most of the way through. Hopefully it will fit the other part...

Step 6: Does It Fit???

Once I tried this with the other part...(drum roll)... It worked! Kind-of. The removable piece fits inside the manufactured piece, but it is pretty tight. Maybe the plastic used by the printing machine is less flexible, maybe there were some small angles that I missed. Either way, it does work. It just takes a bit of pressure to separate the two pieces. (I am also very glad I made the extra cut in step 4. It fits perfectly. Look at the last picture to see what I mean)

Step 7: Add the Camera

Here are some pics of it with the GoPro attached. I would call it a successful first attempt at designing and printing something. I am happy with my work. Like I said, if you need any dimensions or any other info I would be happy to help if I can.

Thanks for looking at this ible!
-freezaburn36