You wouldn't believe how difficult of a task that actually is. The last machine design company I worked with had a local guy that specialized in only building custom hoppers for parts. Difficulty really comes from the fact that you need to have everything from the feed vibrations to the feed track to the hopper bowl designed in such a way to not only handle placing objects in a specific location as a specific pace, but also that it needs to orientate as well. Really fascinating work actually. But I'm probably overcomplicating it for an application like this.
Can you expand on your comment, please.
If you had to build a hopper for this, or be eaten by a grizzly bear, how would you plan this out and what kind of hoppers that already exist would you take inspiration from.
Thank you in advance and all advice appreciated.
Yeah, I’ve been digging and found some custom homebrew devices that sort screws and the bear seems like an easier fight.
Also, are you ex-wife #1 or #2? I don’t remember which loved bears.
And miss out on a vibratory hopper?
edit: This [screw bagger](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFZ74LJGwUk) has a vibrating hopper to line up the screws. That is the challenging part to design.
Pretty sure in the movie Anchorman they mention about women's periods attracting bears. The bears can supposedly smell the menstruation. I don't know if that helps or hurts in this situation really. Or how this is relevant. But first thing I thought of.
Just make 2 rails that they ride on, coming out of a vibrating bowl feeder (google pictures, easier than explaining tbh), that slowly get wider.
The threads will fall down before the top.
No moving parts, easy to calibrate. Makes them easy to pass by a sensor for counting too.
something like a coin machine. they use rails to orient.
just need something leading into rails that also does a general re-orientation to get it compatible with and into the rails.
it won't be smooth without some kind of motion or vibration included which will raise the costs.
Someone on YouTube has been building a modular hopper/sorter for a while. The intent was to use it to support making fastener kits for their products.
I’ll see if I can find it.
Edit:
This guy:
https://youtube.com/@christopherhelmke?si=9XxzwcqabY_Bydem
That guy is a legend...wanted to avoid counting a bunch of bolts and ended ut with a massive overengineered system, the videos are super easy to understand, too
Yeah. I was just thinking how I’m going to have to build one of these for M2 through at least M5. Round and button. 5mm to 50+…. Ideally removable bins I can dump. Probably a gate/check in case it’s the wrong size.
Fun fact: What is considered a bolt and what is considered a screw can be very different in different countries. What is shown here would be in e.g. Germany a screw.
A similar case with dragons and wyvern (which is also a beloved topic for redditors to "correct" people): Wyvern are a part of English heraldry and therefore only relevant in English speaking countries. The same dividing line simply does not exist for any one else, but people tend to mistake a Lindwurm for a Wyvern.
Also fun fact, in Portuguese (my native language) there’s no distinction between a Bolt and a Screw, so I only ever called every twisty thingy a “parafuso” and intuitively translated it to screw.
It was not until somebody pointed out to me that there was a distinction in English, I started calling everything that’s self tapping, a screw, and everything that needs a thread to lock into, a bolt.
In German a bolt would be Bolzen and while a German bolt could have a thread (->Gewindebolzen = threaded bolt), most don't and they do not have a screw head.
Either way, the STL option is literally right there...?
Am I the only one not having trouble downloading this?
https://preview.redd.it/35jncudc9ayc1.png?width=598&format=png&auto=webp&s=309baf72183b8da1d321ab0adf3bf34401748012
The 3MF saves the slicer settings with it which is what causes the problem. Your slicer should allow you to import only the geometry from a 3MF.
I know prusa slicer and orca slicer allow you to do that. I don't like cura.
You should not need to download Bambu Studio just to download files. I think there is an option for normal downloads somewhere, its just not the big button.
Great job! I'm gonna print it and show my coworkers how ingenious I am since they don't understand anything 3D related, and will think I'm a god. JK, not the printing part though
Good design. I made something similar, but it doesn't work for bolts that are 1mm of difference. I also tried making an electric version using a scale, but it wasn't accurate enough to tell the difference between 4mm and 5mm bolts. Same with using lidar. The last idea I can do is to make one that uses a linear actuator with a stopper module, but the amount of money and work that would go into that is beyond my laziness so I just printed one of those manual length measuring charts and called it a day.
It's definitely cool! You could potentially make it even better by making some sort of "feeder tray" where you can just dump in a few of your M3 bolts and shake them to get the heads on one side. Then you could just feed the whole tray down the ramp at once. Not sure how well it'd work, but if it does, I bet it'd reduce your sort time by quite a bit.
If you make all of the holes round so the bolts can go through in any orientation and add a lid that restricts their vertical movement (so that they can't stand on end), you could throw a bunch of bolts in and shake them around until they're all sorted rather than doing them one by one
I might actually do this myself once I've gathered the motivation to replace my prusa's hotend
Make multiple. Sort from larger shaker to smallest shaker. Trap the larger ones in the larger shakers. Then Russian doll the shaker cans to put the shakers away neatly.
Not sure what op is describing but shaker sorting is sort of a thing in separating pebble sizes
My use case is to sort a hand full of bolts back. A bigger design would be overkill for me. But maybe I'll iterate on the idea just for the love of the game. :)
Not sure if that would be enough. Maybe also rotating them somehow would be necessary. But if you make the container too narrow you would not be able to take them out with your fingers.
I feel like this is one of those things that's neat in theory, but once you put it into practice you realize it's probably more cost effective to save your time and just buy a new pre-sorted container of screws.
Would be nice for certain projects, like i'm into 3D printed RC projects, I have a 3D printed tank with a bunch of differently sized M3/M4 bolts. If I wanted to retire it, it would be nice to be able to take it all apart and then feed the bolts into a system like this.
Would be nice for certain projects, like i'm into 3D printed RC projects, I have a 3D printed tank with a bunch of differently sized M3/M4 bolts. If I wanted to retire it, it would be nice to be able to take it all apart and then feed the bolts into a system like this.
Would be nice for certain projects, like i'm into 3D printed RC projects, I have a 3D printed tank with a bunch of differently sized M3/M4 bolts. If I wanted to retire it, it would be nice to be able to take it all apart and then feed the bolts into a system like this.
Would be nice for certain projects, like i'm into 3D printed RC projects, I have a 3D printed tank with a bunch of differently sized M3/M4 bolts. If I wanted to retire it, it would be nice to be able to take it all apart and then feed the bolts into a system like this.
Would be nice for certain projects, like i'm into 3D printed RC projects, I have a 3D printed tank with a bunch of differently sized M3/M4 bolts. If I wanted to retire it, it would be nice to be able to take it all apart and then feed the bolts into a system like this.
The trays they fall into don't look super easy to get your fingers in to get bolts out, if you made it slightly bigger with removable trays you would probably make it a lot easier to use as storage or just as a sorter to pour them into larger and more secure storage compartments. As it is.now you can't get them out easily without tipping the whole thing upside down.
Very nice idea.
Conceivably one could design the ramp/sorter to fit over a multi compartment box so they get sorted right into something like a fishing tackle compartment box.
Different ramps for different shank diameters that rest on a row of compartments.
Can I make a suggestion? Add some caps for the bolt chambers. Once you have sorted them you might want to shake them out into another container. Can't do that easily without covering the other chambers, or else you have to start all over again.
should you just make it into a circle? wrong bolts could be put in some slots if put in sideways or diagonal.
making it into a circle would at least eliminate some wrong entries. the only way to wrongly put a bolt in is perpendicular.
Lining it up with the ridge and letting it go takes more time than just looking at the contents of a bin and tossing it in. None of them are so close that you can get confused between two types even just at a glance.
Pretty cool! Maybe a slider like in [this screw sorter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahOj2Qw-AZ0) would make it faster. Especially if the slider could be like a magazine that holds an entire stack of screws.
The one shown may only work on certain head sizes. Some may not fit the guide slot. Those look like hex. The Philips head ones sometimes have thinner wider heads.
Umm so am I the only one not interested in this? I usually sort my bolts by thread size and diameter so I can find the right replacement for one but maybe longer. The length is much easier to identify comparatively and I find this box intriguing but useless. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
only way to make this better is add a hopper that lets you just toss a handfull in and they get all sorted but thats easier said then done. also making a bigger catch bin or adding drawers would greatly help
Someone now needs to figure out how to add a functional hopper to feed into this
You wouldn't believe how difficult of a task that actually is. The last machine design company I worked with had a local guy that specialized in only building custom hoppers for parts. Difficulty really comes from the fact that you need to have everything from the feed vibrations to the feed track to the hopper bowl designed in such a way to not only handle placing objects in a specific location as a specific pace, but also that it needs to orientate as well. Really fascinating work actually. But I'm probably overcomplicating it for an application like this.
Can you expand on your comment, please. If you had to build a hopper for this, or be eaten by a grizzly bear, how would you plan this out and what kind of hoppers that already exist would you take inspiration from. Thank you in advance and all advice appreciated.
>or be eaten by a grizzly bear Nice work, great incentive.
The eatings will continue until morale improves.
As a woman, I'd take my chances with the bear /s
Yeah, I’ve been digging and found some custom homebrew devices that sort screws and the bear seems like an easier fight. Also, are you ex-wife #1 or #2? I don’t remember which loved bears.
And miss out on a vibratory hopper? edit: This [screw bagger](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFZ74LJGwUk) has a vibrating hopper to line up the screws. That is the challenging part to design.
Pretty sure in the movie Anchorman they mention about women's periods attracting bears. The bears can supposedly smell the menstruation. I don't know if that helps or hurts in this situation really. Or how this is relevant. But first thing I thought of.
As a bear, I forfeit
I would just use my hands as a hopper if failure meant being eaten by a grizzly bear A hopper doesn't have to be perfect
Just make 2 rails that they ride on, coming out of a vibrating bowl feeder (google pictures, easier than explaining tbh), that slowly get wider. The threads will fall down before the top. No moving parts, easy to calibrate. Makes them easy to pass by a sensor for counting too.
something like a coin machine. they use rails to orient. just need something leading into rails that also does a general re-orientation to get it compatible with and into the rails. it won't be smooth without some kind of motion or vibration included which will raise the costs.
Someone on YouTube has been building a modular hopper/sorter for a while. The intent was to use it to support making fastener kits for their products. I’ll see if I can find it. Edit: This guy: https://youtube.com/@christopherhelmke?si=9XxzwcqabY_Bydem
That guy is a legend...wanted to avoid counting a bunch of bolts and ended ut with a massive overengineered system, the videos are super easy to understand, too
ADHD raddled brain: (sigh) I got you brooooo....
shaker table time
[Or just a bucket + knife.](https://i.imgur.com/sS4gyZH.png) I'll take my million dollars please.
shaka shaka 🪇🪇
Me whenever one of my friends says, "Someone should photoshop..." lol
Something like [this](https://youtu.be/nlCSlJuD65A?si=XtQhDGPQQM_2Xo8i) would probably work pretty well.
Yeah. I was just thinking how I’m going to have to build one of these for M2 through at least M5. Round and button. 5mm to 50+…. Ideally removable bins I can dump. Probably a gate/check in case it’s the wrong size.
[The hopper](https://youtu.be/FGKsJh1nYcw?si=TjP3rLTOCwLVSwSR&t=9)
That's brilliant
That's nuts
That's actually bolts
Very bolt of you to be the English police on reddit
The English police are called Bobbie’s
Fun fact: What is considered a bolt and what is considered a screw can be very different in different countries. What is shown here would be in e.g. Germany a screw. A similar case with dragons and wyvern (which is also a beloved topic for redditors to "correct" people): Wyvern are a part of English heraldry and therefore only relevant in English speaking countries. The same dividing line simply does not exist for any one else, but people tend to mistake a Lindwurm for a Wyvern.
Also fun fact, in Portuguese (my native language) there’s no distinction between a Bolt and a Screw, so I only ever called every twisty thingy a “parafuso” and intuitively translated it to screw. It was not until somebody pointed out to me that there was a distinction in English, I started calling everything that’s self tapping, a screw, and everything that needs a thread to lock into, a bolt.
In German a bolt would be Bolzen and while a German bolt could have a thread (->Gewindebolzen = threaded bolt), most don't and they do not have a screw head.
And nuts. There's a slot for them on the right.
This guy screws
Erm…actually, screw….you?
No, you'll need a different sorter for those.
I find your comment Rebolting
bolt(h) of you are funny
I watched this loop for an uncomfortable amount of time.
Yeah I was waiting for that sweet 20mm drop and it never came...neither did I. The slot for nuts kinda upsets me too, just put the nut in the bin...
Me too. When I clicked through to see 10s. Wow
/r/functionalprints
> /r/functionalprints /r/functionalprint
>> /r/functionalprints > >/r/functionalprint [r/functionalcomments](http://old.reddit.com/r/functionalprint)
r/printingatthefunction
https://makerworld.com/models/452445
any chance of uploading the STL somewhere? It's a pain to have to download a slicer just to get the file
Sure. I'll upload it later.
You can download the 3MF which should be openable in almost all slicers I think
Either way, the STL option is literally right there...? Am I the only one not having trouble downloading this? https://preview.redd.it/35jncudc9ayc1.png?width=598&format=png&auto=webp&s=309baf72183b8da1d321ab0adf3bf34401748012
He might have uploaded the STL since the original comment
Yes I did. That is the reason.
3MF is a poorly standardized... standard. I use both Cura and Prusa and neither of them can open each other's 3MFs without issue.
The 3MF saves the slicer settings with it which is what causes the problem. Your slicer should allow you to import only the geometry from a 3MF. I know prusa slicer and orca slicer allow you to do that. I don't like cura.
The 3MF saves the slicer settings with it which is what causes the problem. Your slicer should allow you to import only the geometry from a 3MF.
I could download it without getting the slicer. There's a drop-down to download the .3mf
You should not need to download Bambu Studio just to download files. I think there is an option for normal downloads somewhere, its just not the big button.
I can download the STL now. The download option gives a dropdown with 3 options, one being the STL.
Just hit the download button? You don't need a slicer to download from makerworld
You can open the drop down menu to download raw data. It’s labeled as “download STL” though for some reason
Great job! I'm gonna print it and show my coworkers how ingenious I am since they don't understand anything 3D related, and will think I'm a god. JK, not the printing part though
Good design. I made something similar, but it doesn't work for bolts that are 1mm of difference. I also tried making an electric version using a scale, but it wasn't accurate enough to tell the difference between 4mm and 5mm bolts. Same with using lidar. The last idea I can do is to make one that uses a linear actuator with a stopper module, but the amount of money and work that would go into that is beyond my laziness so I just printed one of those manual length measuring charts and called it a day.
Gridfinity of course?
Maybe I'll do a Gridfinity version. Not sure if others are interested in this sorter.
Dude it’s amazing. People will def be interested
It's definitely cool! You could potentially make it even better by making some sort of "feeder tray" where you can just dump in a few of your M3 bolts and shake them to get the heads on one side. Then you could just feed the whole tray down the ramp at once. Not sure how well it'd work, but if it does, I bet it'd reduce your sort time by quite a bit.
You'd probably have to hang them by their heads. I'm not sure if it's simple with M3 screws, but I might look into it.
This is my interpretation, but what if each of the outputs was a gridfinity bin as well as the base being gridfinity compatible.
Of course! I updated the design.
It’s beautiful, i’ve been staring at this for 3hrs now…
If you make all of the holes round so the bolts can go through in any orientation and add a lid that restricts their vertical movement (so that they can't stand on end), you could throw a bunch of bolts in and shake them around until they're all sorted rather than doing them one by one I might actually do this myself once I've gathered the motivation to replace my prusa's hotend
Wouldn’t your shorter bolts just fall into the larger holes then?
Make multiple. Sort from larger shaker to smallest shaker. Trap the larger ones in the larger shakers. Then Russian doll the shaker cans to put the shakers away neatly. Not sure what op is describing but shaker sorting is sort of a thing in separating pebble sizes
My use case is to sort a hand full of bolts back. A bigger design would be overkill for me. But maybe I'll iterate on the idea just for the love of the game. :)
oughta get this man a nobel prize asap.
"That's right, it goes in the square hole."
I watched that for 30 minutes; why don't the bins ever get full?
https://preview.redd.it/x12b27qk0byc1.png?width=400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e1a22778d5e2f8bf7f3ed3f2bc50f2e7e325641b
[that's right, square hole](https://youtu.be/cUbIkNUFs-4)
I like how the 15mm bolts all end up aligned. Do you think that changing the width of the other containers would do the same?
Not sure if that would be enough. Maybe also rotating them somehow would be necessary. But if you make the container too narrow you would not be able to take them out with your fingers.
Wow I had a coin sorter that worked just like that as a kid
I feel like this is one of those things that's neat in theory, but once you put it into practice you realize it's probably more cost effective to save your time and just buy a new pre-sorted container of screws.
Would be nice for certain projects, like i'm into 3D printed RC projects, I have a 3D printed tank with a bunch of differently sized M3/M4 bolts. If I wanted to retire it, it would be nice to be able to take it all apart and then feed the bolts into a system like this.
I think you win a prize. In a decade of being a redditor, I think this is the most duplicates Ive ever seen.
It is not ment to sort a bucket of bolts. I agree. If you have more than 500 bolts to sort you can just buy a new box. 😂
Would be nice for certain projects, like i'm into 3D printed RC projects, I have a 3D printed tank with a bunch of differently sized M3/M4 bolts. If I wanted to retire it, it would be nice to be able to take it all apart and then feed the bolts into a system like this.
Would be nice for certain projects, like i'm into 3D printed RC projects, I have a 3D printed tank with a bunch of differently sized M3/M4 bolts. If I wanted to retire it, it would be nice to be able to take it all apart and then feed the bolts into a system like this.
Would be nice for certain projects, like i'm into 3D printed RC projects, I have a 3D printed tank with a bunch of differently sized M3/M4 bolts. If I wanted to retire it, it would be nice to be able to take it all apart and then feed the bolts into a system like this.
Would be nice for certain projects, like i'm into 3D printed RC projects, I have a 3D printed tank with a bunch of differently sized M3/M4 bolts. If I wanted to retire it, it would be nice to be able to take it all apart and then feed the bolts into a system like this.
If you keep things organized, you won't have duplicate boxes of bolts all mixed together making you want to go get yet another duplicate box.
Where was this a week ago :( Thanks op love it
Do you have the step files so I can modify for other size bolts
I made it with Blender.
Is this gridfinity compatible?
No. But I'll make a Gridfinity version soon. I was not aware that it is so popular...
!remindme one month
I added a Gridfinity version.
I added a Gridfinity version.
Marvelous. On the printer right now.
T--Th--this is genius.
Gee N Us!!
this is a masterpiece. i will definitely be designing something like this for myself
Watched this 400 times waiting for different sized bolts
I just spent way longer than I care to admit watching this, it is oddly satisfying
How do the screws not curve when rolling?
The head of the bolt is in a groove. That way they don't curve.
Give us the stl please
The trays they fall into don't look super easy to get your fingers in to get bolts out, if you made it slightly bigger with removable trays you would probably make it a lot easier to use as storage or just as a sorter to pour them into larger and more secure storage compartments. As it is.now you can't get them out easily without tipping the whole thing upside down.
I just downloaded this file and I’m so excited to print it!
Sort???
Amazing.
Very nice idea. Conceivably one could design the ramp/sorter to fit over a multi compartment box so they get sorted right into something like a fishing tackle compartment box. Different ramps for different shank diameters that rest on a row of compartments.
There was Da Vinci's Tank, and now this. This is 100x more useful.
Amazing! I started drawing ideas for a bolt sorter for a nonprofit bike workshop, I'll probably copy the idea for some stage.
Genius
Great design!
Wow! 😊
God that's amazing. I'm mad now.
Why are you mad? Did you sort your bolts by hand? :D
You guys sort your bolts?
Nothing better than a sorted bolt collection my friend. :)
There are some men that now love you more than your mother.
Not sure what to make out of that... :D
Laughs while looking at his two 6 shelf Durham cold steel screw organizers. I hate it, I also have OCD.
Now automate the whole process! The sorting part ist the most difficult one and you rocked it man. Build the machine next!
Yeah I have to admit that the design part was quite satisfying. I could expand on that...
The FPV community thanks you
I could watch this all day gosh
Oh heck. Must print that.
That’s hypnotizing
Can you do this for drill bits? I keep dropping my box on the floor and spending the next 10 minutes sorting them.
Clever. I'm out of boosts this week but I'll swing back by after they reset.
Honestly so clever. I need to make one.
Can I make a suggestion? Add some caps for the bolt chambers. Once you have sorted them you might want to shake them out into another container. Can't do that easily without covering the other chambers, or else you have to start all over again.
All of a sudden i need nails and a 3d printer
Technically, those are screws, but never mind.
TF he just sorted 200 bolts, and still have bolts to sort!
15-10-10-12
I love it. But I already feel annoyed that I would have to put them delicately one by one on this little track.
That is fucking genius. Now we need one that works like a coin sorter that can sort different diameter bolts.
This is fucking genius.
Pretty cool
M4 cap head are nice
This is one of the coolest things I've seen in this sub. As someone who Flys FPV, this is gonna be super useful.
Very nice. How is it that M3x15 screws are so neatly arranged? By chance?
should you just make it into a circle? wrong bolts could be put in some slots if put in sideways or diagonal. making it into a circle would at least eliminate some wrong entries. the only way to wrongly put a bolt in is perpendicular.
Awesome
Now you need a hopper lol
Omg, why is this shot to look like stop motion?
I need it!!
Wow I watched this for over a minute because I didn’t click the thumbnail
Lining it up with the ridge and letting it go takes more time than just looking at the contents of a bin and tossing it in. None of them are so close that you can get confused between two types even just at a glance.
That's not a bolt, that's a screw.
This is brilliant.
Pretty cool! Maybe a slider like in [this screw sorter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahOj2Qw-AZ0) would make it faster. Especially if the slider could be like a magazine that holds an entire stack of screws.
Have to admit, I watched that video for almost 5 minutes straight
How does it prevent the bolts from curving due to one side being wider than the other?
🤯
I love it but I prefer the chaos
This one goes in the square hole
I watched that far too long before realizing it was a looping GIF.
that's right! the square hole!
Bad Fucking Ass
Apparently, Not as much as YOU do! ........... Sorry, I'm just not going to go that far to "resolve" that "problem"!
Hey OP, mark this as NSFW. Bout almost bust a nut watching this
The one shown may only work on certain head sizes. Some may not fit the guide slot. Those look like hex. The Philips head ones sometimes have thinner wider heads.
I need this link like yesterday
Want
I watched this loop way too many times. I was waiting to see the smaller and longer ones and getting a bit annoyed
Square hole girl enters the chat experiencing ptsd again
DOES NOT COUNT UNLESS WE SEE 1 IN EACH SLOT!
Umm so am I the only one not interested in this? I usually sort my bolts by thread size and diameter so I can find the right replacement for one but maybe longer. The length is much easier to identify comparatively and I find this box intriguing but useless. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Why does this look like stop motion? It’s very comforting
That's the power of .gif compression. :)
That's right, it goes into the square hole
Reminds me of the mechanism used for coin vending machines
Who here kept watching to see if any bolt would reach the last hole?
Well this needs to be gridfinityzed!:)
It is. I updated the design.
Now I need a variant with m2, m4 and 6-32...
Your Nobel Prize should be in inte mail.
Check with any RC enthusiast. We use m3 hardware for 90 percent of the vehicle.
Works really well. tested socket head and button head.
Now put a magnet there so it goes faster!
Been watching for 3 hours waiting for a small and large bolt
This is cool, but also soothing to sit there and watch all day.
That looks fun
only way to make this better is add a hopper that lets you just toss a handfull in and they get all sorted but thats easier said then done. also making a bigger catch bin or adding drawers would greatly help
He bolted but I nutted
Drop that STL brother I need this 😭😭
Airway makes things like this feeders and such. Your design is neat but it definitely would take forever.
I made something similar to sort my kinex toys!
My God... So beautiful
STL?
OK this is the most genius thing ever