Hello.

If you would like the complete set of the files for this model for free, please go to the link below to support me.

https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/88474-heavy-duty-ratchet-tool-or-fidget-toy

Enjoy.

This is the R.E.P Ratchet tool.
It stand for Rapid Prototyped, Exposed Design & Pocket Sized 1/4" Bit Ratchet Tool.

Yes, it takes the standard ¼ inch driver bits or anything with that standardised tool connection type, which allows for an endless amount of possibilities.

The main two this tool was design for is as a ratcheting screwdriver and ratcheting socket driver, but you can attached specialised drill bits, deburing tools, multi bits and more.

The design is reversible, this means that have the R.E.P Ratchet one way and it will spin freely one way and ratchet the other (the arrow shows the torque direction), and when you want the opposite, flip the tool over and now it you have it reversed.

The design is heavy duty and capable of handling constant use, with an anti-selfdistruct design, meaning that when you push the ratchet too far, which is a lot, it will come apart into its parts and then you can reassemble them and you are good to go.

The oeverall design is pocket-sized, with its footprint being smaller than a deck ofo playing cards, and it can be placed down either flat or on its longest flat edge.

Once printed, pull the Ratchet Spring Arm back and down around 5mm, and slide the spindle into the Ratchet Spindle Retention Arm, using the cross-section illustration as a guide.

BEHIND THE DESIGN:
I am a secondary/high school Metal, Timber, Engineering and Design & Technology teacher in Australia. I have recently started our school's new maker space, and got some awesome Prusa Mk3S+ printers. While thinking about what projects to utalise the printers for my students with, I remembered we needed several screw drivers for each of our classroom for the students metal and wood projects, but buying that many screw drivers is expensive, and they are not the easiest tool for year 7 and 8 to use, especially dificult for my students with physical limitations. So I thought…LETS DESIGN AND 3D PRINT SOMETHING!!!

While researching for tools, ratchet drivers came into focus, so I 3D printed some, and were disappointed in their performance, as they were snapping after one lesson of use. So I looked up ratcheting mechanisms and came across an old patent.

The design for this tool was inspired by a century old patent for a large, industrial ratcheting tool. I took the basic parts and shrunk them down to be 3D printed in an hour and durable enough to withstand constant use, while fitting in your pocket and is only made from 2 parts.

This was achieved by main prototypes being produced and tested. I tested them by constantly ratching the spindle of my design in a jig with a drill at 10 revolutions per second for an 30 minutes, and torturing the ratchet while the bit was held in place in a vice attached to a work bench.

Many of the prototypes lasted, but only two were performing above the rest and met the design requirements I set out at the start.

The MAIN R.E.P Ratchet model is the one I carry on my school keys and on my personal car and house keys now, with a chey ring being able to be slipped on before putting the spindle in place.

The ALTERNATE model is there for those who prefer to have the key chain attached in a more secure way.

Both print files are under an hour and have all the parts needed, ready to print, but I have also provided the original STL. files for each of the individual parts.

Personaly, for the way my student abuse these, I printed my replacement ones for spares for school with a 50% infill, 1.2mm wall thickness and 1.2mm top and bottom layer thickness, adding an extra 5 minutes roughly for each ratchet assembly, but the ready to print files below are good enough for many people and were the original settings used in all testing.

I used multiple PLA+ filament manufacturers when printing and testing, and eSun and SUNLU filament, some of your cheaper brands, turned out perfect. If your print turns out to make the spindle a bit loose, just reprint the frame at 99 or 98% scale. Tolerences for this print with different filament brands and types is something unfornutnately I cannot control, as I tested this print in PETG and Nylon Carbon fiber filament, and needed to adjust the scale on the main body as suggested. BUT…the cheap and dirty way would be to take the spindle out, heat up the spindle swing arm with a lighter for a few seconds ad bend only a little bit inwards. This works but do at your own risk!.

Hope you enjoy your new favourite tool, I know my students, colleges, family, friends and myself do.

BONUS: It makes a great fidget spinner/toy and a great gift.

Enjoy.