Friction Latch

A friction latch that uses the properties of the material and the print to manage the tightness of the fit. FreecCAD files are included for your own customizations.

This was designed with a person-sized door in mind, so it may be larger than you might need for your use case.

It can be printed in many materials depending on your use case, but PLA is what it was designed around in terms of finding the right amount of “grab” and “spring” properties. PET-G and nylon would both be good alternatives, but you may want to adjust the clamp arms and the end nubs for a better fit.

I recommend 4-8  perimeters at 0.2mm height and 0.4mm nozzle, which should make the clamp arms made of 100% perimeter and help it act more like a spring. You CAN print the peg horizontally, but I have not found this to improve durability and unless you have well-tuned supports, it may deform the contours of the peg and make the clamp less effective.

Screw holes are 4.25mm in diameter, scaled for m4 wood screws. Photos are of an earlier prototype with larger holes. Remember that you can edit the scad file to your use case.

Testing has had the peg piece tend to fail, either at the base or where the peg meets the base, so please feel free to experiment with printing parameters AND REPORT BACK, please.