Auto Adjusting MFT Rail Hinge

I recently built a crude rail hinge to get repeatable square cuts on my modified Masterwork table. I was however not happy with the adjustment mechanisms of the first iterations. Looking at the market, there was no suitable acessory for sale, so I decided to build my own using 3D Printing. I wanted something that took advantage of the manufacturing method, so I decided to integrate some clever mechanics that allow the hing to automatically adjust to the thickness of the material. The 4 ratcheting levers allow to lock in a height of the rail above the workpiece which makes for a stable cut even on slim work pieces. 

I used an off-the-shelf hinge from a cabinet (a Prämeta 601-50) to achieve the required precision and stability. 

The entire assembly uses a compliant bracket design that fits the odd shaped aluminium extrusions of the table (this would be a lot easier to design for an original MFT with a T-Track).  The cutout at the bottom right of the bracket allows it to flex just enough to clamp around the aluminium. I printed this piece out of standard PLA with 2 wall lines. The entire clamp holds good enough to move the entire table by the clamp.

The rail is held in place using a small glider that sits in one of the t-shaped-grooves in the rail. It is secured in place using 3 M4 bolts that tie into the top rail assembly. The top plate also has a guide on the right side to help align the rail on the assembly perfectly straight.

Inside each of the clamps is one of the ratcheting mechanisms that allows for the quick and easy adjustment of the height. 

The teeth are designed with a geometry that allows movement to the top without retracting the lever, this enables the hinge to move up when the workpiece is placed below, but prevents the hinge from moving down again without activating the levers. 

The levers have several cutouts that make them bend just enough to clear the teeth, allowing the user to move the riser plates back down to reset the hinge. (In true wannabe-festool-fashion I printed these in green to indicate things the user can move) 

If the user does not want to use the automatic ratchething on one or both sides the top screw can simply be left unpopulated to make the lever act as a simple toggle. This allows one-handed operation, but is not as quick to use as the automatic mechanism.

Because the levers are placed to the side of the hinge the user does not have to walk around the table to reset the height of the hinge. You can simply reach across and press the green levers from the front.

I have tried and used this hinge with a Wolfcraft Master work table with a custom MFT Worktop. All prints were done in PLA, to assemble a number of M4 socket and countersunk screws are required. There are a few things that still require work like the precision of the vertical pieces could be further tuned or the guide-geometry adjusted to something like a dovetail to improve precision while adjusting. The hinge however, is working as expected and creates repeatable and precise cuts.