Replica of Table Endbar Cap

Replica for table endbar cap

3D printing metadata

The prototypes of the model used Bambu PLA Basic filament on the Bambu A1 mini, and the final version (if the design is successful) should be made in ASA filament.  (The make entry for the final print will be submitted at a later date - please consult the “make” tab.)

ASA was chosen, as it was recommended for use in outdoor items.  (PLA was not a viable candidate filament, as it is known to melt in cars during summer weather temperatures.  Additionally, PETG and ABS were not appropriate for sustained outdoor sun exposure.)

The table brand and model are unknown.  If you recognize this as the endcap for your table, then you may be able to use this model (with your own 3D printing/other small-scale manufacturing facilities)!

Background and purpose

Another project given to STEM Club over summer 2025: replicate the endcap of table bars.  These table bars are in an outdoor table, and support the glass tabletop of this table.  The endcaps appear to slightly support the glass layer upwards (in the positive Z-direction) and also seem to effectively prevent empty space of the table endcaps from being exposed.  (However, the endcaps themselves are not closed to air, and were not designed to ever be air tight or water tight.)  These were for the relatives of a fellow STEM Club member.

These are photos of the original table piece:

For this project, there was some sense of urgency, as it turns out two of these table pieces were missing on the original table and also they generally contribute to the overall physical sturdiness/safety of the table.  So, we wouldn

Tools used

• Caliper (both analog and digital)
  • I relied mainly on the analog dial caliper for initial measurements.
  • The digital caliper was used to loosely/approximately verify measurements, after printing from the Bambu A1 mini.
• Onshape, for the 3D design
• 3D printer: Bambu A1 mini (for PLA prototypes only)

Internal iteration history

I went through 4 different internal iterations.  Here is the general the revision process:

• Version 1 had walls that were too thin, as I had forgotten how to handle mental math when it comes to calculating annulus.  (It has been a while since I have done revolution problems involving annulus computations.)  So, the walls needed to be increased from 1mm to 2mm thickness.
• Version 2 made me realize that the tab was too thin, so I increased the tab thickness.
• Version 3 made me realize that I could also include a “negative” annulus from the base of the table piece.
• Version 4 made me realize that the tab had to be shortened by 1mm, and also the retaining edge needed to be moved closer to the “main” body by 0.5mm.

Below is a photo of the first four versions:

• Version 5 is the current version.
  • Also, I made an additional variant that prints to actual size, as for some reason the Bambu A1 mini adds 0.25mm (in the negative Z-direction from the bottom face) when tree supports were used.  This should not matter if you want the actual file that is 100% to scale, and this was more of a “hack” to get around some quirks from the Bambu A1 mini.

Below is a photo of version 5 and 5m (the latter is the modified version to print “correctly” on the A1 mini):

Thanks

I would like to thank the Florist for another opportunity to 3D print in STEM Club.  Also I would like to thank @opinion_panda for continued technical feedback during the process.

Changelog

We received confirmation on October 7, 2025 that the ASA prints have been working just fine on the table the entire time!