3D Printed Boot Grommet

[MikkiJayne]

Enthused by Ronin's thread on boot grommets, but not wanting to cut the wiring harness (because its a bit short) I finally got round to designing one for 3D printing. I can't do flexible materials yet, but after some examination the cable actually doesn't move very much at all so I've printed this prototype in PETG (polyethylene tetrapthalate glycol-modified). This is basically the same stuff pop bottles are made of so fairly robust and waterproof, although a bit of a bugger to glue.

I made it in two parts so it could be attached from either side, and the handy thing about FDM 3D printing is that the layers tend to lock together if you get the clearances right.

CAD model:



First prototype:



Tweaked it a little, made a second prototype



Fitted it in place:



From the inside - I removed the tail light so I could see what was going on



Now glued together with silicone. Polyurethane panel adhesive would be better, but I didn't have any so I'll see what the silicone does.



Same sort of deal for the boot lid, but this is just a single piece which presses in place since you can't get to the other side. This one needs warming up a bit with the hot air gun to soften it as the panel isn't flat. I pressed it in place while it cooled, and then stuck it in with silicone.





This is in General Vod btw who is off to be a daily driver in a week or so, so the new grommets will get well tested I will report back on how they last.