Last month Shane Graber, on a whim, threw up a batch of25 3D-printed frag plugs on eBay。9美元以9美元的价格运到我家门口，我立即将它们抓住了，以便我可以看到它们的全部内容。事实证明，肖恩（Shane）有两种设计，因此他将他发送的内容加倍，我们可以看一下两者。
对于从未见过3D直接打印的任何东西的人来说，Graber的插头令人惊讶地坚固。它们只不过是一个填充的邮件，所有50个插头（以及3D打印的机器人奖金！）到达而没有损坏。我还应该指出，这些插头非常轻巧。他们确实沉没了！
One of the questions that must come to mind right away is “what are these frag plugs made from?”. Per Graber’s auction description, “Each of these frag plugs are printed on a 3D printer using a saltwater and coral-safe plastic called PLA. PLA is a recyclable bioplastic that is a made from renewable resources, so it is an environmentally friendly alternative to Aragacrete and ceramic frag plugs. There is no need to cure these plugs before use like many Aragacrete plugs as they are pH neutral and will not affect your tank’s pH nor alkalinity.”
Gen 1的蓝色碎片插头设计具有连接的X碱基形成。
I found the Gen 1 plug design to be extremely rigid. From an eggcrate standpoint, it fits loosely although Graber points out that different eggcrate has different cell sizes; thus 13 x 13 mm plugs fit 13 X 13 mm eggcrate best. Since everything about the design is digital, in theory Graber could configure your custom frag plugs to fit whatever cell size you wanted with some basic scaling of the digital model.
Again, I have to say I was extremely impressed by the performance of the 3D printed material. It’s amazing to see how strong the 3D printed material truly is; I was unable to break any of the feet off the Gen 1 frag plugs by hand.
Looking at the Gen 1 plugs, it’s easy to see why Shane didn’t stop with his first design, but instead investigated a second design. The Gen 2 plugs feature a different design to the “stem”, disconnected > < feet which fit more snugly in my eggcrate.
Unlike the Gen 1 design, these Gen 2 feet can be snapped off by hand, but only when you apply the right force in the right direction.
Otherwise, they are every bit as strong as the Gen 1 design. Being able to remove the feet from the plug is a convenient addition, and overall, if I had to pick, I think I’d go with the Gen 2 design over the Gen 1. Of course, you really don’t have to decide; Graber can print up either design on an as-needed basis. This truly takes the concept of “just in time inventory” to a whole new level.
Both frag plug designs feature a “divot” or depression on the top of the flat surface. This is meant to provide a slight cup where a frag might be placed and glued. In my opinion, the design of the cup was too shallow; it didn’t really provide the function you’d expect from the intended design.
当涉及到颜色编码时，我们可以想到珊瑚农民可能会受益的几个原因，从而将独特的颜色用于特定目的。Graber使使用颜色作为一种基于价格分类碎片的手段的明显飞跃。但是您可以进一步迈出一步，使用颜色表示相似物种的特定遗传品种，或者可以使用特定的颜色来跟踪珊瑚繁殖的月份。Graber列出了目前可用的8种颜色，可应要求提供更多颜色。
我还没有看到这些插头在长期的表现，但是对于喜欢修补的珊瑚农民来说，它们是一个有希望的新想法。Shane当前有碎插头包available directly via eBay此时。给他一条线；Graber非常有兴趣知道“人们希望从3D打印的碎片插头 - 尺寸，选项等中想要什么”。
