I am playing around with this prototype, not quite there yet. We wanted a way to mount rechargeable lights on RAM or 67 designs ball mounts on the door so we could light up the tailgate and/or the inside. We also wanted a side-to-side Bungie to hold things like towels, more lights, utensils, or whatever. We’ve been playing around with this Bungie lock system so I figured we would make something up. Should have the proto printed and mounted soon, I’ll share how it goes.
Also, note, we finally found a new material that is perfect for outdoor lifestyle. It’s a mix of carbon fiber, and is strong, light, UV, and chemical resistant, and is not hygroscopic (it won’t absorb water).
Interesting idea! The markforged Onyx has been working really well so far this weight test was with straight Onyx Weight test for fun!! - YouTube
I am interested in hearing about your new material and seeing your new system in action.
So the thing we found after running Markforged Oynx outside for over a year is two problems from a materials science point of view.
Oynx is essentially Nylon 6 and is Hygroscopic. So it starts off strong and about a year later it’s spongy depending on rain, humidity, etc.
It’s not UV stable. So not only does it get weak but it tends to become dimensionally unstable and warp over time.
Both of these conditions take some time in the wild to develop. I’ve had a test rig mounted in my yard for almost a year but my Oynx solar brackets failed faster. Those went on a bunch of trips and got thrashed in Big Bend and the Beach and more. So they look like hell. I will upload a pic.
So that sent us searching for a new material that didn’t have these properties and that rules out any Nylon or Nylon blend. We ended up on a Polycarbonate and Carbon Fiber blend. It’s more expensive (believe it or not) and harder to print.
Now to be fair we haven’t had this material out in the wild for an extended period just yet. My test period is 6 months (at least) of heavy use to know if it’s suitable. On paper it looks good but time will tell.
We also tried a few coatings to help Oynx be more outdoor friendly but no dice. I suspect Cerakote would be awesome for this but it made our post processing time and costs insane.
That’s great information!!! Agreed I have found the same thing about onyx I also have noticed 100% infill has helped improve longevity.
I can only imagine how fussy that new material is but it sounds like a good solution at this point. Is it the Priline polycarbonate carbon fiber?
I’ve thought about having some stuff produced in resin that is a UV cured material but I haven’t pulled trigger to get test pieces yet.
For the parts I’ve been producing the onyx has held up pretty well but they’re not high stress usages. Cerakote may be a good solution like you said, but 5 days to air cure is huge pain and heating it up just makes the Onyx far more brittle.
I’ve left my hooks on the truck for about a year now I’m surprised at how well they’ve held up. I think printing 100% infill has helped in longevity of the parts. So much more to be explored too.
The polycarbonate and carbon fiber mix turned out really nice looking and very strong. Im going to run these for a while and see how they hold up. I also have some 67 designs 20mm ball heads to mount up and see how I like them.
So far, the new material is looking good. We haven’t done any super cold snow trials yet, and winter is whisking away, but so far so good in all other conditions.
Got my prototype/test unit the other day; it was a super clean install and the material is really nice. The dovetailed mount for the bungee to connect to the end brackets is very clean and hidden.
Obviously RAM is a good choice and has many options to expand on. I love RAM mounts as they can be customized with so many things. I’m an avid HAM radio guy, and I could remote mount a radio head for a field day project even.
I also found it is direct thread to the Rovrlab rotating mount that will fit Baja Designs dome lights. This would require some fitting to get it to work nicely, as well as wiring obviously, but just shows there are some interesting things you can do with the mount.
Of course, the bungee allows for various uses, such as hanging a smaller towel to dry, a lantern, etc. I would like to see a way to temporarily remove the bungee without having to remove the brackets for if I wanted to “thread” a paper towel roll to it for cooking, or something like that, or be able to “tighten” the slack in the bungee if I wanted to hang something heavier to dry, just depending on your use case.
