This is mainly a two part design, because to maintain strength, the hook part needs to be printed in a different direction to the cup part. Basically, it has been specifically designed to be FDM printer friendly, but for those that have printers where orientation isn't key to maintain strength, a one piece design is also available. Two different visual styles are also available, one with holes that are elliptical, and the other with diamond-shaped holes. Pick the one you like best, functionally there is no difference.
Some supports are needed for the hook/bracket, as shown in the picture. For FDM, print the two part design in the orientation shown, and make sure to add supports to the hook/bracket part in the area indicated. The fit between the two parts is fairly tight, so be prepared to do a little bit of sanding to fit them together. No glue is necessary (even if the fit is loose, it will hold itself together by gravity when mounted in the car), but feel free to add a small dab of glue if you want to.
You can print the cup and the bracket with whatever layer height you want, I used 0.3 mm to save some time (the largest part took around 3 hours to print), but you will of course get a nicer finish if you use for example 0.2 mm.
The adaptive reducer ring have been designed specifically to be printed at 0.2 mm layer height due to the print-in-place hinges for the flaps, so if you print with a different layer height, you may not be able to free up the hinged flaps. Make sure to print with enough perimeters to avoid infill in the flaps. For the fixed reducer rings, you can print with a lower number of perimeters and a low infill to save on plastic.
The adaptive reducer ring uses a common rubber band as the spring mechanism, and a suitable size is around 40 mm (size 10 to 12) in diameter (unstretched). After printing, the flaps must be broken free and wiggled until they move freely, and then the thin support wall at the outside must be removed to allow for the rubber band to enter the channel inside the edge of the flap. This video describes the process in detail:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIVrE5PjALM
Important: All of the reducer rings have small bumps along the outer circumference that allows them to snap fit to the cup. There is one small bump for each of the cutouts in the cup, so make sure to rotate it so the one spot without a bump is oriented towards the back (where there is no cutout due to the bracket attachment).
Keep in mind that if you print in PLA, deformation is a possibility if left in the sun inside the car, as it can get really hot. And also very important:
Do not overload the cup holder. The bigger version will probably hold even big size drink cups, and I will in no way be held accountable for any spillage or burns caused by the cup holder breaking (for any reason).
Here's a video showing how to mount it in the car (only shows the original small version):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFyBeVw40DA
Note: If you purchase these files, you only have the right to make copies for personal use. You may not create copies for others.
Changelog:
- May 9. 2021: Added new visual style with diamond shaped holes
- May 14. 2021: Added bracket for center console edge
- May 18. 2021: Added new and larger version with a choice of reducer rings