Select Page

Instructions On How To Assemble LED Arch

The assembly of the arches is not very complicated in itself once your 3D prints are done. The point that can be the most complicated is the soldering of the led strips with a connector, but it is very easy and risk-free soldering.

The assembly video is global to all the arches, then you will find below the video the information and components specific to each arch.

The assembly video

The video below shows all the main steps. Some small details are not covered, such as the cutting of the silicone pads.

Resin or Filament LED Arch 120 cm / 47"

Resin DOUBLE LED Arch of 120 cm / 47"

    There is a passage for the cables under one of the bases that have to be assembled. You need to connect the two LED strips in parallel, and you will need to solder the 5.5mm connector to the LED strips using an electrical cable.

    Be careful to protect your soldering with heat shrink tubing, or you will have electrical troubles!

    Resin LED Arch of 60 cm / 23" with or without vertical extension

          3D Printing Tips

          Before you start 3D printing your LED arches, either with my files or your own creations, I advise you to read the points below. They could save you some frustration!

          Resin 3D Printing

          It is, again, the 3D printing technique I recommend. The design has really been thought out for this type of 3D printing.

           

          • Make the right choice of resin. You won't have any problem with any classical resin, but an ABS-type resin will allow keeping an arch that won't suffer from deformation over time. In particular, the "cheap" resins may cause sagging on the large arches.
          • My design is made to be printed on the build plate. Be careful with the arch segments. Activating the resin (shrinkage) compensation is advised to avoid the elephant foot effect. Choose the grey pixel compensation on Lychee Slicer Pro, as shown in the video.
          • The elements of the large arch print without support, but for the small arch, you need to add some support for the very last braced segments. Opt for the native Lychee Slicer scene. They are already in place.
          • Be careful to clean the small holes for the metal rods. It is easy to leave residues of resin in them, which will harden under UV light and, therefore, partially block these holes. That's why I recommend the small hand drill to unblock them or to put them at the right size.

          Filament 3D Printing

          As a reminder, only the large arch is available in filament printing. This printing is quite complex, especially for the segments.

           

          • Choose a layer thickness of 200 microns maximum, or rather 160 or 120. This will take longer, but you will have less distortion on the braces, especially the last ones
          • Choose three outlines for the walls. You can add one more outline (so 4) for the segments and not use any infill.
          • Choose a slow speed, between 60 and 80 mm/s, and slower outer outlines.
          • Activate the Z-hop (up and down of the nozzle when traveling) because the risk of hitting pieces of print is very high, and it would take off your prints (experienced too often). Opt for a fairly high distance, about 2 mm.
          • Print the segments by 5, but not more... Leave them close to each other to limit the travel moves.
          • You may have some stringing, the models are very suitable, but a blow of a Heat Gun or hair dryer will eliminate it.

          Now I wish you good 3D printing, good manufacturing of your arches.

          If you build my LED arch please tag me on social media (@polyorkshop) so I can see your version!