Making a procedural spring clamp using geometry nodes

Question

Making a procedural spring clamp using geometry nodes.

I can design / create a spring clamp in blender (see image below)

I would like to make it more procedural using geometry nodes (so I would have the ability to adjust it more accurately). I can adjust the height but would also like the ability to change the curve diameter at the top, the middle diameter, and it's length (see arrows).

I can adjust things using the scale element node but it's not really exact (example: trying to change the diameter of the center section to hold a 5mm diameter object). Do I need to recreate the spring clamp from scratch using geometry nodes to allow this?

The reason for exacting dimensions is that this will be 3D printed.

Attached file:

Answer 1

If you really want to solve this with Geometry Nodes, then I would use a Bezier curve as a starting point.

By scaling this curve and then extruding it, you get a mesh that is not only changeable in all directions, but also generated with a uniform thickness independent of the scaling of the curve.

So the order should be:

• First scale
• Then create a base (thickness) with Curve to Mesh
• Then extrude to height
• And finally cut with the cylinder

In addition, you can always influence the resolution of the mesh.

The solution could therefore look like this:

_{(Blender 3.2+)}