Product Review

If you've done 3D printing, then you most likely have tried to connect some parts. Perhaps it's an enclosure for an electronics project and mounting a circuit board to protect it. Maybe it's a robotics or RC car project. Alternatively, you might be a professional architect or engineer modeling a prototype product. Using screws to tap straight into plastic might work once if the connection does not need to be too strong and doesn't have to come apart. If you ever need to disassemble and reassemble multiple times, then you need to raise your game to include brass heat-set inserts. Brass inserts have small threads inside that hold #4-40 machine screws tightly. They have ridges and bumps on the outside to allow the melted plastic to wrap around, holding the insert tight into the plastic piece. Using a soldering iron with a special installation tip (search Amazon for B078K72615 or B07GNX86BB) makes it easy to install the inserts and extract the heated tip consistently without pulling the insert out of the plastic and ruining the part. Once the insert is installed you will have a much more robust and reusable way to connect 3D printed parts.