SST Fiber Drop Slitter / Stripper - Mk I by base4

Last crawled date: 3 years, 3 months ago

Having the right tool for the job can make all the difference when working in the elements. As I did not have access to the "proper" (SST-Drop Cable Access Tool) tool (for .. reasons) I challenged myself to make a suitable facsimile.
This parametric design has been successfully tested and works a treat! There are "better" ways of making this tool .. but this is my method ;) (for now) The design intent is based loosely on the FDST-0000 by Corning.
The purpose of this tool is to remove the plastic sheath of an SST flat fiber self-supporting drop wire (offered by Corning). The sheathing is slit on both sides of the drop wire where strength members protect the central tube that houses the individual fiber(s).
This design concept uses mini utility blades to keep the tool size small. My first version was based on FatMax utility knife blades and it has been added to this project. There is nothing "wrong" with the more universal design; it is simply larger than my preferred "micro" version. Both designs can be quickly modified to accept your particular blade geometry. The "depth of cut" is maintained by changing the blade angle, regardless of blade dimensions.
The critical dimensions are highlighted with red in the design parameters "spreadsheet" in FreeCAD. All values can be edited.
Non-printed parts required:
2 x mini utility knife blades: e.g. ACE 23301A, Hyde Tools 42026, IDL 704546
2 x M3 x 16 socket cap screws
2 x M3 nuts
The design was done in FreeCAD and as mentioned it is fully parametric. I have included the FreeCAD files so that you can modify the designs to your heart's content.
I am open to any suggestions as to how to improve the design work-flow in FreeCAD.