Clipping a run of parallel cables

Put them all in trunking? Then you don't need to see the cable run.

There is also cable basket (you cable tie them at regular intervals along the basket), but that's more intended for industrial uses.

If you search Amazon/Ali/etc for 'cable comb' you can find plastic pieces that are designed to hold cables together in a flat run - typically power cables inside PCs but maybe you can find something of suitable size. Or 3D print your own.

Theo

Many thanks for the speedy replies. "Cable comb" hadn't occurred to me as a search term, so I'll follow that up. Glueing, hot or otherwise, doesn't really appeal: I'd like to keep options open for any possible future alterations.

I'm increasingly regretting that I don't (yet?) own a 3D printer.

I've seen (and used) trunking designed to take something like two or three cables but I don't know of any that can accommodate six. I'll investigate; thanks.

Thanks for the thought. It would have to be pretty powerful adhesive: The loose cables don't lie particularly flat or straight and wouldn't be easily subdued, I think. But it's an intriguing idea.

Before anyone else suggests it, what about WiFi to dispense with the need for cables?

Trunking is available in a huge range of sizes. If the run is on display then the "D" shaped type (D-line?) might look better than rectangular - available in a few colours. Alternatively, it would be very easy to make suitable retainers out of hardwood strips, cut like a flat bridge (can't think of a better description). One way would be to drill holes on the centre line, cut/file/rout to a rectangular hole, cut lengthways into two pieces.

Thanks. I've been thinking along that line myself, but with the half-holes left intact, as separate (but very close) pathways for the cable.

No need to go to that size plenty of smaller sizes available such as;

There is also a lot to learn about 3D CAD and driving the 'slicer'

BIG learning curve

TBH most of the time I just print files somebody else has designed, because I don't have time to design something myself.

There are lots of cable comb search results:

(I did print some, but I can't remember which design - they all look roughly similar)

Theo

Modern 3D printers don't need taming. I have a Centauri Carbon v1 and it 'just works', and for £240 it doesn't take a great deal of outsourced prints to make it pay:

The new £399 Centauri Carbon v2 has an automatic material changer for up to

The key advantage of owning your printer is you can prototype easily: you can print something, try it for size, make changes and print again, etc. When you're doing something that needs to be right in more than one dimension at a time, IMHO it's invaluable to hold the actual thing in your hand and try it.

Just turn on supports in your slicer and printing upside down is no problem at all. I use OrcaSlicer's 'tree-style supports' - it prints little tree trunks and branches to hold up the parts which are hanging in mid air, and they easily snap off when the part has cooled.

Theo

It might be big, but you can get started with the basics fairly easily IME.

You can start with downloading existing models from thingiverse, or printables.com. Just open the model in the slicer, accept the defaults and hit print. All you really need do is tell it what type of material you have loaded in the printer.

There are also a number of easy to use online modelling packages that work in a web browser like tinker cad.

You can even coerce local desktop apps like sketchup to make 3d models in a pinch (it can work, although sketchup is not really a solid object modelling tool)

Personally after looking at a number of options I decided to learn FreeCAD, as it is a full parametric[1] modelling tool like Fusion 360 or Solidworks, but without the huge price tag of the commercial versions or the restrictive limitations of the "maker" versions of the commercial tools.

Models are built in steps, and the software remembers those steps, so if you go back and make a change to an earlier step, those changes can be propagated through all the later steps without needing to redraw stuff.

You add supports that you break away once printed

Other technologies (resin and

Theo

Many thanks to everyone for the further thoughts. I'm going with plastic trunking: it's not exactly the solution I originally had in mind but it's neat and easily secured and will do the job nicely.

Thanks too for the spin off comments about 3D printing: fascinating stuff.