One of the design principles I have grown to value immensely is that of designing for disassembly. Prioritizing bolts, threaded inserts, and JST connectors over glue or rivets, while a significant upfront investment, has payed huge dividends over time. On many projects I have lost count of the number of “dry fitting’s” I have ended up doing, and the ability to retro fit an older project as interests and skills change is priceless.

Epoxy, super glue, hot melt, rivets, solder, etc. all are wonderful tools that that have their place in our bag of tricks, but I find they should be used intentionally. Too often as a younger man they where my go-to methods of fastening, and in end they caused more frustration and self imposed limitations as the design process wound its way forward.

For smaller 3D printed projects an assortment of 2-4mm bolts and threaded inserts is invaluable. Learning to design with these approaches has a low barrier to entry, they do not add significant bulk or weight to your project and with a few twists of an allen wrench you can drop in a new part. These fasteners provide more than enough strength for printed parts and as your choice of materials increases in tensile strength there is almost always an appropriately strong fastener to use.

For electronics and wiring looms, JTS and Servo connectors are just the ticket. They do require some special crimping tools and a few extra solder steps but the flexibility to provide is worth many times more than any inconvenience. These connectors do require a custom tool and a bit of practice to get the hang of but there are a plethora of very good videos on Youtube on just about any type of connector, and if you are reading this I assume that the idea of picking up a new tool is more exciting than it is daunting.

As you design you next project think about designing for disassembly, you may be very surprised at the opportunity that present themselves.