Clips are useful for holding one or more objects together while also being used to secure something in place. The most common clip is perhaps the wooden spring-loaded one we use to hang clothes – this may have been the first thing that came to mind when you read the word “clip.”
You can find clips in all shapes and sizes that people use for much more than just hanging clothes. Clips are useful when you want to tie your hair up, attach a bunch of papers together, or make a bag airtight. However, the possibilities don’t end there. In this article, we’ve included many general-purpose 3D printed clips but also some with unique applications.
If you see a clip that you’d like 3D printed but don’t have the means to do so, head over to Craftcloud by All3DP. You’ll be able to choose from a variety of materials and finishes, plus you’ll know that your model will be of the highest quality.
Now, without further ado, let’s get to the list. Don’t get too attached!
Bag
First up, we have the very practical bag clip. It reseals any bag that will fit inside its jaws, keeping the contents fresh and secure. The clip isn’t just for keeping food bags sealed either; it works with any soft flat material. Use it to bind pieces of paper together, secure rolls of ribbon, a money clip, or anything you can think of!
The clip was designed to be printed in PLA, but ABS, PETG, or even more exotic materials like nylon and polycarbonate (PC) should also work. The clip comes in multiple sizes and can be printed in one piece without supports.
- Who made it? MasterFX
- How printable/popular is it? This popular model has nearly 300 posted makes and 33 remixes. There are also dozens of comments with a common consensus on how well the model prints.
- Where to get it? Thingiverse
Ethernet Clip
This straightforward and tiny clip is designed to replace the easy-to-break locking tab on the modular connector at the ends of an Ethernet cable. A broken locking tab prevents the modular connector from remaining secure in its socket and is prone to falling out or working loose, which happens all too regularly.
The clip should be printed in any rigid filament like tough PLA, ABS, or PETG. The designer recommends printing with 20% infill and with supports.
- Who made it? guss67
- How printable/popular is it? With close to 34,000 downloads, 35 makes, and 9,000 likes, this clip is surely used by many.
- Where to get it? Thingiverse
Cable
This very simple but clever clip is designed to keep cables tidy. It does this using only the cables’ own resistance to bending to keep it in place. A few dozen of these clips could be used to bring some order to the chaos, which most, if not all, cable boxes end up in.
The model would print well in PLA without supports or a raft. The designer recommends a 20% infill.
- Who made it? compute4you
- How printable/popular is it? The model has been downloaded more than 5,300 times, and there are 2 posted community makes.
- Where to get it? Cults
Clothes
You must have expected that a list of clips would include a clothespin! The cool thing about this one is that it’s entirely 3D printed; no springs here. Maybe you want clothes pegs in a particular color or you don’t like going out to purchase new pegs when the old ones inevitably break. Whatever the reason, with this model, you can make your own!
The designer suggests printing in ABS, however, this might not be the best choice if you’re hanging things in direct sunlight. An alternative is to print this model in ASA filament, which has inherent UV and water resistance but is otherwise similar to ABS. The designer also recommends a 0.2-mm layer height and 100% infill.
- Who made it? 3dPH printer
- How printable/popular is it? Around 1,500 people have downloaded this model. Two makers from the community have posted makes, with one commenting that the clothes pegs printed well for them and that they’ve printed multiple copies.
- Where to get it? MyMiniFactory
Carabiner
Carabiners securely attach one object to another and are incredibly useful. This model allows you to print your own lightweight carabiner, made up of two 3D printed parts. This design should be suitable for carrying lightweight objects, although it should be noted that it isn’t load rated.
The designer recommends printing with PLA or ABS with 50% infill and three or more shells.
- Who made it? Charlie1982
- How printable/popular is it? Close to 400,000 people have downloaded this model and more than 610 people have shared prints of this incredibly popular design.
- Where to get it? Thingiverse
Shark-Shaped
This is a fun little clip that can be used for all sorts of clipping purposes. It would be cool to hang up some pictures in a kid’s room, for example. If you aren’t the biggest shark fan, the designer also lists on the model page several other similar designs with different animals, including a miniature dinosaur and an eagle.
It’s recommended to print these creatures with a raft at 60% infill and with four shells. The print should work with any rigid filament. The designer and a number of commenters have used PLA.
- Who made it? muzz64
- How printable/popular is it? This model has an unbelievable 764 posted makes and has been downloaded over 197,200 times so far.
- Where to get it? Thingiverse
Ratchet Clamp
This simple but extremely handy ratchet clamp can be printed as just one piece. Although there are many uses, makers, in particular, will find these clamps useful for holding bits of their creations together while glue or cement sets.
The designer recommends printing in ABS with a 20% infill. They also suggest adjusting horizontal expansion to -0.1 mm to avoid the clamp halves welding together. The model can be printed at different scales depending on how big you need the clamp to be.
- Who made it? luchocarreno
- How printable/popular is it? Well over 18,000 people have downloaded this model and a few have posted pictures of their makes. There are also 18 mostly positive comments about the model.
- Where to get it? MyMiniFactory
Sunglasses
This handy clip attaches your sunglasses to the sun visor in your car. Now, you’ll know where they are, instead of searching around in the console when the sun is shining in your eyes. There’s also a second version of the clip, which has been redesigned to fit a wider range of sunglasses and to try and help with warping when the interior of your car gets hot.
As it follows, printing this model in a material that tolerates high heat is recommended. Commenters have suggested nylon or ABS as good options. PLA is specifically discouraged, as it will soften in the temperatures reached inside a parked car and probably drop your sunglasses.
- Who made it? drotron
- How printable/popular is it? 105 people have posted their makes and 13 have shared their remixes.
- Where to get it? Thingiverse
Mask Strap
This clip has experienced viral popularity given the worldwide health issues we’ve all faced. Regardless of the situation, anyone who has to wear a face mask for work (lab or hospital workers, for respiratory protection, dealing with hazardous chemicals, and so on) will welcome this clip.
Designed to relieve the pressure on your ears, it secures the ear straps of the mask around the back of your head, instead of around your ears. There are also a number of hooks to accommodate many different head sizes.
This model was made to print fast with no supports or rafts. The designer suggests you print it at a 0.35-mm layer height. Because it’s so thin, you don’t have to worry about infill settings.
- Who made it? Suraky
- How printable/popular is it? While 300 makes have been shared, plenty of them include more than a handful of printed mask straps, and there have been over 270 remixes posted as well. There have been almost 1,460 comments, with almost all being messages of support and thanks for a useful and simple-to-print clip.
- Where to get it? Thingiverse
Strong
This clip is called “strong” because it has a strong grip and can hold onto things firmly. It’s made up of three parts and while they require assembly, it’s quite intuitive.
The maker recommends printing the clips and spring in PETG at 0.3-mm layer height and 20% infill. For durability, as the spring is the only part that flexes, it’s best to print it at 100% infill.
- Who made it? Wilko_SLO
- How printable/popular is it? This is one of the most popular bag clips on Printables with more than 1,200 downloads and 66 successful makes shared.
- Where to get it? Printables
Filament
If you’ve ever tried to store a partially used spool of filament, you know the frustrations this next clip is designed to solve. Inevitably, when you remove a partially used spool of filament from your printer, it won’t coil back nicely onto the spool. Instead, it’ll try to unravel and may get tangled when you want to use it again. This clip prevents all of that by securing the loose end of the filament to the side of the spool.
It’s a well-designed clip that has STL files for both 1.75-mm and 3-mm diameter filament.
There’s no guidance on print settings provided by the author. Based on what we see, a high infill percentage is a good idea as well as printing it in ABS or similar filament. PLA may be too brittle for this print, although some have reported success with the material.
- Who made it? Madox
- How printable/popular is it? This model has been printed at least 240 times as seen on the shared makes, and 37 remixes show that, while it’s a practical enough design, it can be customized for a variety of options.
- Where to get it? Thingiverse
Plant
Plants whose stems cannot stay upright need support to grow. These plants are mostly climbers, but there are a few others such as tomato and pepper ones that grow best with supports.
The 3D printed clips can easily grab onto the plants and a stick to hold them upright. You can clip on more of these as your plants grow taller and taller!
- Who made it? fns720
- How printable/popular is it? At least 230 people have downloaded this clip to help grow their plants, with 13 sharing their makes.
- Where to get it? Printables
Small
This clip has a small form factor, but it gets the job done perfectly. Its circular hole lets you grab the clip and easily put it on and take it off any bag.
Like some of the makers who’ve shared their prints, you can opt for different colors to distinguish between the various herb and spice bags. You can also easily scale these up and print them for larger bags of snacks and cereal.
- Who made it? Mikolas Zuza
- How printable/popular is it? This small clip has reached almost 11,000 downloads and has over 2,300 likes and 320 makes.
- Where to get it? Printables
Hinged Cable Clip
These hinged clips are amazing at keeping your cables tucked away together while keeping the arrangement neat and tidy. They can go a step further than zip ties, as you can screw them onto any platform, table, or wall easily. You can even use these to guide your wires along any surface.
For this clip, the maker suggests using PETG with the print settings of 0.2-mm layer height and 10% infill for the best results. Additionally, if you want to keep your cables separate in the clip, you can use its modified version – the divided hinged cable clip.
- Who made it? Jerrari
- How printable/popular is it? This can be easily printed in one piece. Over 30 people have shared their improved cable management with the use of this clip.
- Where to get it? Printables
Print-in-Place
An over-engineered print-in-place bag clip, meaning it’s ready to use after printing and doesn’t need any assembly. It has three moving parts – the lock and the two parts with teeth for grip – all hinged together. The lock is the main part that’s used to fasten this clip and keep the contents of your bags secure.
The designer recommends printing this clip using PLA at 15% infill (which can be bumped up to make the clips more durable) and a 0.15-mm layer height with supports only on the build plate.
If you want to print a scaled-down model of this clip, it’s advisable to print the mini version (scaled down to 40%). As it’s a print-in-place model, you’ll need to configure the clearances after scaling down the parts.
- Who made it? Andrei
- How printable/popular is it? This clip has over 420 recorded makes as well as over 29,000 downloads!
- Where to get it? Printables
License: The text of "3D Printed Clips: 15 Must-Have 3D Models to Print" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.