This is a collection of modules for OpenSCAD that will create different-sized standoff studs with holes for a heat-set insert to be placed into them. I have created modules for various sizes of standoff studs. I am still very new to OpenSCAD. While it has been around for many years, I first heard about it exactly one week ago. For the type of projects that I work on, and the way my brain works, this appears as though it will be much easier for me to design with as compared with the commercial product Fusion 360 that I started out with.

Many of my designs are for cases to hold electronic projects, so I will need to create designs for holding circuit boards that have screw holes in a variety of places. To make installing, removing, and replacing parts easier, I like using these brass, heat-set, threaded inserts. Depending on the project, some times I need tiny little M2 screws and other times I may need a screw up to an M5. Each hole for an insert has an 8° tapered edge, to facilitate lining up each insert. The depth of each hole and the diameter of each stud varies based on what insert that is used. For this reason, I recreated several iterations of these standoff studs for the different sizes. Below are a list of the modules I've created.

• M2.0 Short
• M2.0 Long
• M2.5 Short
• M3.0 Short
• M3.0 Long
• M4
• M5

I may find a need later to create more sizes. If you open up the OpenSCAD file, you will see that I’m a bit verbose, but I explained how and why I did things the way I did.

To call up one of the modules, you would use the following syntax:

m3_long_stud(x-axis, y-axis, height of stud, offset from surface);

The following is an example of this syntax:

m3_long_stud(0,0,7.8,0);

This places an M3 Long stud that is 7.8mm tall at 0,0,0. The values for each of these inserts were extrapolated from several different sources but mostly from Maker Tech Store and McMaster-Carr. Maker Tech Store provided better information on each of the inserts that they sell. Their only issue is they only sell some sizes. McMaster-Carr carries a larger variety but their information is a bit disjointed, often mixing imperial measurements with metric, like using a hole that is 0.199 inches for an M3 insert. Maker Tech Store explains it in details and provides an image to understand.