PSI - Issue 73

Barbora Křistková et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 73 (2025) 87 – 93 Barbora Krˇistkova´, V´ıt Krˇivy´, Miroslav Vacek / Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2025) 000–000

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3D printing of metal represents revolutionary technology, which has the potential to complement traditional produc tion processes such as welding, milling, etc. (8). It is an innovative approach, which uses digital models to create com plex geometric shapes (9) (10). The main method used for metal 3D printing is selective laser melting (SLM), electron beam melting (EBM), and binder jetting, which allows high precision and fine detail in the final products (11) (12). Other benefits include reduced material waste and shorter production cycles (13). These characteristics make 3D printing a suitable tool for creating innovation and optimizing production processes (14). The glass point holder on the facade is the most common type of support of glass tables due to its elegance and airiness. The glass point holder tends to support structures made of steel or glass connected by stainless steel fittings (15) (16). These fittings usually have fixed arms that are used to transfer the load from the glass table to the supporting structure (17). The principle of the fittings for the suspended glass assembly is that all in-plane forces transmitted between the individual components are damped by the friction generated at the metal / gasket / glass interface due to the preload of the fixing screws (18). One of the features of footplate glass assemblies is that it cannot be used in conjunction with sealed insulating glass units (IGU) or non-vertical applications such as sloped glazing (19). The Dot Point System (DPS) also known as ‘spider glass fitting’ can be used for both (20). Most typical fittings used consist of two or four fixed arms depending on the location of the glass panel in the structure, or what type of structure material they are attached to (21). A typical four-arm fitting is connected to the glass panel through four di ff erent holes with the M10 screw on each arm (22). The two arms of the fitting have enlarged holes, usually 22 mm in diameter (23). The enlarged holes allow for horizontal and vertical adjustment during installation (24). These arms are generally positioned vertically upwards. The lower two arms have an enlarged opening usually 11 x 22 mm and a nominal 11 mm diameter opening. This arrangement is necessary to ensure proper load transfer (25) (26). In the process of creation, a new connection was necessary to start with architectural research of steel / stainless steel spider fittings, which is available on the market, especially its dimensions. All available spider fittings are made using a traditional form of production. In the first step of designing, there was an idea with elegant organic shapes in usage, for which 3D printing appears as a suitable method (27). At the beginning of the process, the geometric limits were determined. The spider fitting is designed as a four-arm and respects the standard spacing between connection points 220 / 220 mm. The dimension and shape of the holes that respect the design of traditional manufacturers for a suitable design was also achieved for application to the structural system. The spider has two larger holes on the top and letf side for the 22 mm diameter screw grips on the glass, which allow movement in all directions. At the bottom of the spider there is a single 22x11 mm hole that allows the screw to move sideways only. The last hole of 11 mm diameter is located at the left, serves for a fixed grip, and does not allow any screw displacement in the hole. The last hole is located in the central part of the spider. The 19 mm diameter hole is used to clamp the fitting to the supporting structure as presented in Figure 1. 2. Methodology

Figure 1: Base dimension of the spider fitting