So here it is with fabric in place. My frame design is fundamentally flawed and needs a total rework. There must be access to the top and bottom combs that is covered last. Hiding the side cut edges out of any overlap in the air flow path would also make it more polished.

I managed to get one end cap on last, so I could add tension to the pleats for the pic, but it was only from one side so things are starting to get skewed and wrinkled. I had assumed that the pleat forms being slightly undersized would have tensioned the fabric adequately, but that would take far too much tweaking to get repeatable results... Looks like I will be throwing more design parts at the problems... Don't give up your dreams, like quadrupling the price of a simple air filter with 2 weeks of your life! /s

Earlier post from Unfinished Proj:

It turns out that a printed pleat former is critical for holding the fabric in place and stretching it. Each of the comb clips is interlocking in multiple directions. There is a little dimple that can be seen barely on the lower clips near the tip that falls into a divot in the opposite side and through the fabric. The top and bottom are interchangeable except that there are unique end clips. It takes some force to unsnap everything when fabric is in the comb and it holds tightly.

The frame sidewall assembly clips are what I am working on now. I am trying to clamp the sides of the fabric securely while having a toolless assembly with no hardware just for design kicks and giggles.

I never imagined how a pleated filter might take such a complicated build. Currently at 32 parts. Forgive the poor print qualities in multiple parts. I sped things up and made massive layer heights for drafting purposes. This is the third full scratch iteration.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/30580334