Free Hose & Pipe Adapter Generator
Free browser-based hose and pipe adapter generator. Barbed, push-fit or BSP-threaded ends at any diameter. Order it printed in NZ, or buy the file.
What It Does
Adapters are the parts nobody stocks. The moment you need to join a 12 mm pump outlet to a 19 mm garden hose, or put a threaded tail on a piece of irrigation pipe, the hardware shop has everything except that. This generator builds the adapter to your own measurements: set up the left end, set up the right end, and a single watertight solid with a through-bore is rebuilt live in the 3D viewport as you type. It runs entirely in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Designing here is free and there is no sign-up. Keeping the file is not: order the part printed by us and the download comes with it, or buy a licence for the file on its own.
The Two Ends
Each end is configured on its own, so a single part can be barbed on one side and threaded on the other. A barbed end is sized from the inner diameter of the hose it goes into, with an adjustable number of barbs; each barb is slightly larger than the bore so the hose stretches over it and grips behind the ramp. A plain push-fit end is a straight tube for slip joints, sleeves and glued PVC connections. A male BSP thread is available in five parallel sizes, G1/4, G3/8, G1/2, G3/4 and G1, which between them cover most taps, garden fittings, pond gear and pump ports in New Zealand and Australia.
Bore, Wall Thickness and the Centre Collar
The through-bore runs the full length of the part, and wall thickness is set separately so you can trade flow area against strength. As a rule, keep the wall at or above 1.6 mm; that is four passes of a 0.4 mm nozzle and gives you a genuinely solid tube rather than two thin skins with a void between them. The centre collar between the two ends can be round, or hexagonal with spanner flats so the adapter can be tightened properly instead of by hand. A live readout shows the volume in cubic centimetres, estimated mass in each material and the facet count of the generated mesh.
Printing a Watertight Adapter
Print the adapter standing on end, with the bore axis vertical. That keeps the bore round, and it puts the hoop stress from internal pressure along the extrusion paths where the plastic is strongest. Use four perimeters or more, print at the hotter end of the material's range to maximise layer bonding, and slow the outer wall down. A vertically printed tube is weakest in axial tension, so do not rely on the barbs alone to hold a hose on under pressure: fit a proper hose clamp behind the last barb. Avoid printing these parts with sparse infill and thin walls; leaks come from the gaps between under-packed perimeters, not from the material itself.
Printed Threads, Realistically
The BSP option uses a trapezoidal thread profile rather than the true 55-degree Whitworth form. A sharp thread crest cannot be reproduced by a 0.4 mm nozzle, so a squarer profile prints cleanly, engages reliably and is far less likely to strip. Wrap two or three turns of PTFE tape around it and hand-tighten only. Treat printed threads as a convenience for low-pressure water, air-free irrigation and drainage, and expect to replace them occasionally rather than to seal them permanently.
Materials and Fluid Compatibility
PETG is the sensible default: it is tough, it does not soften in warm water, and it bonds between layers well enough to hold pressure. PLA is fine for a dry mock-up or a dust cap but it creeps under sustained load and softens in hot water and direct sun, so it is a poor choice for anything permanent outdoors. TPU makes a useful flexible sleeve or vibration-isolating link. Nylon PA12 and PAHT-CF are the right call for compressed-air-free industrial fluids, higher temperatures or parts that get handled with tools. No FDM printed part is certified for potable water or for compressed gas, and none should be used on a pressurised gas line.
Order It Printed or Buy the File
If you would rather not fight the wall thickness and perimeter settings yourself, send it to our instant quote page and we will print it with a wall schedule suited to holding pressure, with the file included in the order. If you would rather print it at home, buy a licence for the file on its own instead. Check the available materials for the right polymer for your fluid and temperature, or read the FDM design guide for the tolerance rules behind the fits this tool generates.