Designing a Custom Part For My Fly Screen

Since there is a lot of nature outside my room, many insects tend to find their way inside. I initially bought a magnetic fly screen, but there was very little space between the wall and the window frame for installing it. I managed to make it fit, but after a while, the adhesive along the top came loose and would not stick back onto the frame. Since the screen remained attached along the sides, it ended up hanging as shown in the picture below.

The challenge was to design a part that could be compressed into the narrow gap between the wall and the window frame. The compression would generate a contact force against both surfaces, producing enough friction to hold the part in place. The design also needed to consist of two pieces—a front and a back—so that the fly screen could be secured between them.

Based on these requirements, I developed the solution shown below. I printed the components using TPU because its flexibility allows the parts to compress. I then connected several identical sections to match the width of my window. The final result is shown below.

One thing I would do differently next time is avoid diamond-shaped connectors unless I am certain that they will lie flat on the XY plane during printing. Although I included tolerances in the design, the printed parts still required considerable post-processing before they could fit together properly.

As an update, the system has now been installed for a month and has endured several severe thunderstorms. So far, the parts have remained in place, and the fly screen has not come loose.