3D Printed Camera Mounts and Antenna Holders: Essential FPV Accessories
One of the best uses for a 3D printer in the FPV hobby is printing accessories. Camera mounts, antenna holders, GoPro mounts, arm guards, and landing skids are all ideal candidates for 3D printing — they are small, benefit from customization, and experience forces that flexible materials handle beautifully. TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) is the star material for these applications, offering a combination of flexibility, impact resistance, and durability that no off-the-shelf injection-molded part can match.
Why 3D Print Your Accessories?
Commercial FPV accessories are designed for the most popular frames. If you fly a niche frame, an older model, or a custom build, finding mounts that fit perfectly can be frustrating. With a 3D printer, you can design and print a mount that fits your exact camera, antenna, and frame geometry. Even better, you can iterate: break a mount in a crash? Print a new one in an hour for pennies. Want a different camera angle? Print a mount with a different tilt. The flexibility is transformative.
Popular 3D Printed FPV Accessories
Camera Mounts
A well-designed TPU camera mount does two things: it holds your camera securely at the desired angle, and it absorbs impact energy during crashes. Traditional fixed-angle mounts are the simplest. Variable-angle mounts with interlocking teeth allow you to change tilt between flights. For digital FPV systems (DJI O4, Walksnail), the camera module is larger and heavier — ensure your mount has sufficient wall thickness (3mm minimum) and secure fastening points.
Antenna Holders
FPV antennas are fragile — especially the u.FL and MMCX connectors. A TPU antenna holder secures the antenna to the frame and provides strain relief at the connector, where most failures occur. The holder should grip the antenna stem firmly without crushing it and should position the antenna element vertically (for omnidirectional antennas) or at the correct angle (for directional patches). For long-range builds with large antennas, consider a mount that supports both the stem and the lobes.
GoPro / Action Camera Mounts
These mounts serve dual purposes: they hold your HD camera at the desired tilt angle (usually 15-35 degrees) and they provide vibration isolation to eliminate jello in your footage. The best GoPro mounts use a “floating” design where the camera plate is connected to the frame mount through thin TPU bridges that absorb high-frequency vibrations. Add a battery strap slot so you can also secure the camera with a strap as backup retention.
Arm Guards and Skid Plates
TPU arm guards slide onto the ends of your frame arms and protect the motors during crashes. They also help the quad slide on concrete instead of catching and tumbling. Skid plates on the bottom of the frame protect the battery and electronics during belly landings.
GPS and Buzzer Holders
GPS modules need a clear view of the sky, away from the carbon fiber frame which can block signals. A TPU mount on a rear standoff raises the GPS module above the battery and provides shock absorption. Self-powered buzzers (the kind that keep beeping even after battery ejection) need secure mounting — losing your buzzer in a crash defeats its purpose.
TPU Print Settings: The Definitive Guide
Temperature
TPU prints best at 225-240C nozzle temperature. Start at 230C and adjust based on your specific filament brand — Sainsmart TPU prints cooler than NinjaTek. Bed temperature should be 40-50C; some TPU prints fine on an unheated bed with a glue stick for adhesion.
Speed
TPU is flexible — that is its greatest strength and its printing challenge. Print slowly: 20-30mm/s maximum. Faster speeds cause the filament to compress in the Bowden tube (if using a Bowden setup) or cause inconsistent extrusion. For intricate parts with fine details, 15-20mm/s produces the cleanest results.
Retraction — Turn It Off
This is the most counterintuitive TPU setting. Retraction pulls the filament back to prevent oozing during travel moves, but with flexible TPU, retraction causes the filament to stretch and deform in the extruder, leading to jams and inconsistent flow. Disable retraction entirely (set distance to 0mm) or use a maximum of 1mm at very slow speed (20mm/s). You will get some stringing — a heat gun or quick pass with a lighter cleans it up in seconds.
Infill and Perimeters
For structural parts like camera mounts, 100% infill (or enough perimeters to achieve solid walls) is recommended. For non-structural parts like wire guides, 40% gyroid infill saves weight. Use 3-4 perimeters for strength. Do not use a cooling fan — TPU needs to stay hot for proper layer adhesion. If your printer forces a minimum fan speed, set it to 10-20%.
Hardware Requirements
A direct-drive extruder (where the extruder motor is mounted directly above the hotend) is strongly recommended for TPU. Bowden setups (where the extruder is mounted on the frame with a long PTFE tube to the hotend) can print TPU but are far more prone to jams and inconsistent extrusion. If you have a Bowden printer, stick to stiffer TPU variants (95A shore hardness or harder) and print very slowly.
Where to Find Models
You do not need to design everything from scratch. Thingiverse, Printables, and Thangs have thousands of FPV accessories ready to download. Search for your specific frame name plus the accessory type (e.g., “Apex 5 camera mount TPU”). Check the comments and makes before printing — other pilots will have noted any fitment issues. When you are ready to design your own, Fusion 360’s personal license is free and includes everything you need.
Conclusion
3D printing accessories is the gateway drug to designing and printing entire drones. It requires a small investment in learning TPU print settings, but the payoff is immediate: perfectly fitting mounts, infinite spares, and the ability to iterate designs in hours rather than waiting for shipping from overseas. A $20 spool of TPU will produce dozens of mounts — each one customized to your exact build. Start with someone else’s design, learn what works, and then start creating your own.
