This is a 3 Column PALS Plate to allow you to mount compatible MOLLE gear for the Multiboard system.
What is Multiboard?
Mulliboard is an awesome free hexagonal grid, tile and pegboard based system for creating organized storage. There are essentially an infinite number of combination of tiles, setups, accessories, and mounting options with the ability for you to always create your own custom ones for your needs.
What is MOLLE?
MOLLE, which stands for “Modular, Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment," is a very common standard for attaching and holding equipment.
It was originally developed for the US and NATO militaries as a system for attaching pouches, holders, and other equipment to backpacks and other soldiers gear and vehicles.
What is PALS?
PALS is the Pouch Attachment Ladder System. It is one of the fundamental building blocks of the MOLLE system. Its consists of rows of grid webbing designed to hold and attach pouches and gear that are MOLLE compatible.
It consists of 1 inch wide rows and 1.5 inch wide column sections (38mm between center stitching. These rows allow you to attach pouches using the connectors provided on those pouches.
Why mix Multiboard and MOLLE?
Multiboard can be used in numerous situations, garages, offices, workspaces, and even showers and bathrooms, but it can also start taking the next step to more mobile and dynamic environments. These dynamic environments sometimes require having more secure holders and accessories for your tools or equipment.
Let’s see you want to put up a Multiboard in your trailer, car, truck, caravan, or RV and don’t want your stuff bouncing out of the holders. This is the kind of scenario that MOLLE was designed for.
As well, if you want to use your existing MOLLE compatible storage and pouches in your home. Like mounting a quick access “Rip-Off“ First Aid/Trauma Kit on your Multiboard in your home. This integration between Multiboard and MOLLE with help you do all of that.
Can I just run the MOLLE straps through the Multiboard tile?
Yes, You can! But with some caveats.
Multiboard hex tiles have a 25mm (1inch) spacing between rows and columns. So this lines right up with the PALS standard. But the PALS standard also has 1.5 inches between the center of the columns. So it becomes harder to line things up the more strap columns you have. You can use the tiles directly for a 1 space strap and “maybe” a 2 strap with one space in between, But the pouch side straps need to be very flexible at the ends.
As well most MOLLE pouches have a stiff end near the snap making them difficult to work around the through the Multiboard hexes. So a lot of the time it’s cleaner and easier to have one (or more) of the PALS Plates.
PALS Plates: These PALS Plates are a specifically designed PALS implementation to allow you to have PALS rows on your Multiboard. They are designed for you to print and thread webbing into, and to secure the webbing to the plate itself.
Sizing: The Multiboard MOLLE PALS Plates come in 1-Column (4 hexes), 2-Column (5 hexes), 3-Columns (7 hexes), and 4-Columns (8 hexes).
Mounting Styles: Each plate size comes in different mounting style options, a normal Multiboard Pushfit style, a stronger Heat Set insert style, and a Super Strong cross mounted Heat set insert style.
General Parts Needed:
- 3/4 Lightweight Webbing (https://a.co/d/23lrYpn) - Don’t use heavy weight, it doesn’t go through the slots well.
- M3*8mm Self Tapping Screws (https://a.co/d/2Yrd3MI) for securing webbing on Pushfit style.
- M4*16mm Screw Fastener Bolts (https://a.co/d/9ooFisJ) for Heat Set styles
- M4*20mm Screw Fastener Bolts (https://a.co/d/0xcB3tu) for Long posts on Super Strong Style
- M4x6x6 Heat Set Inserts (https://a.co/d/0jsp73c) for Heat Set styles.
General Printing Info:
- Material: PLA can work but PETG for strength and heat resistance is preferred
- Supports: None
- Infill: 25% can work, but I recommend a lot 50%+
- Print facing: Face down with posts/pushfits facing up.
Pushfit Style: This is for light to medium usage situations. Where things don’t have a large load and/or not in a very dynamic environment. Like mounting a simple pouch on the workbench wall. Something that’s not going to move around a whole lot. The Pushfits can break off so a good percentage infill will help with that.
- Thread the webbing through with plate, as in the pictures, and use the Webbing Spacer to help you space out distance between the loops and the plate.
- Secure the webbing by screwing it in the pilot holes with some M3*8 Self Tapping screws.
Heat Set Style:
This is for medium duty usage. This allows you to use the normal Multiboard Heat Set Insert Snap to secure it to the plate. I would recommend, not using the Weight Bearing version in a mobile or bouncing environment because it is directional and comes out easier when pulling to the top of the snap.
- Insert the Heat Set insets from the front face of the plate, so that when the screw pulls on it, there is a large amount of additional plastic to go through. Put Heat Set inserts into both the plate and the Snap.
- Clear the hole of any leftover plastic that might block screwing the snap in.
- Thread the webbing through with plate, as in the pictures, and use the Webbing Spacer to help you space out distance between the loops and the plate.
- On the inside posts, thread the screw through from the back side of the Heat Set Insert Snap then into the back side of the plate.
- On the outside posts, make a hole in the webbing that lines up with the hole in the plate (I use a soldering iron with a conical tip.)
- Thread a M4*12mm bolt with a washer through the webbing and the hole with the Heat Set insert into the top of the Heat Set Insert Snap.
- Tighten down to secure the webbing on the edges of the plate.
Super Strong Style This is for heavy duty usage. Use this to make sure the plate stays on. For highly bouncy/mobile areas or for MOLLE Rip-Off pouches. (I am using the Super Strong for the Rip-Off First Aid kit in the video)
Follow the same steps as the Heat Set Style except for the last one the Outside Posts:
- For the outside long posts, make a hole in the webbing that lines up with the hole in the plate (I use a soldering iron with a conical tip.)
- Insert the Heat Set Insert Snap into the Back of the tile so that the bottom of the snap is what is exposed for the bolt through the plate and post to screw into. Please see the Super Strong Connector Setup image.
- Secure the Webbing with a M4*20mm bolt and washer, screwing it through the plate from the front into the bottom of the snap.
Approximate Webbing Lengths Needed
- 1 Column ~ 120mm
- 2 Column ~ 150mm
- 3 Column ~ 210mm
- 4 Column ~ 245mm