Month December 2024

Printed Showcase: Connect 4-Tex by evets17

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Print settings:

  • Printer: Bambu Lab P1S
  • Nozzle: 0.40mm
  • Layer height: 0.20mm
  • Filament: Bambu Lab green and orange PLA, 3D Solutech Silver Metal PLA

This is an awesome “spin” on this classic game, only reasonably possible with additive manufacturing. Every column is a spiral cut all the way from the top to bottom, the pieces are shaped as an offset of the spiral cuts which slide down slowly in a very satisfying drop.

When the game ends, the game part can be lifted enough to allow one row of pieces to be exposed, the side clasps will retain it and then players can push the pieces to their respective side.

Another function of the clasps is to retain the game part as a cover to stow the whole thing away.

Designer/Uploader: @evets17, download: MakerWorld.

Keyboard MegaShelf, sliding keyboard tray

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This is a set of brackets that mounts a shelf that slides under a desk.

Hi! This design is the result of my need to free desk space and lower the keyboard height as the desk is too tall for me. I spent over an hour looking for sliding keyboard trays and none met my needs/wants.

Designed in SolidWorks for Makers, printed with a Creality Ender 3 V2 printer with custom 1st Layer firmware and board.

Features:

  • Big enough to hold plenty of peripherals and more
  • Slides under desk to reduce footprint and add some dust protection
  • Solid. Very solid. Even when extended, the natural binding of the peripheral and hand weight “locks” the shelf in any position
  • Uses common or easily available materials, this aluminum extrusion is very stiff and practical
  • Can be adapted to any desk and shelf size without changing the 3D prints, fully dependent on the extrusion lengths

Designed for 3D printing, considerations:

  • The front desk mount piece uses four screws since it will hold most of the weight
  • The recommended print orientation maximizes the layers along the shear forces
  • No supports required, nada.
  • The extrusion mating parts include an inner “rib” that makes contact in the extrusion slots before the side walls to reduce sliding friction and considerably increasing the holding strength
  •  Not only functional, but also spent some time shaping for a nicer look and feel

Downsides:

  • It binds when trying to slide-in or out caused by uneven force on the ends when doing so, the solution is to frame the shelf with additional length-wise aluminum extrusion to force squareness
  • It doesn’t make tacos but it does free your desk to hold them

For the future: Can’t stop thinking about using v-slot wheels for that smooth and satisfying slide but initial thoughts makes it look clunky, obtrusive, and more expensive. But I like the challenge and more options are good so stay tuned!

All-in-all, I’m extremely happy with this solution, it’s very solid, holds peripherals clearing my desk and stows away. I’m publishing this free hoping that my time and effort go further than just meeting my needs.

Published and available to download in Maker World

Prototyping gallery:

Fanswap, 120mm fan modular cover/grille

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This is a 120mm fan cover, mostly common in computers. Like the million others out there, it protects the fans from foreign objects and your fingers from its blades. This design tho, also allows to swap grille colors and designs without unscrewing it plus when covering two or more fans together (as in computer radiators), it sprawls an overlapping design to make it seem like a seamless unit.

Designed in SolidWorks for Makers, this parametric design contains three configurations for single, double or triple and more fans, in double or more configurations, the screw tabs overlap the following frame and reduces mounting screws. The grille also “connects” to the next one enhancing the seamless design.

I created Fanswap as a way to mod my PC, what I wanted was not available and what I liked was way too expensive (CNC machined aluminum covers, anyone?), also the pain of changing the cover in a tight case, specially on radiators where the fan also comes off the same screws. Also, why did double and triple radiators never looked like a single cohesive unit?  

In the image above, the parts were printed in Overture black PLA and 3D Solutech Silver Metal PLA, I love this last one.

I have published the files for printing in Maker World and Printables.

Mounting bracket set for a ThinkPad P15 and P52 laptops

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So this is a bracket set that allows a laptop to be mounted under a shelf or the desk. It has an inner bevel that mimics these laptops side profile, and yes, while I could have designed another L-bracket, I wanted to design something unique and specific where FDM (fused deposition modeling) manufacturing would shine. It also allows access to ports and ventilation plus easy insertion.

I wanted to challenge myself and forgo my injection plastic molding experience and instead focus on the most commonly available 3D printing process, optimizing for material, speed, structure and mass-manufacturing. Yeah, forget draft, forget undercuts, forget constant wall thicknesses, THIS IS 3D PRINTING BABY!!

Features:

  • Mounts a ThinkPad P15 as close to the surface as possible, it can also fit a P52 but a couple of mm looser.
  • Wide beveled opening to slide the laptop in with little guesswork
  • Clearance for ventilation and ports
  • Contoured to follow the laptop’s side chamfer
  • Back stop that prevents slide-out
  • Mounts with bolts/screws up to 3.5mm dia
  • Chamfered design that reflects the laptop’s design, it may fit other devices with chamfered/rounded backs.
  • No, it will not make a taco but the money saved by printing this instead of buying one will allow you to buy more tacos

Designed for FDM 3D printing first:

  • Big footprint with little surface contact. first layers will print faster and removal will be easier while keeping the print on the bed while printing
  • No support required, the saved print orientation rotates all horizontal walls 45deg which most 3D printers should be able to print without support, this considerably reduces time and material
  • Increased stiffness across the bracket “bends”, this print orientation allows to maximize layers along them, bottom layers are fully solid
  • Length adjusted to fit 250mm beds (most common 3D printer size)

You can download .step and .stl plus a Bambu P1S profile here:

This is the end.

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The end of the modern page posts, I’ve had this site for years and posts after this one are a bit of a bonus for you if you’ve come this far down, I could’ve deleted them but decided to leave them as a time-capsule easter egg.

Last blog post was in 2011, I think I wanted to retake it in 2015 but I abandoned it again until today. This post is named “The end” but it’s actually the beginning of the new purpose, I bought the domain name and hosting because I wanted a permanent place to showcase things and stuffs about me. Yeah, you got me, I couldn’t afford Twitter but on a positive side, only I can create posts 😛

Welcome to L21Degrees of Awesomeness, tacos and drinks included but not paid for.