3D Printing Something Useful

An obvious question to a 3D printing enthusiast: what is it good for? Well, I found one use.

Next to my desk and under the window is a shelf; and under the shelf was a power strip just hanging there awkwardly. Wouldn’t it be great, I thought, to clip the power strip under the shelf?

So I set about building a clip, using Tinkercad, the simple online tool:

Tinkercad

For my first attempt I just tried to get the dimensions right, and printed a simple C shape. As you can see, it’s the right size, but doesn’t actually clip at all:

First Attempt

Doesn’t Clip

My second try was a significant increase in complexity; the shape means it now hooks onto the underneath of the shelf:

Second Attempt

Holds Nothing

But, the part that should support the power strip doesn’t work: it the power strip just slides off. So, I added an upwards turn to hold the power strip:

Third Attempt Tweak

The “pixel art” look was because I hadn’t figured out Tinkercad enough to make an actual incline.

Anyway, this worked! It held in place for months. But, only just: the slightest touch would dislodge it. And, the plastic gradually warped under the load:

Worked But Too Weak

So I recently took another try, adding some extra reinforcement to the part that warped:

Fourth Attempt

In Action

Hopefully, this iteration can be the last.

It was fun to print something useful; I really enjoyed iterating on the design, and feeling smug when three iterations was enough. Even if it turned out to be not quite enough, in the end.

Incidentally, the almost-clear plastic used for these last prints is great fun, and will certainly show up in future posts.

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