3D Printed Enclosure Workshop

Does your IoT prototype have exposed wires? In this workshop we'll talk about how you can make your IoT project look more professional with an enclosure.

What to bring?

• Laptop
• Pencil & paper
• A project idea

Software & Prerequisites

• OpenSCAD
• Cura (optional)
• Basic understanding of variables and functions is helpful but not required

Tutorial

Start with the tutorial.scad file. There are instructions in the code comments. Example code can also be found commented out in that file. After going through the tutorial, choose one of the other templates as a starting point.

• box-template.scad (beginner)
• circular-template.scad (intermediate)
• rounded-box-template.scad (intermediate)
• camera-enclosure.scad (advanced)

VARIABLES

Variables are useful when you plan to re-use a value multiple times. You'll be able to update the value in one place and have it change everywhere in your project.

box_width = 30;

SOLID SHAPES

Solid shapes are used to draw things in the 3D space. All numbers represent milimeters (mm) of printed material.

box_width = 30; // 30 milimeters (mm)
box_height = 20; // 20 mm
box_depth = 40; // 40 mm

cube([box_width, box_depth, box_height]); 

TRANSLATION

Translation is used to move shapes in 3D space. Without translation, all shapes would overlap in the center. Most projects are made up of multiple shapes at different positions.

// Move [ x, y , z ]
// Everything inside the { } will be translated
translate([20, -20, 0]) {
    cylinder( h=30, r=20);
}

DIFFERENCE

Difference is used to subtract one shape from another. By default OpenSCAD will completely fill the space of a shape. This generally isn't what we want. To create a hollow shape, you can take the difference of a shape and a slightly small shape. This is how we'll create our project enclosures.

difference() {
    // Shape
    cube([38, 60, 13]);
    // Everything below here will be subtracted
	 
    // Shape to remove from the above shape
    translate([1.6, 1.6, 2]){
        // Use # in front of a shape to make it semi-transparent
        #cube([34.8,76.8,24]);
    }
    
    // Micro usb slot
    #translate([14.79,-1,7.1])cube([8.2,4,4]);
}

We could use variables to make the above code easier to modify.

box_width = 30; // 30 milimeters (mm)
box_height = 20; // 20 mm
box_depth = 40; // 40 mm
wall_thickness = 1.6;

difference() {
    // Shape
    cube([box_width, box_depth, box_height]); 
    // Everything below here will be subtracted
	 
    // Shape to remove from the above shape
    translate([wall_thickness, wall_thickness, wall_thickness]){
        // Use # in front of a shape to make it semi-transparent
        #cube([box_width - (wall_thinkness * 2), box_depth - (wall_thickness * 2), box_height]);
    }
    
    // Micro usb slot
    #translate([14.79,-1,7.1])cube([8.2,4,4]);
}

MODULES

Modules behave like functions. They allow you to reuse code throughout your project. They make your code easier to read and maintain.

module pcbMount() {
    cylinder( h = 6, r = 3);
    cylinder( h = 10, r = 2);
    cylinder( h = 12, r = 1.1);
}

// We can render a module by calling it.
//pcbMount();

module fourPcbMounts(pcb_width, pcb_depth) {
    translate([10,4.65,0]) {
        pcbMount();
    }
    translate([10 + pcb_width,4.65,0]) {
        pcbMount();
    }
    translate([10 + pcb_width,4.65 + pcb_depth,0]) {
        pcbMount();
    }
    translate([10,4.65 + pcb_depth,0]) {
        pcbMount();
    }
}

//fourPcbMounts(17.78, 45.72);