June 2017 59
n BY CHUCK HELLEBUYCK
I could have built the basic box, but this kit was on sale
for $30 at Amazon.com, and took a lot of the work out of
the project so I could focus on 3D printing. I put the box
together in about 30 minutes, and glued all the joints so
it would be strong enough to carry around. I then started
designing the 3D components at Tinkercad.com.
The finished design has a fold-down work area made of
some old pine shelving I found in my stack of wood. I cut
it to the same size as the organizer. I used a piano hinge at
the bottom, and then needed to 3D print a latch to hold it
in place.
The divider section of the organizer had perfect sized
slots for 3D printed drawers. I added a 3D printed handle
to the top, and then used semi-flex filament to print rubber
feet on the bottom. The back of the unit has brackets to
hold a netbook.
Let’s go over the various 3D printed designs that make
up this portable workbench and how I made them.
Drawers
The top section of the
organizer had large storage
slots. The whole slotted
storage unit can slide out,
so I thought this was the
perfect place to install some
3D printed drawers to store
electronic components.
I used a box element
in Tinkercad and made a
basic rectangular shape.
here are many times I’d like to have a way to carry my electronics workbench
with me to a Makerspace or just to an offsite location where I’ll be building an
electronic project. I saw a desktop craft organizer online, and decided to buy it
and convert it into a portable electronics workbench using some custom 3D printed
parts.
T
Portable Electronics Workbench
with 3D Printed Parts
Using 3D printers for practical
projects on your workbench.
PRACTICAL 3D PRINTING
n FIGURE 1. Desktop craft organizer. n FIGURE 2. Finished portable electronics workbench.
n FIGURE 3. Drawer design.
