Journal Entry 13 – 3D Printing – Fabricating for a Function part 3

I modeled a charging station where I can charge my smartphone and smartwatch. I used FreeCAD to model my design.

I then used MeshMixer to prep the design before slicing it. I made my design solid and used the accurate setting to get smoother lines, especially in the curved parts of the design.

I then used Cura to slice my design and give me a printable file. The first print did not work properly. I did not print it correctly. I did not add supports to the overhang so the bottom of it was very frizzy. I removed the frayed excess. I then tried to fit the smartwatch charger through the slit in the back but the slit was not big enough. The circular hole on the top of the phone was also just a tad bit too tight for the charger to sit flush with the top of the design. I then tried to prop my phone in the bigger hole on the top of the design but it was too shallow to support the phone in an upright position. So it did not do any of the tasks I wanted it to do.

I then went back into FreeCAD to fix these issues. I made the hole on the back larger to feed the smartwatch charger. I made the circular hole on the top of the design wider. I made the phone slit deeper so the phone could be propped up. I then went into Meshmixer and Cura to reprint the new design. The second print came out fine and worked as designed.

If I were to print a third iteration, I would make the cable hole a bit longer to lessen the stress on the cable. I would make the phone hole a bit taller so the phone could lean a bit back because it is quite tight with the charging cables. I would also add a cable hole for the phone charger too. Other than that, the design is decent.