Starting a business means you’ll be spending a lot of your time at a desk. The amount of USB sticks, SD cards and random stationery floating around the desk makes you wonder where all this came from. Things can get messy pretty quickly if you’re focused on the job at hand so a little organisation is in order. Sure, you could go down to Officeworks and get some cheap ugly thing to do the job but where’s the fun in that? Fortunately, 3D printing can help.
If you have some CAD skills you could design something yourself that fills your needs but chances are that someone else has already designed what you need. Any number of websites devoted to 3D models may have something you can download for free. Take for instance the USB ‘Stickasaurus” which was found online.
Our Designs
In the event that you need something that is pretty niche, for example a small basket to catch the labels that are shot out of your label maker and end up down behind the desk, a bit of computer aided design can sort you out. See the photo gallery below to see what we came up with.
A phone stand seems like something you’d be able to get anywhere and I guess it is. Unfortunately, what was available didn’t really work with a phone case so designing one that works with the case and, I think, looks pretty cool was the answer. The stand has a truss look to it and is able to be 3D printed in three separate pieces then clipped together when you want to use it. I now have a bunch of these around the house and workshop. They’re so handy!
The finished enclosure in its temporary home.
It seems, as always with 3D printing, that the possibilities are only limited by your imagination. A quick search for office items on Printables.com shows letter holders, signs, fidget spinners, laptop stands, vases and even an entire desk lamp. The phone stand and the label maker basket are available to download for free if you’d like to 3D print your own or have us print one for you.
A short update this week for you. Come back next Wednesday for our article on our custom designed and 3D printed Ford Ranger rear bumper. Until then!
Gallery - 3D Printing for the Office
