3D Printed Integrated Circuit HolderI spend way too much time on Aliexpress in the middle of the night. As a result, I’ve amassed a huge collection of assorted ICs. Who can resist a pack of 20 ICs for $1 with free shipping? Not me, that’s who. I enjoy making models and I have a 3D printer, so took a crack at solving the problem by designing and 3D printing my own IC organizer.
I designed it so that each compartment would hold a single 8-pin IC, and to use as little plastic as possible. Compartments can be added or removed to hold as many ICs as needed, and can be positioned into whatever configuration is desired.
I started by creating a basic design, which was just a box that was slightly larger than a standard 8-pin IC. More boxes were used to create the rough profile of an IC. Then I subtracted the IC profile from the original box using the Advanced Boolean tool. I added a notch to each side of the holder to make it easier to add or remove ICs. Then I copy and pasted the individual holder until I had as many as I desired.
Printing involved exporting the model as an STL through 3DS Max. I imported it into Repetier Host, sliced the model using Slic3r and then I printed it on my Kossel Delta.
Here’s a video of the entire process, from initial design to 3D printing to being used.
I used the following printer settings:
- 0.4mm nozzle width
- 0.3mm layer height
- 200C nozzle temperature
- 103% extrusion multiplier
- Better bonding and surface finish at 103%, but reduced dimensional accuracy
- 120mm/s internal speed, 90mm/s surface speed
- 25% speed first layer
Download the 3DS Max and STL files:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2007972