3D Printing Enclosures

I drew up an enclosure in Autodesk Fusion 360 and designed each component so that I could design friction fit mounting points. I 3D printed the enclosure on several 3D printers to test tolerances (Printrbot Play, Flashforge Creator Pro, and Micro M3D).

If you don’t have access to a 3D printer, you could use a service like 3D Hubs to make it for you. I used PLA material to 3D print the parts, and they didn’t require any support material.

The enclosure was 3D printed with Proto-Pasta Aromatic CoffeePLA filament.

Slice Settings

Depending on your 3D printer, you may need to adjust the slice settings. I sliced the parts using Simplify 3D. They do not require any support material and are oriented to print "as is".

  • Nozzle: 0.4mm
  • Extrusion Multiplier: 1.0
  • Extrusion Width: 0.48mm
  • Layer Height: 0.2mm
  • Nozzle Temperature: 220c

3D Printing with Conductive Filament!?

Yes, you can 3D print the pads using conductivePLA, which is a special blend of PLA with conductive particles. Proto-Pasta Conductive PLA filament is relatively easy to print with, and it's electrically conductive :-)

3D Printed Capacitive Touch Pads

If you're 3D printing the touch pads, I suggest you use a 100% infill to increase the conductivity.

This guide was first published on Feb 15, 2017. It was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

This page (3D Printing) was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

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