When I began my descent into the 3D printing ecosystem, I’d simply choose the coolest-looking STL files I could find online and have my filament-fed companion turn them into tangible models for my desk. But just like most enthusiasts, I quickly grew tired of vanity prints and began turning my attention to functional models that bore some practical utility. Kitchen and bathroom accessories were the first couple of models I created after pivoting to the functional side of 3D printing. But since I spend the majority of my time tinkering away in my home lab, I figured I could look into some cool models for my tech cave. And well, my 3D printer managed to get rid of some annoying problems plaguing my setup.
Cable cables, grommets, and clips
Without my 3D printer, my home lab would resemble a rat’s nest
Over the years, I’ve added all sorts of cool hardware to my home lab, and these range from cool server paraphernalia and recycled PCs to old tablets, random networking equipment, and even single-board computers. As you may have guessed, my army of devices requires a lot of power cords, with some needing Ethernet wires and additional I/O peripherals connected via cables.
Thanks to my 3D printer and OrcaSlicer, I was able to fine-tune several cable management tools for my home lab. Cable clips were the easiest ones to create, since I could just use the base models without any tweaks and stick them along the edge of my desk. Meanwhile, grommet STL files would often need some edits to fit around my makeshift racks, and the same holds true for the cable channels routing my wires around a corner of the floor.
Heck, I’ve even printed models to improve the cable management provisions within my server paraphernalia. Cable combs, for one, are a godsend for routing all the cables for the random motherboards I buy from flea markets. Since one of the cheap PC cases I bought for an X99 mobo doesn’t have a power shroud, I even printed a PSU shroud to hide the extra clutter from my semi-modular power supply.
Related
My 3D printer pays for itself every time I skip buying a PC accessory
I’ve stopped buying small PC accessories because my 3D printer makes better ones
Mounts for network devices
Though I keep some of them on a rack, too
This one’s still a bit of a work in progress, since I keep most of my network equipment on a dedicated shelf. However, I’ve got a cheap 8-port switch that not only hooks up to my PVE cluster, but it’s also something I use to tinker with new machines and run benchmarks on my test bench.
Unfortunately, I was running out of desk real estate for this switch, and leaving it anywhere besides under the table would make it difficult to route the cables without making my setup a lot messier. But since I’ve got a 3D printer, I was able to print a mount for this switch – one that I’ve drilled into the wall behind the desk.
Single-board computer cases
And even microcontroller cases, for that matter
Remember how I said I’ve got a bunch of SBCs in my arsenal? Well, besides certain boards that ship with cases, most of my SBCs would remain scattered across my home lab without any form of protective casing whatsoever. Even if we remove the somewhat expensive price tags on Raspberry Pi cases, I’ve got plenty of obscure boards that don’t even have proper cases. So, I can’t even buy cases for them, especially since non-Raspberry Pi boards tend to have different interface layouts than their uber-popular counterparts.
Fortunately, the 3D printing community has created plenty of SBC models, and this includes STL files for non-mainstream boards. And for the tiny systems that are far too obscure, I can always tweak the STL files for typical Raspberry Pi cases to ensure that they’d fit my SBC arsenal. I’ve even built cases for a bunch of ESP32 modules that serve as DIY smart sensors for my Home Assistant hub.
USB device holder
They also house my microSD cards
Besides my server rigs and recycled hardware, I also use plenty of USB devices in my projects. There’s my USB flash drive, which includes a bunch of diagnosis and troubleshooting tools for Windows as well as Linux systems. Likewise, I’ve got a USB drive loaded with Ventoy, and I often update it with the latest ISOs of my favorite operating systems to ensure that I can still work on bare-metal experiments when the host PC doesn’t mesh well with PXE boot.
Then there are the wireless dongles for all the keyboards, mice, and controllers I’ve accumulated over the years. Without a dedicated container, I’d end up losing half of them within a month. As such, I’ve 3D printed a couple of containers for specific dongles, with the largest one featuring slots for the microSD cards I use with my SBCs.
Gridfinity drawers
For my tools, PCIe cards, and storage drives
Credit:
Of course, with all the server paraphernalia, I’ve got a bunch of tools and spare PC components in my drawers. But despite my best efforts, it’s really hard to avoid turning my hardware-laden drawers into a mess, especially since I often swap components around for my server experiments.
The Gridfinity system single-handedly solved this issue, as it lets me create slots, bases, dividers, and a bunch of other prints to better organize my drawers. Better yet, tweaking the Gridfinity files is a lot easier via its generator, so I can have precisely-calibrated prints for my desks.
Related
10 accessories you can 3D print for your home office
Organize your setup with these cool and functional 3D prints
A 3D printer is a useful addition for home labs
Aside from all the prints I’ve listed so far, I’ve got a couple of other 3D models I’ve printed for my PCs. For example, I’ve got a headphone stand that also holds two additional controllers. Likewise, I’ve got a handrest made out of TPU, and this custom design works better than any paid options out there. Speaking of TPU, when I broke off a NAS leg while moving out of my apartment ages ago, I 3D printed a nearly identical one using this filament. And don’t even get me started on the different stands I’ve made for my laptops, keyboards, monitors, and tablets.