If you have a 3D printer you will also have tools and accessories such as scrapers, spatulas, tweezers, nozzle cleaners, nozzle spanner etc. to name but a few.

Some you will need for each job and some you will need for maintenance and repair.

How do you organise them, do you keep them near at hand, remotely stored, together or separately.

My preference is to keep the day to day tools immediately to hand.

This project will demonstrate a method of organisation for tools and accessories utilising the 3d printer to make the organisers which are designed to integrate with the printer frame, although this is only one of many uses to which they can be applied.

The design requirements were that the elements should be self supporting, easy to install and position requiring no screws to hold in place although provision is made for screws for added strength and security subject to position and the item to be held in place.

This design will be compatible with 20 x 20 mm aluminium struts with a 5mm groove size which is typical in the build of a 3d printer.

The key design item was the locking mechanism which would be the common feature for all the elements.

Some elements would be totally integrated consisting of the locking mechanism and the accessory while others will have these two elements separated enabling different fixing orientations to accommodate different supporting attachments to suit the item to be held.

These elements were designed using BlocksCAD.

The current system consists of 16 elements (although further elements can be added as further requirements dictate), these consist of:

9 hooks (3 horizontal mount, 2 horizontal/vertical mount & 4 vertically mounted).

1 USB holder, vertically mounted.

2 ring holders, 1 horizontal mounting & 1 horizontal/vertical mount.

7 integrated elements.

5 pin mounted.

3 supporting elements (1 pin, 1 horizontal clip and 1 vertical clip).

1 filament guide, vertically mounted.

*Vertically and horizontally mounted refer to the orientation of the strut to which the element attaches.