nathanfriend.com

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Nathan Friend

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Remote Software Engineer at Stripe and cellist based out of Ontario. Previously at GitLab. Fascinated with building usable, delightful software.

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Useful things I've 3D printed

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3D printers are ridiculously cool. There’s something about seeing a digital object slowly manifest in the real world that is pure magic. But they’re also useful. Being able to custom manufacture replacement parts can save otherwise perfectly-working equipment from the landfill. I’ve written before about some of the things I’ve 3D printed, including my Zoom light and my weird keyboard; here are some other useful things I’ve printed: Monitor arm adapter My main monitor - a Samsung U28E590D - has a terrible design flaw. Its VESA mount is at the very top of the monitor! This means that when connected to my monitor arms, it sits much too low, even with the arm at its maximum height. While searching for solutions, I ran across this adapter, which effectively moves the VESA connection near the bottom of the monitor. Sadly, I couldn’t find a way to purchase it in Canada. So I decided to design and print my own! I originally printed the adapter in PETG, as PETG is strong and flexible and usually a better choice for functional prints. However, it was a little too flexible - it caused my monitor to bounce around in a sickening way whenever I bumped my desk. I printed another in PLA (unfortunately the only color I had in enough quantity was a bright blue), which is much stiffer and has mostly eliminated the wobble. The adapter, printed in blue PLA Attached to the monitor and arm My workspace post-adapter. The monitor now sits comfortably at eye-level. Thingiverse link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6845708 SodaStream bottle stabilizer I drink way too much carbonated water, usually straight from the SodaStream bottle. The bottles look cool, but their tiny bases resulted in many a messy spill. The very stylish and tippable SodaStream bottle I modeled a base using the exact curvature of the bottle’s bottom, resulting in a nearly untippable receptacle. The curvature exactly matches the shape of the SodaStream bottle 100% less tippage As silly as it sounds, this simple print might be the most-used 3D printed object in my house. Thingiverse link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5422282 Conduit cover When we finished our basement, I installed a conduit in the wall with the idea that maybe someday I’d set up a ceiling-mounted projector and need a clean way to route the cables. The conduit in the wall, before drywall was installed This left some unseemly holes in our wall once the drywall was in place: The opening of the conduit in the ceiling I modeled and printed covers for each end of the conduit: The cover in place The floor version They weren’t the cleanest prints, but it’s a huge improvement over the previous look! Thingiverse link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6847090 Dryer lint filter handle One of my earliest functional prints was a new lint filter handle for my in-laws’ ancient dryer. The original handle had snapped off years ago and they had been using pliers to pull it out since then! The broken lint filter All fixed! Thingiverse link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6847164 Dryer lint trap seal We had our laundry room drywalled, and as part of this work, the contractor installed this terrible in-wall lint trap. Why is it so terrible? It has no latch, so every time the dryer starts, the filter pushes out of the wall, filling the room (and the entire house) with dryer lint dust! I tried gluing some magnets to both the wall and the filter, hoping this would keep it in place, but the magnets were too finicky and didn’t hold it flush against the wall. In the end, we just taped it to the wall, which only kind of worked. The original lint trap, or as I like to call it, the Dust-o-Matic 3000™ After replacing the tape for the nth time, I resigned myself to a more long-term solution. I designed a mount which I printed in PETG and attached to the wall around the existing filter. The mount installed around the lint trap I printed a cover that press-fit over this mount in TPU, a flexible, almost rubbery plastic: The cover attached to the mount Thingiverse link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6876991 TV wall mount conduit When I wall-mounted our TV, I wanted a clean look without any visible cables. This involved cutting two holes through the wall behind the TV so that the cables could be run into the storage room behind the wall and then back to the cabinet underneath the TV: I let my son help me drill the holes the drywall; I think it was the highlight of his year To make this tidier, I printed two conduits that exactly matched the depth of the wall. A conduit and end cap This made running the cables much easier and cleaner. The conduit installed in the wall The end result is a floating TV that seemingly requires no power source or video cables! The end result (You might also notice the LED backlighting; this is an ambient lighting setup I installed that is powered by Hyperion, which could be the subject of a blog post of its own!) 3D printer enclosure I built my own 3D printer enclosure to help stabilize the ambient temperature during prints (especially for plastic prone to warping, like PETG). My printer enclosure While the structure itself was mainly built from wood scraps, most of the joints, hinges, and other interesting pieces were 3D printed in white PETG. A "print-in-place" hinge (which I did not design) Some other various pieces (which I did design) Printables link for the hinge: https://www.printables.com/model/120766-print-in-place-geared-hinge Laptop stand A friend needed a laptop stand, so I printed him one! The stand The stand, in action Unlike most of these other models, I didn’t design this one myself; I found it here. Thingiverse link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3708825 Yeti adapter Another friend had a Yeti can insulator that was designed for 16 oz cans and was therefore too long for standard 12 oz cans. I printed a spacer so that the insulator could work with either. Appropriately branded, of course Clamping mitre box I wanted a large mitre box to help me make straight wood cuts: Mitre box While it was fun to model and print, it was ultimately a failure as it broke within the first five minutes of usage. Thingiverse link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5380012 Desiccant containers 3D printer filament needs to be kept dry; it naturally absorbs humidity from the air which can negatively impact print quality. I printed some desiccant containers that I keep alongside my filament spools in a sealed plastic tub. Container for desiccant beads Although, to be honest, I don’t think they are doing much good; the desiccant beads are supposed to be recharged in the oven or microwave every few months, and ain’t nobody got time for that. Instead, I now dry individual filament spools using a food dehydrator like this. Poster frame I got this funky poster as part of a swag package from Stripe. I modeled some matching low-poly poster holders that clamp together with magnets to display in my home office. To be honest, I'm not really sure what it's portraying? But it looks cool. Thingiverse link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6848192 Smoke alarm cover Our smoke and carbon monoxide detectors expired, so I replaced the individual units with a single, combined detector. This left an empty hole in the ceiling of each room, so I printed a simple cover that snapped into the existing bracket. The cover When installed in the old detector's bracket Thingiverse link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6449765 Cabinet legs We bought an IKEA BESTÅ TV cabinet, but discovered the doors got caught in our shag area rug. I printed some simple legs to elevate the cabinet just enough to allow the doors to operate unobstructed. TV cabinet with legs Thingiverse link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6848214 Coaster While not strictly functional, I printed some Link-themed drink coasters for myself and my team at Stripe. A Linkoaster™ A flock of 12 Linkoaster™s Google WiFi wall mount I designed a wall mount for a Google WiFi access point. The fit wasn’t quite right due to my not noticing the top of the puck is slightly smaller than the bottom, but a well-placed wad of sticky tack did the trick. Wall-mounted and sticky tack'd Thingiverse link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6903032 And more to come! I plan on treating this post as an evergreen log of the functional things I’ve printed. Be sure to revisit!