Rounded Electrical Enclosures | Design for Mass Production 3D Printing

In this episode of Design for Mass Production 3D Printing, we tackle the challenge of manufacturing round 3D printed parts by designing a circular electrical enclosure.
We address common challenges in design for 3D printing, like small vents, thin features, and shallow curved top surfaces. We also provide valuable tips on modifying injection molded designs to be able to manufacture 3D printed electronics enclosures using mass production 3D printing. Learn why some features are difficult to print and how to eliminate or modify them to ensure a high-quality, durable final product.
If you would like to learn more about how to change your approach towards manufacturing products using Mass Production 3D Printing, make sure to SUBSCRIBE to Slant 3D for more!
00:00 Why Are Rounded Electrical Enclosures Hard to 3D Print?
02:10 Addressing Challenges of Round 3D Printed Parts
03:55 Designing Electrical Enclosure Vents for 3D Printing
06:14 Designing Electrical Enclosure Lid for 3D Printing
08:23 Additional Considerations When Designing Electrical Enclosures
09:21 Textures and Material
11:23 Design for the Process
🔗 IMPORTANT LINKS 🔗
Get a Quote for Your Production Project: www.slant3d.com/
Slant 3D Etsy Plugin: www.slant3d.com/slant3d-etsy-...
Get Our STL's: www.angled.xyz/
Get Affordable High-Quality Filament: www.tangledfilament.com
Try Shapr3D (Use Code: Slant3d): www.shapr3d.com/download?utm_...
Our Favorite Products: www.amazon.com/shop/slant3d
About Slant 3D
🏭 High-Volume 3D Printing: Scalability Meets Flexibility
Slant 3D's Large-Scale 3D Print Farms utilize 1000's of FDM 3D printers working 24/7 to offer limitless scalability and unparalleled flexibility. Whether it's 100 or 100,000 parts, our system can handle it reliably, while still allowing for real-time design updates, ensuring products evolve with the times. This adaptability is key in today's fast-paced world.
🌿 Sustainable Manufacturing: Eco-Friendly Efficiency
Embrace a system that drastically reduces carbon emissions by eliminating carbon-intensive steps in the supply chain, such as global shipping and warehousing. Our approach minimizes this footprint, offering a more sustainable manufacturing option.
⚙️ Digital Warehouses: Parts On-Demand
Think of print farms as a "Digital Warehouse", meaning we can store your parts digitally on a server rather than physically on a shelf. parts are available on-demand, reducing the need for extensive physical inventory.
Produced by Slant Media
As an Amazon Associate, I earn commission from qualifying purchases.
Produced by Slant Media

[@randomviewer896]

Some of this might change if non-planar 3d printing ever takes off. As always, you give great design tips.

[@HuskyRides]

I way prefer normal printing lines over that textured surface.. it looks rough and unfinished. Almost like printed by a kid's 3d printer that's not calibrated right. But im sure there's applications and reasons for using it like you said. I love using my bambu printer's Textured PEI plate to make a "texture" on one side of my parts. Caused by the printing on the PEI plate. Do you also make use of this in some applications? Great video like always giving us some insight in the design process for 3d printing parts.

[@jamiemclaughlin6965]

I just printed a test part with different depths and densities of this noise and it is definitely possible to make it subtle enough so it looks very high quality. It is difficult to photograph well, so I bet those parts look WAY better up close.

[@slant3d]

They are tough to film. 3D Printed parts in general

[@bluerider0988]

I agree. Personally I think the prints that were shown looked really bad.

[@einstin2]

I just wanted to say that I have been greatly enjoying your channel. I have been trying to learn 3d modeling in Onshape, so I could train my students in our robotics program how to do this, and your channel has been helping me understand the limitations and powers of 3d printing.

[@samk2407]

The issue of stair stepping on low grade slopes is something that conical/full control slicing could really help with I'm excited for a future where 3d printers act more like cnc mills and can sweep subtle vertical arcs in some places where it helps the part.

[@sebastianlauwers]

Pretty certain those angled vents would affect how smoke enters the detector. The reason they are narrow and shallow is because you need the smoke particles to enter undisturbed. By angling them, you create laminar flow and orient the particles in a specific way that could disrupt the detector’s function. I understand the point you’re trying to make, but in this case, I do believe the client’s engineering requirement would’ve told you “nah yeah nah, mate”

[@motoformprototyping]

Great content as always, thx. I would however argue that those are not wents but rather "sniffing holes", since this probably is a fire / smoke alarm. It might be important due to regulations etc, might.

[@ZeeengMicro]

Why don't use sequential bridging or multi sacrificial layers technique for the top part? I use this technique a lot for insane parabolic overhangs and floating horizontal holes.

[@patricktierney4392]

I actually thought they were going to talk about that after seeing the underside of the part at this point of the video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2OThoOjZbmCqtE

[@slant3d]

That is a great thing to do. But we are planning a seperate video on that topic. And sometimes these inner curves are too shallow to allow enough layer changes for sequential bridging.

[@blockfifteen]

The fuzzy texture looks pretty horrible, especially up close.

[@HellOfanElk]

As someone who services the automation and custom machinery business, 3d printed custom electrical enclosures and wire management solutions could be brilliant. Granted, there are typically always injection molded or stamped enclosure solutions available. But sometimes, the ability to print one with unique dimensions for a certain application would really shine, not just functionally but aesthetically. The unfortunate side however, is obtaining UL or NRTL certification on the individual products. The key here is having the ability to print unique enclosures for various applications as needed. It'd be amazing if UL would recognize a line of filament that would be approved for use to develop said enclosures/components and be recognized as acceptable in NEC etc. Now THAT would open doors.

[@christophergrove4876]

🇨🇦/🇺🇸... You've been giving some really cool information. One thing that I REALLY don't like is the texture. TWO things... From my perspective it doesn't look like it was done on purpose. To me, it looks like it was printed on a really crappy, cheapass printer with filament that was left out in the humidity too long, giving it a lot of "pimples". Secondly, for a household any printed parts with that kind of texture is going to be a "dust magnet". Not only that, but a dust magnet that is going to be very hard to clean. If you own a house and are particular about dusting out all the cobwebs, you'll know what I mean. That said... I'm learning a lot! Thanks!!! 🙂

[@Liberty4Ever]

These are the best videos I've seen on additive manufacturing design. I love the real world examples and the conversational instruction style. Those slanted vents are great. I've done that before, making it more difficult to see inside. On one design, I made V shaped vents that not only prevented someone from seeing inside, it also blocked small conductors from poking inside. That would be ridiculously difficult to implement with injection molding.

[@slant3d]

Great point!

[@swdw973]

I saw you kept the slope on the top close to the same angle, so in the gray, the concentric rings from the layer steps look like a design feature. Neat trick. 👍

[@BenleGentil]

Super interesting! Loved what you did with the vents

[@mikolajr]

Very interesting, as all your videos, always! Here's my question, not so related to this content, but since it's latest video I'll ask it here. You talk a lot about using chamfers and fillets to optimize tool movement. How does it relate to tool movement while printing infill? I found that grid, cubic, etc. infills make tool turn in very sharp corners (90 degrees). Does it have negative impact on performance? Is gyroid infill better in this case? Or since it's just an infill it doesn't matter?

[@janoshorvath9430]

I find printing with white - or even natural - PLA is much more forgiving than darker ones. The grey I used looked most probably the worst. :D

[@Liberty4Ever]

There is a reason that 3D printer manufacturers usually supply white test filament with a new printer. It's much more difficult to see details (aka defects) with white filament.

[@vasiliynkudryavtsev]

Between injection molded top cover and 3d-printed part I would prefer injection molded because it looks simpler and cleaner. ("Good design is as little design as possible" - D.R.) If not compared the 3d printed cover looks good, though I'm not fond of Fresnel lens pattern. What could be really interesting is the hexagonal form, the honeycomb or triangular pattern could be a good design for the top, blending button and sound vent features inside pattern. I guess the customer insisted on round cover... mental inertia in action.

[@JustinRaymondUtah]

But if you invest millions in a FDM printer farm, you find any excuse to put a design within your wheelhouse. Not considering what's best for the customer, if it was injected modeled, it would be lost profit.

[@johnschneider9654]

Great video, Gabe

[@monkeywrench1951]

Does the ejectability and bed real estate of a part trump for example the speed gains from printing in a for example a vase in a helical way ?

[@AerialWaviator]

Is there a minimum contact area a part of this sized needs to contact the print bed when designing a faceted exterior surface? (2:36) Thinking between a 7 to 11 side faceted shape would look more circular, but could have the desired initial print-bed attachment surface. A possible option is adding cover that pops over the printed facet that served as a base, to provide a more uniform exterior. This would result in an extra part (less desirable), but in this design could serve as battery access cover. Cutting the part at an angle is a brilliant idea. (7:48) Besides solving a print support issue, it also opens up the design for consideration of how the two halves are joined. (that aspect of this design not really discussed here). The diagonal cut-line could offer a way to aid part alignment in assembly, or incorporate a a twist to secure feature instead of a push half to insert tabs. Suggestion: instead of referring to the texturing a 3d-print as "adding noise", perhaps refer to the texture as stucco, or sandblasted texture. Think it would be more relatable to a larger audience.

[@paulsullivan649]

I have to really disagree with the textured stuff. You've shown off the texturing a few times before and... obviously this is personal opinion, but I just find it ugly. I'd much rather just have layer lines.

[@joaopaulosanfelice]

and in a well calibrated printer with a 0.2 LH you would look really close to see some line.

[@ianross2352]

Yeah usually I like it but this time it went to far and just looked like inconsistency

[@slant3d]

True. Except on the Top Curve

[@jamiemclaughlin6965]

With something like a .2mm depth and density of 10 or so it can look really high quality. You can also configure it to not use the texture inside the vent holes or screw holes, etc. Not sure what their settings are here. (Settings I provided are for Cura).

[@lajoyalobos2009]

Another thing that was mentioned was leaning into the layer lines with the cosmetic design such as adding intentional lines and curves.

[@christianbureau6732]

Thanks

[@nickoutram6939]

There must be some unit-number cut off point by which the IM tooling costs are amortised to be under the higher unit 3D print costs. Is the only way to know to get quotes for both?

[@GoatZilla]

Those curved vents are very clever.

[@slant3d]

Thank you

[@aktothefullest]

Super interesting post, I'm curious - how do you add noise to the 3D model? Is this something done in Fusion or another tool?

[@wafflecart]

Hate that look of the added texture (fuzzy skin) personally, what I would do is: - Use black matte filament, hides layer lines very well, even on rounded parts. - Use lower layer height 0.1 or 0.15, modern printers print this very fast now. - Don't make it rounded or curved on top or bottom Make it flat. - Print it on textured sheet with the faces on bed, will virtually eliminate any artefacts. I've never had problems with first layers on modern printers they come out perfect on prusas and Bambulabs.

[@slant3d]

That is fine if you are making 1. But in mass production - Black is generally not a color option. Otherwise matte is great - Layer heights below 0.2 make basically no difference on appearance. - the rounded top is defined by the client - Large first layers with light colors introduce high occurances of stains when mass producting thousands of a product.

[@riba2233]

@@slant3d why is black not an option?

[@SmithyScotland]

Fascinating. Has to be round because it's always been round 🤷

[@uiopuiop3472]

i am waching the vidio babout smoke detecor

[@samk2407]

Im also of the opinion that smoke detectors should have a flat side so they can rest on shelves or doorframes without screws anyway

[@motocilino]

In this case, for a product anyone would actually choose to spend money on, FDM offers absolutely *no* advantages or value and actually only forces compromises. Correct option for "mass producing" these parts using AM is SLS/MJF/SAF for at least 3 compelling reasons: 1) superior asthetics 2) superior mechanical proptertiess of printed parts 3) superior economy of scale

[@slant3d]

No economies of scale. No colors. Mechanical advnatages are debatable

[@motocilino]

​@@slant3d certainly wrong first two points, no 'debate' to be had about mech. props.; anisotropic + no junky infill needed = superior part.

[@TheShift1313]

​@@slant3dum what? Just because you respond with no doesnt mean it is valid. What economy of scale do you get with fdm over anythig this poster mentioned? Sls is self supporting. Filling the build area doesnt increase print time like fdm. Pigment can be added. Better mechanical properties and much better looking parts. I have personally designed end use sls nylon parts that were sealed and painted, submersible, and lived outside for a year. Never would have done that with an fdm print and the geometry was too complex to mold.

[@JustinRaymondUtah]

I'm assuming you're using UL listed filament being a mass commercial manufacturer of electronic enclosures. No business wants to roll the dice on huge lawsuits you can't win if you don't use certified platic. What brand do you use? My partner and I are looking for bulk UL listed filament for a decent price, everything available is pricey we have found.

[@dylantoymaker759]

I was wondering about printing enclosures for AC 110v things, and what design/material considerations for doing this when I need to get the final thing CSA /UL evaluated after. Is it as simple as using a listed filament? For the 9v battery enclosure here, I’m not sure that they need listed materials, but for my stuff I’m pretty sure I do.

[@JustinRaymondUtah]

@@dylantoymaker759 most cities and insurancea require businesses to use UL listed. I'm in the sign industry and cities and our insurance require all the electronics we use, even if it's 5V to be UL listed. The same in other industries, like an electrician, multi-media installer, fire alarm systems, etc... Professional tradesmans only buy UL listed. Non UL listed products can be bought in B2C, there isnt as trict of rules for that. There are a wide range of UL listed filament, Pursa just released one, Jabil has some for a number of years now. Slant3D makes their own filaments highly sought they put in the huge investment it takes to get it to be UL listed, or he would have already made a video on on or at least a mention of it.

[@OmikronPsy]

Why would someone want an expensive 3D printed part that is already mass produced with a more suitable method. Like smoke detectors already exist. Or is the idea to camouflage other electronics in a smoke detector for special low order volume applications. Even then it is likely cheaper to buy the injection molded housings and adapt the electronics.

[@antronk]

How come slant3D have vibration finishing machines? It’s pretty much standard in manufacturing large batches of products needing post-processing. Wouldn’t it be useful to have it as an option in those cases where a textured look isn’t desirable?

[@ravplayztabla7467]

good point Not sure how they prioritise lead time, but if it isn't an issue, mass finishing techniques would be useful.

[@G53X0Y0Z0]

I have used my vibratory machines to finish machined plastic parts, which started out looking way better than any 3D printed part. On some plastics it works very well.

[@ravplayztabla7467]

@@G53X0Y0Z0 how long does it take for your parts to finish

[@G53X0Y0Z0]

@@ravplayztabla7467 - that's going to depend on a lot of things. For one thing, the machine size what media (abrasive) is used. The size and weight of the part, the shape, and how much needs to be removed to give the finish you want. In general, between 2 and 24 hours. My machine is large industrial machine we usually finish CNC machined aluminum with. It usually runs plastic media of various grits. Heavier parts usually finish faster, lighter parts take longer, because the amount of pressure is less.

[@G53X0Y0Z0]

@@ravplayztabla7467 it also depend on the type of plastic. Plastic that sands easier finishes easier in a vibratory tumbler.

[@dennisdecoene]

I love your channel and I learned lot from you about designing for 3d printing. But man that thing is ugly and there is just no way around that. Round flat curvy things are just not fit for this type of manufacturing. The angled cut of the lid is genius though.

[@ppBizU]

I think the lines in 3D printing is a distinguishing element end aesthetic aspect. @Slant 3D: You're becoming an influencer in the 3D printing world, you should smith a message, that 3D printing offers benefits over injection molding elements (like you're already doing). Don't fight with the inevitable element lines, what more: embrace them, emphasize them. So that the lines will be associated with something high quality.

[@IBreakGames]

I hated the look of 3D printed parts until I owned a 3D printer and obtained a new respect for the look.

[@AverageJoe928]

Sorry, I don't see 3D printing finish ever catching on as being a positive association. And definitely not seen as high quality since the barrier to entry is so low that a lot of cheap products will be seen using it.

[@conorstewart2214]

Considering that layer lines can be made less visible with lower layer heights or post processing they will never be associated with high quality. If you lower the layer height or sand and paint it then you can make the layer lines less visible but it would take longer and cost more. Also considering that layer lines are also only really an issue with the cheaper 3D printing methods, FDM, and aren’t an issue with resin or powder based printing they won’t catch on as high quality either. Thinking that layer lines are a sign of high quality is like thinking that an injection moulding part that has an unintentional rough surface is high quality, a rough or imperfect surface in injection moulding can be caused by a lower quality and usually cheaper mould. Defects or artefacts of the manufacturing method are not a sign of high quality, especially when those defects and artefacts could be removed or lessened by spending more time or money on manufacturing it or post processing it.

[@BabyJesus66]

@@conorstewart2214 agreed

[@BenleGentil]

100% agree - that popcorn texture really takes aways from the 3d printed look. I love the aspect of .32 / .40 lines.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

um, i'm sorry what? At the end you say that its pretty much equivalent and indistinguishable? I am sorry but you can't believe that right? We tolerate FDM print quality for its convenience but nobody wants that in a product. With the original injection molded part I can guarantee you the side sniffer vents were not individual cores. The bottom was likely curved so the core/cavity could produce those openings without the need for any side pulls. You commonly see this in designs where the vents will go below the bottom edge to avoid any expensive cores. Injection molding will produce a superior surface finish every time and offer up flame retardant materials, a much better economy of scale, and a stronger part. I get what you are selling but until you can solve the surface quality, speed, and layer line adhesion it just doesn't seem viable. If that part was designed for Injection Molding, you could print it with an mSLA machine and have a near perfect replica without redoing the design. But with FDM you are putting big limitations on the design of the part only to get a sub-par finished part. And if you decide to move from a sample fdm print of a part to injection molding you have to redesign the entire thing. Again there may be a place for the current output of FDM printers, but as a replacement for consumer injection molded parts it just don't meet the muster in my opinion.

[@jedisct1]

Doesn't look as great as the injection molded design, though.

[@everettcass7904]

Of course it doesn’t, that’s like saying a wrench doesn’t work as well as a hammer for building a wall. One of the points of this video (and really a concept people haven’t fully grasped onto) is when replicating something that already exists, there is a different set of constraints, he said that quite a few times throughout the video, and I think it’s very difficult to fully grasp that especially when you’re not starting from scratch

[@vitalysacred]

Would it be cheaper from a business standpoint to PRINT 100000 pcs? vs injection molding I mean Technically I don't care how this thing looks like coz it lives somewhere on the top, but It'll be a challenge to sell a product that looks like that (w/ 3d layers)

[@slant3d]

In our experience. For 100,000 pieces you should consider 3D Printing as a more affordable option.

[@vitalysacred]

@@slant3d Wow! Cool! Good to know that

[@AverageJoe928]

​@@slant3dgot any examples with numbers to back that up? I work in consumer electronics around those numbers and we've always found injection molding to be cheaper.

[@connorjones7202]

​@@AverageJoe928For real, these guys hate injection molds for some reason. The parts produced by the two processes can't even be compared in quality at the scale of 100,000 parts. You would need to use 50 printers to produce small parts at that scale in a timely manner, each of which exhibits it own variation and produces a slightly differently shaped part. One precision machined injection mold makes 100,000 parts, that alone is a tremendous improvement in process characteristics for producing consistent, manufacturing quality parts. There is absolutely no question that widespread adoption of 3D printing is revolutionary, but the technology in its current form has some undesirable traits for production at scale.

[@bjornwegener3233]

CLIENT: I want this SLANT 3d: no you want this CLIENT: ok yeah my clients don't work like that. Print it or get lost.....

[@FactionalSky]

The color thing does not make any sense. ABS by nature is white. PLA by nature is clear. Same for PET and PETG. So white ABS is in fact non or low pigmented and for PLA PET and PETG it simply does not matter since all colors are pigmented.

[@pierrick1705]

dude your videos would be much better without any music!! especially for those watching in 2x!

[@MakerMark]

Man i am not impressed with the print quality in his videos. Must be those shop made printers.