Can’t seem to find a pc case that satisfies you? How about you make one yourself? Yes, you heard me right. With a 3D printer, you can make your pc case by yourself however you want. You can do much cool stuff with your case, like giving it a theme on the chassis design.
Don’t worry; I won’t just leave you with the idea only. Here, I will go through the primary process and some examples of a 3D printed pc case. Without wasting further time, let’s get going with it.
3D printing a PC chassis
For 3D printing your pc case, there are several ways to go about it. First, let’s go through the things you will need for 3D printing a PC case.
Things required for printing a PC case
Here are the things you must have for building your PC case at home –
- A 3D printer
- Filament material
- Design files
- Side panels
- Laser cutter
Well, these are the basic things you must have for printing your pc case. Depending on the design and style of the case you may come across several other items. With various complicated designs, you will need to add different kinds of tools for the job.
Now, let’s dig a little deep into the details and basic steps to follow.
Steps for printing your pc case
You will need to follow some pretty basic steps no matter what kind of design or mod you are going for. Let’s check them out one by one.
- Getting the design files
The first thing is to determine the design file you will be using. There are two choices here. You can either go for pre-designed files that you can find on the internet. Or you can make the design files yourself.
If you want to be creative and develop a design, you can create it on any CAD software. This allows you to make unique PC cases that are probably unavailable out there.
However, it will take a lot of time and effort. Also, you will need to be creative and technical about this. Because a PC case needs to fit the pc components and then function properly, otherwise you may end up damaging the components.
If you are not confident about designing your pc case or want to avoid all the trouble, you can go for pre-designed files. There are lots of websites where you can find pc design files. One of the most popular ones is Thingiverse.
- Preparing the printer
Once you finalize the design, you are ready to work on your printer. Typically, you will need a 3D printer that can print the standard size of a pc case. This is usually determined by the motherboard size so, before you begin anything else, you have to look at the components of the pc first.
Most of the time, people go with a pc case that is compatible with ATX motherboards. With ATX, you can pretty much fit anything. They have a dimension of around 300mm x 250mm. So, you will need a printer that comes with a bit larger dimension on the printing bed.
But if you are going with a mini-ATX or ITX build, you can do that with less volume. After that, you will have to go with the different settings on the printer. Now, if you are using a design file from the internet, there should be instructions on the printer settings.
As for your design, you can follow the standard settings for printing your pc case.
- Loading up the filament
Then you can simply start the process by loading up the filament. You can go for any color to your preference. Then load it up as you would do for a usual 3D print. I won’t be going in-depth on how to 3D print; I assume you already know that.
- Start the printing
After you set everything up, you can start the printing process. Simply send your design files on an SD card. Then connect the SD card to your printer to start printing. Or, if your printer works differently, you can do it however it works.
You will need to print the different parts of the casing separately. Unless you are printing a mini-case, you can’t probably do it as a whole pc case altogether.
- Laser-cut the casing
Here is an essential step of 3D printing your pc case. You will need to use a laser cutter to cut holes for the necessary ports, such as the USB port, audio ports, and the back panel of your CPU.
Also, you will need to ensure proper ventilation in your pc case; otherwise, it will cause overheating issues on your pc.
Now, these are the basic steps you will need to follow regardless of the design. From thereon, you may have some specifics for particular designs. For example, you are creating screw holes for the different components. For that, you will need a drill to create the holes, and you will need to use threaded inserts to make sure you can use screws on them.
Getting too confused with all this? Well, then I have got some recommendations for pc cases that you might want to check out. They come with complete files and all the instructions you need to print them out.
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4 amazing 3D printable PC cases you can try out
These designs aren’t that complex, and you end up with a decent PC case if you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on buying one. Let’s check them out –
Glass side panels are becoming the norm for pc cases. This one is a classy and stylish-looking case that you can print out using a 3D printer. The case supports all kinds of functionalities, including water-cooling.
As for the size, it’s suitable for ATX, mITX, and mATX motherboards. In the Thingiverse file, you will get a complete guideline for printing out this pc case.
Not every pc case has to have a cover from all ends. You can use a pc case without any covering from any end and just use an open frame to set all your components. This is a great pc case or frame that you can use for ATX motherboards.
All the necessary settings and processes are clearly described on the Thingiverse file. So, you shouldn’t face any issues making it.
Are you looking to make a compact PC? Then this casing can be perfect for you. It’s a casing for an ITX motherboard. But you can still use a power supply for an ATX motherboard on this one because of its depth.
Coming to the Thingiverse file, you should have all the recommended settings and options available there. So, the whole process just gets easier for you.
- Wall mountable case
How about getting an open case you can mount on the wall? Sounds interesting right? Well, this is the case you can try out if you want to add a little spice to your setup. You can simply mount it on the wall with the whole computer setup.
It’s a pretty straightforward printing process with this one, so you won’t have to worry too much. Also, the file has all the step-by-step instructions you need.
Well, aside from that you can find hundreds of designs and choose the one you like. And if you want to amp it up a notch, you can come with your designs as well.
Wrap up
To sum it up, if you have a 3D printer and feel the need for a pc case, you can quickly get a 3D printed pc case at a low cost. This gives you the option to customize the pc case according to your needs and styles. At the same time, you won’t be spending a whole lot to get that done. So, everything just works out perfectly when you opt for 3D printing your pc case.
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