[Scratch Build] Node - 3D Printed PC Case

 

 

 

Hi Everyone,

 

Im back with another project, the last version of this one fell flat on its face due to a number of reasons, but this is pretty much version 2.0 of this concept. The basic idea of this was to use 3D printing to create a case from scratch. The original version was a full scale, full tower. After getting some of the parts printed I started to find that there were some flaws with the plan, so I scrapped it and started from scratch. the new plan was to make this a robust and semi portable system that I can travel with to and from LAN parties.

 

I will be keeping both forum and video logs of the progress. Stay Tuned!

 

 

 

Wow nice concept. Can't wait to see this :D

Someone asked to see it in all black, thought I would share with everyone.

 

http://i.imgur.com/snGqQY4.jpg

So a quick update for everyone, I have finished making the tweaks to the printed parts and they are off to the printer now, the metal work should start Monday as well. In the mean time I have started work on the parts that I will be putting into the case itself. I plan on using an Asus Z97I-Plus for this build, but with some minor tweaks. Instead of the gold heatsink, I want to paint the gold parts white and place my logo on the southbridge heatsink.

 

Subbed, this looks amazing !

 

Hi everyone.

 

Got a small update to post tonight. I was able to get my hands on a number of the parts I plan on using in this build, however, I still do not have ALL the parts, I'm still missing the SSDs and any water cooling parts as well. I should have those in the next few weeks if all goes well. For now, here's what I picked up.

 

 

 

 

Thats all for now, stay tuned for more!

For those wonder/looking for an update on the status of this project, here is a quick overview of whats going on.

 

• In the process of getting all the required pieces for the case setup to print and for the paneling to get laser cut.
  
• Purchasing the last few pieces of hardware to put a working system together
  
• Modding current
  
• Photographing/Filming these processes and putting together my 2nd update video
  

All of these combined will take a few weeks to finish, but I will be sure to post sporadic updates as they come in, look for a new video in 2-3 weeks, if not soon. It wil feature all the completed hardware.

 

Break down of the next few videos:

 

1. Intro Video (Completed)
   
2. Hardware Spotlight Video (In Progress)
   
3. Case Spotlight Video (In the Works)
   
4. Finished Project Video (In the works)
   

 

Hi Everyone,

 

So I know its been awhile since this last had an update, this was mainly due to putting the final touches on the model for printing, getting the logistics in place to get all of the final pieces....as well as some interesting opportunities you will get to see in the coming days.

 

Anyway, onto the important stuff!

 

SPECS:

i7 4790k

Asus Z97I - mITX

EVGA GTX 970 SC

Corsair Dominator Platinum 2133 Mhz

120GB Samsung 850 EVO

250GB Samsung 850 EVO

SilverStone SX600-G

 

Stay tuned in the coming weeks, things will be updating a lot more frequently.

Sorry there have been so few updates with this project, I have run into some major issues along the road. But here is they latests on the project. Currently the parts are being printed, as of writing this, there is one part left to print. I will be picking them up tomorrow, but so far everything looks OK.

 

I have all the liquid cooling hardware ordered and its all sitting next to me waiting for the last few pieces to arrive. I hope to have the laser cut panel in this week as well as all the mounting hardware. From here I will be shipping the case down to Texas for to have the sleeving work done. Once that is finished and I have the case back in my hands, I will be doing the water cooling and the last few pieces.

 

I will update as much as I can, however, due to the time constraints, they might be a bit delayed as I need to focus on getting this done before the end of April.

 

In the mean time, here are some photo of the printed parts.

 

Your build is quite impressive so far but would be even more so if your pics were just a little smaller which would be easier to see overall ...

Your build is quite impressive so far but would be even more so if your pics were just a little smaller which would be easier to see overall ...

 

Gonna fix that...whoops.

 

EDIT: Fixed.

Ahh yes,very appealing to the eye now:D:

I envy the tools at your disposal as I have so many ideas of my own

keep us posted...

Hey everyone!

 

So I know its been awhile since I had an update to this project. I have run into a few more issues since the last update so lets dive in!

 

My biggest problem at the moment is currently trying to find a place to get the case printed at a reasonable price. The quotes I'm getting are ranging from $2000-$4000 just for the printed parts, I knew it was going to be expensive, but not THAT expensive. The first set I had printed where OK, but far from perfect. They were done on a Makerbot Replicator 5, and the quality of the parts left a lot to be desired, but it also had a few other issues with the prints warping and shrinking. I did discover that a few of the parts needed to be remodeled so that they would work properly so I had to make some edits to them. Since it was a 1st prototype, I knew there were going to be issues, so hopefully the next set will be perfect or close to it. The biggest problem, like I said, was that the model shrunk way more than anticipated, so a good portion of the acrylic paneling didn't fit correctly or had to be wrestled into place.

 

Right now I'm trying to find a company or someone to print these parts for a reasonable price. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find a printer that can both handle the large parts and are willing to print them at a reasonable price. So right now the project is in a minor state of limbo, I have everything else ready to go for the build, but I'm missing the case itself.

 

I have invested a fair bit of time and money into this project to just give up, so this project WILL be getting completed. Just not as soon as I had hoped.

 

Hi everyone,

 

Back with a quick update on the status of this project. I got a call back from one of the printers I have been shopping this case around to, to try and get it printed. The cheapest they could do it for was around $700. While this is a major improvement in price than the 2-5K other places have been asking for, I feel that there is still a way to get the price down even further and improve the design as well.

 

After fiddling around with the model the past few days, I was able to come up with what you see below. This design utilizes 8 of the same 3D printed pieces with an internal acrylic or aluminum structure. This will allow me to utilize most of the acrylic I have already purchased and had gotten laser cut.

 

This is still in the rough stages of the concept, i still want to figure out how to get the corners covered up so they are not as unsightly as well getting the rest of the panelling and internal structures worked out and finished.

 

Once the I have the final model finished, I will share the images of it and detail out how this new version improves upon the old.

 

More Soon!

 

Nope, this project isn't dead, just needed a few weeks to work out the logistics of everything. My last post was about how I was going to redesign the Node to use less parts, be smaller, etc. Well after spending 2 weeks looking for a 3D printer and trying to redesign the case, it became clear that it was going to be a few months worth of work again. I would have to start from scratch again and go from the ground up, and after all the time and effort I put into the current design, the thought of going back to step one was not really all that appealing.

 

While I was able to get a model that had some potential, there were elements about the design I still didn't like, like the lack of edge covers. This without them you had a clear view to the underside of the paneling and it just didn't look good.

 

So at this point I decided that the guys who quoted me at $700 to print the entire case were my best option. I was a bit hesitant at dropping that kind of money so they were nice enough to provide me with one of the larger pieces for free so I could test all the paneling.

 

And IM SO GLAD I DID! Every panel I tried fit like a glove, the finish is at a level where a few coats of paint will fill in the ridges and there minimal finish work. I have already ordered the rest of the parts, and I should have some photos in a few weeks.

 

 

FINALLY!!! FINALLY!! After about 2 weeks of talking back and forth with the printer, I FINALLY have a quote! $500! They are FINALLY printing the pieces and I should have them in about a weeks time, so I can get back to work!

 

More info soon!

 

 

And so the work continues!!! This week it was about putting the final touches the assembly of the case and working on getting the hardware fitted, making sure there are no last minute tweaks to any of the parts (Spoiler Alert: There are, but they are minor)

 

So first up, the design has hex holes carved out for the nuts that will hold all the paneling, they needed to be glued into place to make sure they won't fall out when you remove the various panels, as this was a minor issue when I was trying to assemble this case for the first time. I got to the last panel on and had issues keeping the nuts in place while trying to screw them in. So after some super glue and letting it set, this issue has been resolved and we're good to go!

 

 

 

Stay Tuned, more tomorrow.

Why remove the label?

I Think the memory got too naked now. Its kinda like "something is missing" on the memories.

I Think you should've IMHO atleast kept the upper half of the label, with the "Dominator Platinum" if you Think the White "sticks out" too much.

Excellent work