Introduction

I found the Gridfinity system some time ago and was very impressed by the idea. But I did not print it because the original version needs a lot of filament. Some time later I found this project by @huma_meng: [https://makerworld.com/de/models/227937-gridfinity-ultra-light-bins-plain-edition](https://makerworld.com/de/models/227937-gridfinity-ultra-light-bins-plain-edition) and saw that it is possible to make the boxes much lighter.

But this was still not enough for me, so I decided to create my own version.

These are my requirements:

• As less filament as possible
• Configurable
• Keep compatibility to Gridfinity
• No overhang bridges
• Simple labels
• Simple settings (not too much)
• Learn OpenSCAD from scratch
• Use only native OpenSCAD without external libraries
• Simple model (no chamfer, no fillets)
• Optimized for the “standard” printer (0.4 mm nozzle; 0.2 mm layer height)

This project contains bins, base plates, adapters, covers and labels.

Models

Bins

After some tests I found out that bins with a wall thickness of 0.8mm and a bottom thickness of 0.6 is enough for stable bins. This setting would be possible with existing Gridfinity generators but they have two downsides:

• I have to set it up every time
• All existing solutions have overhang bridges on the corners of every unit

I created therefore a new solution with pure OpenSCAD (and used the chance to learn this very nice system) which handles this two “problems”.

I did a comparison of different projects and here are my results for a 3x4x6:

• Slicer: OrcaSlicer
• Printer: BambuLab P1S
• Profile: 0.20mm Standard
• Infill: Lightning
• Brim: No

I'm very happy to say that I can save 54% compared to original version and even 26.6% compared to ultra light version. Time reduction from ultra light version is not so high anymore because my version mostly has outer walls which are printed slower than infills.

There is even an option to make open walls (square grid) which then results in a 39.08 g (default settings) / 33.83 g (tweaked setting) box.

In the pictures you can see three different settings (left to right): default settings (7 / 3), maximum saving (10 / 1), smallest grid (2 / 1)

Settings

The configuration support only basic features because I wanted to keep it simple and lightweight.

Basic bin settings are:

• columns
• rows
• height (in 7mm units)
• make the whole box solid (e.g. for using with subtractive modifiers)
• make only bottom solid (if you don't want to have the grid on inside)
• wall and bottom thickness (e.g if you want to have heavy stuff in the box it could make sense to increase bottom thickness)
• generate lip or not (the model supports the reduced lip only because of design requirements)
• make open walls with pattern size and space (there is no different pattern options for stability reasons)
• sub bins (only equal sizes and only horizontal splitting)

Because of the requirement to support labels I also added the possibility to add a label holder. The cutout is only 1 mm deep to avoid too big label holders (filament saving) and ends flat on the top of the box (without lip). Labels from other designers (e.g. Cullenect labels) should work too if you set them to be only 1 mm in total height.

There is no option to set chamfer or fillet. This is intended. During testing I found out that using these options makes the calculation of the models much more complex as the heights may not be correct anymore. In the end it does not make a difference if I use a 0.3 mm radius for fillet or if I have a complete sharp edge, the printer cannot print it anyway and will leave out the very top part - but even if this part is missing the total height is better than with fillets and the tolerance on the slopes is much better. (If you don't believe me just print any other box and use a caliper to check the height - you will be surprised ;-) ) Additionally, the original Gridfinity specs do not include any information about fillets.

Base plates

Base plates can be generated in the “normal” way or in a light version which does not have a solid bottom. For a 3x4 plate this saves 29.7% of filament (14.14 g → 9.94 g).

Another advantage of the light version is that you can print it in the biggest possible size and then easily cut it down to your needs later.

Adpater

Adpaters are a complete new thing which I have not found in a similar way. There are two ideas behind adapters:

• Sometimes I have a high area where I can stack boxes. However, you cannot stack e.g. a 1x1 box on a 3x3 box because it will just fall inside. Therefore you can use a 3x3 (or bigger) adapter to make a thin layer between the boxes.
• You can print any fancy Gridfinity boxes you want but sometimes you still have “normal” boxes you want to use. These boxes then float around next to your fancy Gridfinity installation which is making you unhappy. With the flat adapters you can solve this issue. Just glue them to the bottom of your box and turn it into Gridfinity.

For the second option there is even a superthin version (only 1x1 possible) which saves another 2 mm of height.

WAIT! Why do you invent an adpater if you can use a bin with height 1 and no bottom?

Answer is simple: Because of the design requirement no. 1: save filament. I know that the adapters are 7 mm high and not 7 + 4.4 mm as the standard would say. This is intended to save filament (~34%). If you really want to have the absolutely correct height, then create 1x1 bins without bottom and glue them together (a 3x4 bin with height 1 would not work as the “inner lips" are missing).

Cover

Sometimes it would be nice to cover the box to prevent from dust or accidental spilling if you take it out. So here it is. There are three versions: without label holder, with label holder, with hole for label.

The label holder version unfortunately is not possible to print without support.

The hole for label version just has a hole in the size of the label, so there is no support needed. If you use this version you can print the hole_cover too which is just a thin plate. This plate is then glued on the hole.

The cover is build with a non-solid profile which allows you to use a cover also on multiple bins at once. Small noses hold the covers in place.

Attention: Because of the noses the covers are only usable for Gridfinity bins with reduced lip size and do not fit on full sized lips.

Label

The labels have a default size of 35x11 mm. That is 1 mm less in width than the usual labels. The idea here is to press fit them into the label holders with leaving a small gap on left and right side, so that you can easily remove them again.

There are several options for symbols and up to 3 rows of text. Depending on which rows of text you use there might be a different outcome. Example: If you use row 1 and row 2 the text will be in two equal sized rows, but if you use row 1 and row 3 (but not row 2) then the upper row is bigger then the lower row.

I added some labels but I cannot add all of them as there are unlimited options. Please use the customizer.

The labels are only 1 mm high of which 0.6 mm is the plate and 0.4 mm is the text height. I tried with flat labels but then you are forced to use AMS and the text looks squeezed and looses quality. With this embossed version it is possible to print it without AMS in two colors.

Printing hints

The whole project is used to be optimized to be printed with almost default settings. Use the standard 0.20 mm profile if you want. The only changes I made was to set the infill to lightning (infill is very rare anyway), the brim to no and supports to tree (for label holder covers only).

I am using a glue spray to improve the bed adhesion and it works perfectly. The biggest grid and box I printed was 5x6 and there is absolutely no warping. If you have a bad bed adhesion then you can leave brim set to automatic.

I also tried some boxes with 12 units height and depending on the filament I used the walls sometime bend a little bit outside. That is not a big issue as the 0.8 mm walls are anyway a little bit flexible but still thick enough to be stable. If you are unsure or unhappy with this then just increase the wall thickness a little bit.

The bottom is stable enough with 0.6 mm, because of the profiles which are added. If you want to create big boxes where you want then to store very heavy stuff then maybe a thicker or even solid bottom would be better. Just try it.

The open wall option is quite nice if you don't need solid walls. The default settings of 7 mm pattern size and 3 mm spacing is very stable. I also tried to go down to 5 mm pattern and 1 mm spacing. It still works but I do not recommend it.

The print profile I created are for A1 mini to make it compatible to all App users. I printed everything with a P1S with filament from Extrudr and 3DJake.

Version / Changelog

v1.0 2025-03-05 Initial version

Attached to the print profiles there are some examples and STLs. You can use the customizer to make any version you want. If there is a need to have a specific sets available without using the customizer please leave a comment and I will try to fulfill your wishes.

If there is any feature which I should to the models add please leave a comment. I will check if it is possible (keep in mind the design requirements) and add it as I have time.

Disclaimer / Support

Feel free to use this design as you like. Remix it if you want. Print it like you want. Do what you want. You can even print and sell the items. If you do that please just make a note where you got it from.

If you like my design feel free to buy me a coffee. [https://buymeacoffee.com/klausfroehlich](https://buymeacoffee.com/klausfroehlich)

This project is NOT a rebuild. It was made from scratch without any copied code from somewhere else. The only used source is the Gridfinity specification: [https://gridfinity.xyz/specification/](https://gridfinity.xyz/specification/)