Summary

This is a desktop organizer designed for any office space I made for myself and conveniently also for the Autodesk Fusion 360 Design Challenge. The structure of the organizer is based around the 2020 aluminum extrusion standard, which has fantastic rigidity and customization due to the ridges on all 4 faces that you can mount things to. I've incorporated a couple initial parts to the design that were useful to me: a stand for a wireless charging pad for my phone and a computer monitor mount. However, this design is very easily expandable, contractible, and customizable to any space constraints.

The problems being addressed and design considerations:

• No monitor stand that would mount my computer monitor that could elevate the monitor above my Microsoft Surface Pro laptop
• MAJOR mess of power/usb/connecting cables running all around my desk
• Needed a way to have my Pixel 3 phone sit on a wireless charging pad
• Needed something that could hold all of this and be stable/sturdy
• Most monitor stands can't be modified easily when something new is introduced to the desktop (say, a wireless phone charging pad for example)

Materials needed:

• 20x20 aluminum extrusions
• 14mm M5 screws
• 2020 T-slot nuts
• A 3D printer (I used a Lulzbot Taz 6) and some filament
• Hex screwdrivers
• Maybe a bandsaw or hacksaw if the extrusions aren't the right size-- you can order them from suppliers cut to length though!
• For my build specifically: charger usb hub

Methods:

I used a ruler to measure out the lengths of 2020 aluminum extrusions I needed to fit my desk space, and cut them to length using a bandsaw in my local machine shop. Then, I designed right-angled joint fittings in Fusion360, with a little extra clearance for the 2020 cross sections. I modeled the computer monitor's coupling screw mechanism and then made the complementary fitting on top of a joint fitting. Finally, I modeled the wireless charging pad and designed a holster around it so that it is angled for my phone to sit on and wirelessly charge at the same time. The USB hub was ziptied to the frame. All 3D printed parts were made on the Lulzbot Taz6 with PLA, 205 degree Celcius extruder temp, 0.37mm layer height.

Discussion

I have been using this desktop organizer for the past two weeks without any problems at all-- it holds up my computer monitor, wirelessly charges my phone in a convenient location, and allows me to plug in all my laptop peripherals seamlessly.

The barrier to entry for this project is minimal-- you only need a 3D printer with a small build volume and a hacksaw at least. No other expensive hardware is needed. The 2020 core aluminum frame is robust yet light, so there's no worry about structural issues that are common with 3D printed parts, and it looks clean. There is lots of potential for customization for two reasons. (1) The frame can be modified for any size desk, (2) The T-slots can accept any imaginable, 3D printed part. It could have a pencil/pen/stationery holder off of the side, a headset holder, or more. For these reasons, I believe this design using 3D printed joint parts around 2020 aluminum extrusions has lots of potential for future desktop organization that is transformable and customizable.