Note: After 2 years of workhorse use, this Thing is no longer being supported or developed! Please try the updated and more feature complete version located here http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:66030

This OpenSCAD script will generate a 2 part fit together packaging which connect together using simple lips. One of the objects will have an internal lip the other one will have an external lip. The ridges left by 3d printing provide grooves which acts as teeth to secure the 2 halves. It can also create simple square or cylindrical cutouts on any face of the top or bottom half 4 cylindrical support posts can also be added on the bottom or top half to help position a PCB or similar device You can specify fit and tolerances All these features can be turned on/off from the control variables section

With this script you can easily make packaging for almost any electronic device you are working on!

This looks complicated but it has saved me a huge amount of time making custom packages for people over the past few days. The most recent versions (2012_05_29-Tyndall_Generic_Device_Packaging-v1.6.scad) have options for easily adding mouse ears, support posts, having cutouts not penetrate the outer face for better surface finish, generating only 1 side or both, incorporating other parts and models of internal electronics and showing the device assembled or as side by side parts!

Changes from previous versions: v1.6

• Incorporates improvements from brians physiological health board case v2.6
• • better support for adding parts, changing features and changing layout using control variables
• • Can select how tall the 2 halves are relative to each other
• • Added method to choose whether to have fully cut or covered cutouts
• • Added optional mouse-ears
• more logical method for creating circular and square cutouts in preparation for array based system
• simplified method for controlling lip tolerance
• abandoned some features from v1.5 such as profiled lips in quest for simplicity
• method optionally adding posts to top and bottom
• variables for controlling support posts on top and bottom separately
• pasted contents of mouse ears and rounded cuboid as modules rather than accessing them as external files so now you only need to download the one file!!!
• no conical cutouts for now... sorry! v1.5
• adjusted a few values after receiving SLA proto-types
• increased height of posts
• added support structures on top side
• decrease diameter of support structures on top side sightly to allow for brackets at end of 40 way
• decreased z clearance v1.4
• added angled lip (Cube_cone_cylinder_minkowski sum) for better mating of top and bottom parts when made via SLA/SLS etc
• new more simplistic rounded cuboid module
• moved around the cutout for the uUSB so that there wasn't such a thin piece of plastic above it
• changed post type to nub as SLA should be able to handle the resolution
• added easier control of orientation of parts relative to each other using single variable side_by_side
• added axis labels to most faces and tyndall logo to bottom
• added new fit type for super accurate manufacturing techniques such as SLA v1.3
• Fix cutout positions for TOP SQUARE East and BOTTOM SQUARE West side
• Fix position of base of support posts on bottom half v1.2
• Fixed Inner and Outer Lip Clearance implementation
• Added ability to generate support posts on bottom half of either nub or screw hole type v1.1
• ???This version was lost in a computer crash. GRRRR!
• ???It implemented the ability to choose the reference point for measurements for each side
• ???Let this be a lesson!
• ???Back your stuff up regularly and on separate devices! v 1.0
• Ensure pcb_clearance and fit clearance is taken into account
• fit type values changed
• • force_fit from 0.4 to 0.2
• • hold_fit from 0.6 to 0.3
• • slide_fit from 0.8 to 0.4
• • free_fit from 1to 0.5
• add cylinder & square holes to all faces
• allowed to stack or see side by side
• replace 0.1s with a_bit
• check holes on top & bottom sides meet properly

Measure the device to be packaged. There can be quite a lot of dimensions to be recorded so be patient and write them down!

Record the devices Maximum X, Y & Z dimensions, generally X and y will be the length and breadth of your PCB, while Z will be the sum of the height of the tallest component on each side of the PCB and the PCB thickness itself (these will become the values int_l, int_b & int_h respectively).

Decide how thick you want the walls of your device to be, this will be entered into the variable "wall_t". I have printed these withe 2mm wall thickness but 3mm or 4mm give more consistent results.

Record the shape and number of each cutout required for each "face" of the packaging as well as the size of each cutout and it's position relative to the centre of each face. In this script there are 6 faces (Top, Bottom, North, East , West & South). The meaning of "Size" depends on the type of cutout, if you want a rectangular cutout you need to specify its length & height, if you want a cylindrical cutout you need its radius, for a conical cutout you need internal and external radii (size_r_inner & size_r_outer). For example the version on this page has some of the following cutouts:

Top Face - 1 conical cutout, @ pos_x = 3, pos_y = 3, with size_r_inner = 1, size_r_outer = 3

• 1 rectangular cutout, @ pos_x = 11, pos_y = 2, with size_x = 4, size_y = 12

West Face - 1 conical cutout, @ pos_x = 4, pos_y = 0.4, with size_x = 1, size_y = 3

etc...

If there are faces you don't need cutouts on simply comment out the line in the Relevant "Cutouts" section. If you need multiple holes on the one face the relevant line can be copied and pasted with different values for position and size.

Open the OpenSCAD script In the "User Variables" Section In the "Clearance Type" Sub section Select the type of fit you would like by commenting/uncommenting the rlevant lines Specify how much extra space you want around your PCB using the clearance_pcb variable

In the "Internal Components Dimensions" Sub section Enter the length, breadth & height of the device to be packaged (int_l, int_b, int_h resepctively) Enter the radius of the corners of your PCB in the int_r variable

In the "Packaging Features" Sub Section Choose the number of facets on curved sides using variable curve_f (setting this to somewhere between 3 & 6 is good) Choose how thick in mm you want the walls of your packaging to be using variable wall_t

In the "Calls" Section In the "Top Half Square cutouts" Sub section Comment/uncomment/copy lines for each of the square cutouts required on the top half of your packaging Using the earlier recorded values enter values for pos_x, pos_y, size_x, size_y into the first 4 variables in each call

In the "Top Half Cylinder cutouts" Sub section Comment/uncomment/copy lines for each of the cylindrical or conical cutouts required on the top half of your packaging Using the earlier recorded values enter values for pos_x, pos_y, size_r_inner, size_r_outer (if you want a standard cylinder make size_r_inner & size_r_outer teh same value)

In the "Bottom Half Square cutouts" Sub section Do similar procedure to "Top Half Square cutouts" Sub section In the "Bottom Half Cylidner cutouts" Sub section Do similar procedure to "Top Half cylinder cutouts" Sub section

Take a breath! Phew Save (Press F2) Regenerate Shape (Press F6) Check it looks right (you can comment in the second "translate" command after "//Make top half of packaging" and "//Make bottom half of packaging" to see the 2 halves stacked on top of each other if this helps) Once it is correct looking export as STL Print Raftless Wait Receive Check fit of top and bottom half and clean out excess plastic if required Package your device Do a little monkey dance!