3D Print a Custom Tablet Stand with a Hinge

1. An Introduction to 3D Printable Hinges

When designing with 3D printing, you can create hinges in several ways. They generally fall into two categories:

1. Multi-Part (Assembled) Hinges: These are printed as separate pieces and assembled afterward, often using a pin (which could be a metal rod, a screw, or even a piece of filament).
2. Print-in-Place Hinges: These are designed as a single, pre-assembled object. The hinge mechanism is created by modeling precise gaps between the moving parts. When the print finishes, you simply break the parts free, and the hinge works immediately.

Print-in-place designs are an elegant demonstration of the capabilities of 3D printing. Let's explore the common design patterns for these hinges.

For our phone stand, we will use the second method shown in the video: the print-in-place hinge with interlocking cones. This design uses angled surfaces that your 3D printer can create without needing support material, a key DfAM principle we've discussed.

2. Modeling the Phone Stand: A Step-by-Step Guide

We'll now walk through the process of modeling a complete phone stand based on this hinge design. The following tutorial is a clear, concise guide that we will use as our foundation.

I will break down the video into key stages and provide additional context. Your task will be to follow along and build the model in Fusion 360.

Step 2.1: The Hinge Core (Video 00:00 - 03:14)

This first section creates the two interlocking bodies of the hinge itself.

1. Initial Sketch (0:00 - 01:56):
   • Create the main sketch with the two rectangular profiles and the central circle for the hinge.
   • Crucially, add the two angled lines. The 55° angle is chosen specifically because it's greater than the typical 45° overhang limit of most FDM printers, ensuring this part prints cleanly without supports.
2. First Extrusions (01:56 - 03:14):
   • Extrude the base part of the hinge.
   • Create a sketch on the side face to define the conical pin.
   • When extruding the cone, note the use of a -35° taper angle. This creates a total angle of 55° from the horizontal plane (90° - 35° = 55°), again for support-free printing.
   • Pay close attention when extruding the second main hinge part. The operation must be set to New Body. This is essential. You must have two separate bodies at the end of this step.

Step 2.2: Creating the Magic - Clearance (Video 03:14 - 04:50)

This is the most important conceptual step. Right now, your two bodies are perfectly touching. If printed, they would fuse together. We need to create a gap, or clearance.

1. Combine (Cut): Use the Combine tool.
   • Target Body: The part you want to cut (Body2 in the video).
   • Tool Body: The part you are using as the "knife" (Body1).
   • Operation: Cut.
   • IMPORTANT: Check the Keep Tools box. This preserves your "knife" (Body1).
2. Offset Face: After the cut, the cavity perfectly matches the pin. Now, we create the gap.
   • Use the Modify > Offset Face tool (or Press/Pull).
   • Select all the internal faces of the cutout in Body2 and offset them by a small amount (e.g., -0.3mm). This creates the space for the hinge to rotate.
   • Hide Body2 and do the same for the pin on Body1, offsetting its faces by -0.2mm to -0.3mm. The exact value depends on printer calibration, but 0.2-0.3mm is a good starting point.

After this step and mirroring the bodies (Create > Mirror), you will have a fully functional, interlocked hinge mechanism made of two distinct bodies.

Step 2.3: Modeling the Stand (Video 05:15 - 07:09)

Now you'll create the actual structure that holds the phone.

1. Project Geometry: Start a new sketch and use Create > Project/Include > Project (shortcut P) to bring in the edge of the hinge. This ensures your stand is perfectly aligned.
2. Sketch the Profile: Draw the profile of the stand. The video provides specific dimensions, but this is where you can customize it.
3. Extrude and Mirror: Extrude the profile as a New Body. Then, mirror it to create the other side.
4. Combine (Join): Finally, use the Combine tool to join the two stand halves into one body, and then join that body to the corresponding hinge part. At the end, you should still have only two total bodies in your design.

Step 2.4: Final Touches (Video 07:09 - 08:56)

Use the Fillet tool (F) to round off the sharp edges. This is not just for aesthetics; it also helps create stronger prints by reducing stress concentrations at sharp corners.

3. Hands-On Challenge: Make It Your Own

Following a tutorial is a great way to learn a workflow, but the real goal is to create your own custom designs. Your challenge is to modify this project to fit your specific needs.

Your Task:

1. Before you begin Step 2.3 (Modeling the Stand), measure your own phone or tablet, paying attention to its overall width and its thickness (especially if it's in a case).
2. As you sketch the stand's profile, adjust the dimensions from the video to create a custom-fit holder. For example, you might change the 90mm overall length or the 14mm dimension for the lip that holds the device.
3. Bonus: Instead of hard-coding the dimensions, use User Parameters (Modify > Change Parameters) for key values like StandWidth, DeviceThickness, and Clearance. This reinforces what you learned in Module 4 and makes your design truly parametric.

Remember why parametric design is so powerful here. As the article "Designing a Parametric 'Print in Place' Hinged Container" explains, simply scaling a model in your slicer also scales the tolerances, which can make a hinge too loose or too tight. By building the design parametrically in Fusion 360, you maintain perfect control over the critical clearances.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You've just designed your first complete, functional 3D printed object. This project has brought together sketching, solid modeling, DfAM principles like overhangs, and the critical concept of clearance for moving parts. You now have a model ready to be exported as an STL file and printed.

Key Takeaways:

• There are multiple ways to design 3D printable hinges, with "print-in-place" being a powerful technique.
• The interlocking cone design is robust and prints reliably without supports due to its use of steep angles.
• The Combine (Cut) tool with Keep Tools enabled is the key to creating cavities for interlocking parts.
• The Offset Face tool is essential for creating the necessary clearance for movement in print-in-place mechanisms.
• Customizing a design for a specific purpose is a core skill in practical mechanical design.

In our next lesson, we'll tackle another project from the "First Practical Projects" module: designing and printing a functional holder for a gaming accessory, like a controller or headset. This will give you more practice in creating ergonomic, form-fitting designs.