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3D printed enclosures designed using SketchUp
The board to be enclosed. The board uses through-hole components and has 1206 resistors on the reverse s ide so room or the pins
and resistors is needed bet!een the board and the bottom o the enclosure.
"uilding an #nclosure using SketchUp and 3D $rinting$osted on %une 1& 201' b( )len
The image above shows two
enclosures for a printed circuit
board design. These were
designed using the inexpensive
hobbyist version of CadSoft
Eagle and the free maker version
of Trimble SketchUp. The free
version Netabb !asic was used
to check the design formanufacturing. The enclosures
were finally "# printed at
shapeways.com using their E$S
ormiga %&&' S(S "# printers.
)ead on to see some of the
lessons * learned while designing
and printing these enclosures.
*ind or Design a "oard
The first step is to find or design a board. The board * used is a +uad )S,- differential transmitter board. *t has
a #igilent %/$# connector for connecting to an %01 board and four T* differential transmitters chips that
connect to %hoenix Contact terminal blocks. There2s a fifth terminal block for a 345 power input and a power
supply on the board as well.
1t this point6 open up the board
file in Eagle and note some key
measurements.
The board measures &7'' by
&"4' mil. The holes are &4 mil
diameter and are inset &4 mil
from each board edge.
$hotons& #lectrons& and DirtA blog by Glen Akins
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The board to be enclosed as seen in the #agle $+" editor.
#,port the "oard rom #agle and mport into SketchUp
To export the board from Eagle and import the board into SketchUp re+uires the set of EagleUpplugins for Eagle
%C! and SketchUp. The EagleUp Export U(% script is used from within the Eagle %C! editor to export the board
geometry6 bill of materials6 and component placement information to a .eup file. The .eup file is then imported
into SketchUp using the EagleUp *mport plugin. $nce the plugins are installed6 the steps re+uired to perform
the export and import are as follows8
$pen the board in Eagle %C!.&.
)un the eagleUp9Export.ulp U(%. *2m only interested in the board geometry and parts so * selected the
no silk layers and no image options at export. Click $: and the .eup file will be created.
.
(aunch SketchUp and open a new file. )un the EagleUp *mport plugin from the SketchUp %lugins menu
on the .eup file created in Eagle. * could only get the EagleUp import plugin to run successfully if * set
the model units to decimal millimeters with a precision of '.''&mm.
".
Set the model units to the same units used in Eagle. * used decimal inches with a resolution of & mil
since the board design was done in mils. /easure the board to make sure it is the same dimensions as in
Eagle.
-.
1t this point6 you2ll have a "# model of your board in SketchUp but a lot of the parts may be missing depending
on the parts on your board versus the parts in your "# component library.
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The board as initiall( imported into SketchUp. lot o components are missing.
The board !ith all ke( components properl( located and si/ed.
dd issing $arts
Now to add the missing parts to the board. Search the internet for "# models of any missing components. ;ou2ll
need the components in either .skp or .stl format. Some manufacturers provide "# models directly on their
website. $thers you2ll have to find on "rd party websites. :ey components to include are things that impact the
dimensions of the enclosure such as the tallest component on either side of the board6 and connectors6 switches6
or indicators that will pierce a wall of the enclosure.
*n the case of my board6 * added the missing Samtec terminal strip and the five missing %hoenix connectors to
the board. *
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)uides indicating the edges o the $+".
=ere are the dimensions used to design the bottom of the enclosure8
Description Si/e otes
Bottom Height 0.350Somewhat arbitrary but at least sum of bottom thickness and PCB bottomclearance.
Bottom Thickness 0.00 Chosen so an !3 nut can be com"letely recessed into bottom of enclosure.
#dge Thickness 0.050 Chosen based on ca"abilities of 3$ "rinter.
PCB #dge Clearance% 0.0&5 Somewhat arbitrary but at least 0.0 05on each edge.
PCB BottomClearance%
0.0'5 (eeds to clear "ins on through)hole "arts* S!$ resistors on back of board.
PCB Thickness% 0.0+3 ,rom the board -endor.
!3 (ut $imensions%5.5mm 0./' across flats* /.&mm .015thick.
,rom the nut -endor.
Use the tape measure tool to draw some guides to indicate the outline of the %C! board. )emember that this
board is &.7''> by &."4'> with a '.&''> corner radius and four '.&4> diameter holes in the corners inset '.&4>
from each edge.
The enclosure will have '.'4'>
thick side walls '.'-4> from the
edge of the %C! board. The
outside corner radius of the
enclosure wall will be '.&4>.
The inside corner radius will be
'.'?4>. These radii will give a
wall thickness of '.'4'> in the
corners and clear the roundedcorners of the %C!. Create
guides at the outside wall edges6
the inside wall edges6 and
centers of the corner radii. The
picture below shows the upper
left corner once the guides are
created. )epeat for the
remaining corners.
#raw lines and arcs for the outside edges of the enclosure. Use the push@pull tool to pull the resultant plane
down into a '.&''> thick solid.
Now create guides6 lines6 and arcs for the features on the inside of the bottom of the case. These include the
holes for the /" bolts that will run through both the enclosure and the %C! as well as supports for the bottom of
the %C!. * made my supports '."-4> by '.""4>. These need to clear any components or pins located on the
bottom of the %C!.
Use the push@pull tool to extrude the side wall up '.4'>. Use the push@pull tool to extrude each of the %C!
supports up '.'?4>. 1fter moving the first %C! support up '.'?4>6 you can double click the remaining three
supports to extrude them up by the same amount.
Now that we know where the %C! needs to rest in the enclosure6 unhide the %C! and move the bottom face of
the %C! to rest on the top face of the %C! supports. Unhiding the %C! will also let you check clearances on the
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Upper let corner o the guides indicating the enclosure edges. ines and arcs are or illustration onl(. Dont create them (et.
bottom and sides of the board.
=ide the board and add the nut
recesses to the bottom of the
enclosure. The nuts are '.&?>
across their flats. *f we make the
nut recesses '.?'> across their
corners6 that will give the recess
a distance of '."-> across the
flats and a clearance on each side
of the nut of '.''74>. The nuts
are '.'A4> thick. 1 recess depth
of '.&''> will allow the nuts to
sit flush with the bottom of the
enclosure.
The hex extrusions should be
centered at '.'> from each
outside edge to center them on
the holes in the %C! and the
%C! supports. (astly6 delete the
circular planes at the bottom of
the hex extrusions to create the
'.&4> holes completely through
the bottom of the enclosure.
0roup the bottom of theenclosure into its own group.
This will prevent the bottom and
top of the enclosure from
merging into a single blob as we
create the top of the enclosure in
the next step. The bottom of the
enclosure is now complete
except for the connector cut
outs. Be2ll design the top of the
enclosure first then make cut
outs for the connectors at the
end of the design process.
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+reate guides then dra! lines and circles or the eatures inside the bottom o the case.
"oard properl( placed inside bottom o enclosure.
#,trusions or he, nuts on bottom o enclosure.
Design the Top o the #nclosure
=ere are the dimensions used to design the top of the enclosure8
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Duplicate the bottom o the enclosure to 0.14 belo! the top o the enclosure.
#,trude the top plane up to the desired thickness o the enclsoure top.
Description Si/e otes
To" Height 0.300 Chosen to accommodate height of all com"onents and nearest a-ailable !3 bolt length.
To" Thickness 0.00 Chosen to be same as the bottom of the enclosure.
#dge Thickness 0.050 Chosen based on ca"abilities of 3$ "rinter.
PCB To" Clearance% 0.3/
(eeds to clear all com"onents on to" of board.To" clearance is o-erall enclosure height minus thickness of to" and bottom* PCB thickness* andPCB bottom clearance%0.35020.300 0.0020.0020.0+320.0'5 4 0.3/.
-ailable !3 Bolt6engths%
/mm* 5mm less common*+mm
Threaded length e7cluding bolt head8 from bolt -endor.
#ouble click into the bottom enclosure group6 orbit to view the bottom of the enclosure6 and select the plane
forming the bottom of the enclosure. )ight clock and select the bounding edges. Copy the bottom plane and
connected edges to the clipboard then exit the group. %aste the edges '.''> above the top of the bottom of the
enclosure.
#elete the hexagonal holes and
extrude the plane up '.&''> to
form the top of the enclosure.
=ide the enclosure bottom and
orbit the camera to view the
bottom of the enclosure2s top.
1dd the outline of the inside wall
to the enclosure. This wall is
'.'4'> thick and has a corner
radius of '.'?4>.
Extrude the enclosure wall down
up in the camera viewD '.''>.
1dd the internal %C! supports.
These are '.4'> in diameter
and centered on the holes in the
%C!. #raw guides '.&?'> from
each interior edge wall to locate
the center of the %C! holes on
the lid of the enclosure. #raw acircle with a radius of '.&4 at
each of the four intersections
and extrude the circle down by
the %C! top clearance6 '."&>.
$rbit the view back to the top of
the enclosure to add the screw
head recesses to the top of the
top of the enclosure. These are
centered above the holes in the
%C!. #raw guides at '.'> from the outside edge. Center a circle '.4'> in diameter on these guides in each
corner then extrude the circle downward '.'4'>. The diameter of the head of the bolt is and
will fit inside the recess. The bolt head is slightly thicker than '.'4'> and will protrude very slightly from the top
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dd the outline o the inside !all to the bottom o the top o the enclosure.
Use the push5pull tool to e,trude the inside !all do!n 0.2004 to!ard the enclosure bottom.
#,trude the internal $+" supports do!n rom the top to!ard the $+".
of the enclosure.
1dd '.&4> diameter holes all
the way through the %C!
supports and enclosure top. This
is easier to do from the bottom.
#raw a '.&4> diameter circle in
the center of each %C! support.
Extrude the circle up to the
bottom of the recess in the top of
the enclosure to from a hole all
the way through the %C!
support and the top of enclosure.
0roup the enclosure top into its
own group so that it other
entities can be added to the
drawing without affecting the
geometry of the enclosure top.
The top is now complete except
for the enclosure cut outs which
we will add in a later step.
Unhide the bottom of the
enclosure and the %C! board.
1t this point6 verify that bolts are
available that will extend fromthe bottom of the recess in the
enclosure top to the bottom of
the enclosure. This distance is
'.''>. *t2s the height of the
enclosure '."4'> 3 '."''>D
minus the bolt head recess depth
'.'4'>D. '.''> is &4.-mm.
/"x&4mm bolts which are less
common than /"x&mm boltsD
can be used to hold the
enclosure together. *f you are
unable to obtain /"x&4mm
bolts6 ad
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dd 0.004 deep recesses or the heads o the 3 bolts.
#,trude bolt holes through the $+" supports and top o the enclosure. This is easiest to do rom the bottom o the $+" supports.
#nclosure top and bottom are complete e,cept or connector cut outs. 7eri( available bolt lengths !ill it (our enclosure.
ake +ut 8uts or +onnectors
(et2s start with the five %hoenix Contact connectors and the bottom of the enclosure. =ide the top of the
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ark the location o the cut outs or the connectors 0.0104 rom the edge o each connector.
Use the push5pull tool to lo!er the sides belo! the connectors.
enclosure but leave the enclosure bottom and %C! visible. * usually leave a clearance of '.''4> to '.'&'> around
each edge of connector depending on the precision of the printing@machining6 machine assembly vs hand
assembly6 etc. or "# printed plastic with a hand,assembled %C!6 *2m going to use a clearance of '.'&'> on each
edge to be on the safe side.
Use the measuring tape tool to put guide points on both the inside edges and outside edges of the enclosure
bottom. These guide points should be '.'&'> from the intersection of each connector with the top edge of the
enclosure bottom and along the enclosure edge. Bhen you2re done6 you2ll have ' of these guide points. Connect
each pair with lines perpendicular to the enclosure edges. )emember to make the lines inside the group with the
enclosure bottom. 1s tedious as this process is6 at least we can use the snap to intersection feature of SketchUp
versus using a calculator to calculate these points from the connector data sheet and %C! layout.
#raw a guide line on all sides
about '.'&' below the
connectors. * made my guide
line '.4> from the bottom
edge of the enclosure. Use the
push@pull tool to lower the side
walls to the guide lines
underneath each of the five
connectors.
(et2s move to the position6
'.&''> pitch6 single row header.
* want this cut out to be '.?''>
wide and centered on the
header. * also want the bottom ofthe cut out to be inline with the
bottom of the %hoenix Contact
connectors. * drew a guide up
'.4> from the bottom of the
enclosure then centered two
lines '.?''> apart on the top
edge of the enclosure bottom.
* then used the push@pull tool to
lower the side wall to the guide
line.
That completes the enclosure
bottom. Time to move to the
enclosure top. Use the unhide
command to unhide the
enclosure top. #ouble click into the enclosure top group and create guide lines at the edge of each lowered wall
on the enclosure bottom. Be2ll use these guides to transfer the dimensions and cut outs from the bottom of the
enclosure to the top of the enclosure. This is probably easiest done with the %C! hidden. Now create a guide line
'.&'> from the top of the enclosure on each side with a %hoenix Contact connector. This will be the height of
the cut outs for the %hoenix Contact connectors. $n the single row header side6 create a guide '.7' down from
the top of the enclosure.
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)uides used to lo!er the side !all around the header connector.
The guides or the cut outs in the enclosure top.
=ide the bottom of the enclosure
and orbit the camera to view the
top of the enclosure. Use the
guides to draw lines across the
enclosure edge for each cut out
then use the push@pull tool to
lower the side walls for eachconnector.
#elete the guides and unhide
the %C!. The enclosure design is
done.
Now would be a good time to use
the orbit tool to admire your
work @ check your work for
mistakes. Check clearances
around the board edges6 the top
of the board6 the bottom of the
board6 the connectors6 where the
enclosure top and enclosure
bottom meet6 etc.
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+omplete the top cut outs b( dra!ing lines across the edges and using the push5pull tool to lo!er each side !all.
The completed enclosure.
Designing a ounting "racket or the #nclosure
* designed a bracket for mounting the enclosure to a flat surface. The bracket has '.'&'> clearances to each edge
of the enclosure as well as '.'&'> clearance to the top and bottom surfaces of the enclosure. 1ll bracket walls are
'.&''> thick. 1cross the four legs on the bottom are #*N?-1 countersinks for /" screw heads.
The bracket works by bolting it
to a flat surface then snapping
the enclosure into the bracket.
The bracket design is a bit more
complicated than the enclosure
design but the techni+ues
outlined in this tutorial still
apply. The important parts to
remember are the clearances
and wall thicknesses. 1gain all
walls are '.&''> and the
clearance from any surface of the
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The mounting bracket or the enclosure.
The enclosure mounted in the mounting bracket.
bracket to any surface of the
enclosure is '.'&'>. The inside
corner radius is '.&4'> and the
outside corner radius is '.4>.
#,porting the ST
To "# print the model6 you will need an ST( file. To generate the ST( file6 you2ll need the Export ST( pluginfor
SketchUp. $nce the plugin is installed6 you2ll need to export the different pieces of the enclosure in separate
files. $pen the SketchUp file for the enclosure. Select the top half of the enclosure then select Export ST(F from
the ile menu.
/ake sure GExport Selected 0eometry $nlyH is checked6 export unit is G/odel Units6H and ile ormat is G1SC**.H
Click GExportH and save the exported ST( with a recogniIable filename and in a convenient location.
)epeat the above process except this time select only the bottom half of the enclosure. *f you designed a
mounting bracket or want to print the mounting bracket from the tutorial example files6 select the mounting
bracket and repeat the process a third time.
$nce the three files are exported6 move on to the next step to check the manufacturability of your design.
+hecking the ST or #rrors
Netfabb !asic is a free version of Netfabb. Netfabb is a tool for checking the manufacturability of ST( designsusing the "# additive printing processes. #ownload6 install6 and register the tool. $nce it2s setup6 launch the
tool.
or each ST( file to be printed6 repeat the following process8
Select %ro
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To run a design analysis6 select Extras ,J New 1nalysis ,J Standard 1nalysis. The analysis will run and a box in
the lower right hand corner of the screen will list some information about your design.
etabb "asic part anal(sis output or an ST ile that is read(
or manuacturing.
or your part to be manufacturable6 the number of shells needs to be e+ual to & assuming you only have one
part in the ST( fileD6 the surface must be closed6 and there should be no flipped triangles.
*f there2s a problem with your design6 you can let Netfabb !asic attempt to repair your ST( file automatically or
you can fix the design in SketchUp6 re,export the ST(6 and check the ST( file again.
0enerally speaking6 one of three things happens to make your design fail manufacturability checks8
)eversed faces. The back sides of the faces in SketchUp are drawn in a purplish color. 1ny exposed
purple face is a reversed face. To fix reversed faces in SketchUp6 select any faces that appear purplish and
select Edit ,J ace ,J )everse aces. The faces should appear grayish now.
&.
/issing external wall. /issing external walls can be found by orbiting the module and looking for holes
in the external surface. To fix a missing external walls6 use the line tool to draw a line from one existing
point to another existing point along the surface where the face should be. SketchUp will draw the
missing face as soon as the line is completed.
.
*nternal walls. *nternal walls are the most difficult problems to locate because they are internal to the
model and are completely hidden by the model2s exterior walls. They can be found using a combination
of the SketchUp Section %lane tool and by viewing the model using the K,ray style 5iew ,J ace Style ,J
K,rayD. 0enerally speaking6 you2re looking for any faces that are internal to the model. These faces need
to be deleted once they2re found.
".
or more details on repairing a model6 Shapeways has a great tutorialon using Netfabb !asic to repair a part2s
geometry.
8rdering the #nclosure $arts
$nce the parts are fixed6 it2s time to "# print them either using your own printer or using a service bureau. Since
* don2t own a "# printer yetD6 * have to use a service bureau to print my models. The two services that * have
used are Shapewaysand Sculpteo. They both print models out of %1'' nylon using a selective laser sintering
process S(SD on E$S ormiga %&&' printers. They both are relatively affordable and offer a variety of colors and
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3D printed enclosures designed using SketchUp
finishes for your designs. Sculpteo tends to be a little faster " days for basic whiteD than Shapeways up to &'
days for basic whiteD.
Sculpteo offers the option of printing in colored plastic without surface polishing. Bhen printing in color with
Shapeways6 the surfaces are always polished. %olishing can knock down fine edges on a model. or example6 the
small thin walls between the two %hoenix Contact connectors in this design run the risk of being broken during
the polishing process. 1lso the enclosure walls may be a bit thinner at the top than they are at the bottom after
polishing.
*2d recommend creating an account on both services6 uploading the ST( for the designs to both services6 then
experimenting with different materials and finishes on each to find the optimum combination of material6 color6
shipping times6 and cost.
!e sure the model units and dimensions on the printing service match the units and dimensions in SketchUpL
Uploading a file exported in inches and selecting millimeters at the service bureau can result in a much smaller
"# print than expectedL Sculpteo has an option to download a blueprint of the model with the dimensions called
out. * recommend taking advantage of this to verify the dimensions of your model before printing.
1t Shapeways6 *2ve successfully printed these models out of their Strong M lexible %lastic and their %olished
Strong M lexible %lastic materials. Bhen using the polished material6 you may need to submit designs with thin
@ small pieces with the H%rint it anywaysLH option. This will cause them to skip their manufacturability checks
and print your model regardless of any design rule violations.
1t Sculpteo6 *2ve successfully printed these models out of white plastic and colored plastic. * have not used the
polished plastic option.
The 9esults
*2m happy with the results of designing and printing this enclosure. !elow are some photographs of the
enclosure in both white and red plastic with the mounting bracket printed in black plastic.
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The enclosure printed in red polished plastic and black plastic at Shape!a(s.
The enclosure printed in red polished plastic and black plastic at Shape!a(s.
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Same t!o enclosures. :hite versus polished red $2200 n(lon.
9esources
These designs are part of the my led,pixels !eagle!one !lack pro