How to 3D Print Shelves
Imagine not having space in your room to keep your stuff, and you decide to buy or build some shelves. Suddenly, you will have much more space to arrange your things in your room. Shelves are one of the easiest ways to create storage solutions, especially when there are spatial constraints to create dedicated storage rooms or cupboards. Shelves also add to the storage capacity of existing storage solutions.
Shelves have been around for a long time, and clear evidence of shelves in ancient Egyptian and Greek architecture has been unearthed. They have evolved over the centuries. Ancient civilizations used wooden or stone platforms to keep things off the ground or to display pottery or other handicraft articles. The medieval ages saw the construction of wooden shelves with ornate patterns, which were made to display valuable items in affluent households.
Bookshelves and built-in shelves in homes and libraries were contributions of innovation in the 18th and 19th Centuries. The Industrial Revolution helped mass produce standardized shelf designs and bring them to a wider group of customers. The 20th Century brought new materials, modular designs, and more practical storage solutions for homes and businesses.
Contemporary shelf designs focus more on practicality, specificity, and aesthetics. Technologies like 3D Printing, CNC machining, and CAM help manufacture shelves more easily and faster. Let’s look at how 3D printing can be used to manufacture a shelf.
How to 3D Print a Shelf?
1. Measurements
The most obvious step in 3D printing a shelf is measuring the dimensions that will help you design the shelf better. You should make sure that you have the following measurements:
-Available space: How big or small you need to design your shelf depends on space availability. You will have to measure the height, depth, and width of the prospective location for your shelf. While measuring available space, you must make sure that you consider obstacles like electrical outlets, switches, or other architectural features.
-Height of each level: Up next, you have to finalize the vertical distance between the different shelf levels. This distance should be slightly larger than the height of the tallest object you plan to store on your shelf. This will help you retrieve and store objects easily.
-Shelf width: You need to ensure that the particular items can be placed so that you can comfortably store and retrieve them. There should also be ample spacing between the stored objects so that you don’t have to struggle while trying to retrieve them.
-Depth of the shelf: Depending on the thickness of the objects you intend to store, you would have to determine the depth of the shelf. For example, a bookshelf must not be as deep as a shelf designed to keep vases or barrels.
-Clearance from floor or ceiling: The purpose of a shelf is to create more storage solutions. If the clearance from the floor or ceiling is not considered, you might lose valuable storage space above or below the shelf. Make sure to leave as much space as possible so that you have enough usable space above the shelf or below it.
-Support placement: Especially in cases wherein your shelf is attached to the wall, you have to place support structures in the right places to distribute the structure's weight evenly without falling. To get this right, you must fix them in the right places.
2. 3D Modeling
Once you have all the data to start designing your shelf project, you can start modeling the shelf using a 3D design tool. To begin with, you have to carry out the conceptualization and planning to have a clear idea of your shelf's purpose and features. Up next, you can start gathering references on which to base your designs. Heaving a reference will help you improve your creativity; you can refer to images or blueprints of shelf models that match your requirements.
You can select a 3D modeling software based on your requirements and skill level to work on your design. There are many tools available that you can use but we recommend using SelfCAD. SelfCAD is one of the easiest 3D modeling software that you can use to create both simple and complex designs of your shelves and even prepare them for 3D printing.
There are various methods that you can use to start designing your shelves in SelfCAD. You can use basic solid shapes; then, you must block out your shelf's required shape and establish the general dimensions and proportions. Then, you can refine the shape and add details to it; this is when you add design elements like curves or bevels. Get to know how to work with basic 3D shapes of SelfCAD in the video below.
You can also use the freehand sketching and drawing tools to create your shelves from scratch and then turn the sketches and drawings into 3D models. Additionally, you can also import reference images of your designs and use it as a reference to create your design. Get to know how to work with references images in the video below.
After creating your designs, you can then apply UV mapping and textures to enhance the appearance. SelfCAD comes with a powerful 3D rendering software that you can use to render your designs. After creating your designs and you would like to 3D print, you can use the in-built online slicer that you can use to slice your designs and generate the 3D printer Gcode to send to your 3D printer. Learn how the slicer of SelfCAD works in the video below.
SelfCAD is also affordable and it comes with many resources to help you learn how the program works and 3D modeling in general. Some of those resources include SelfCAD academy, 3D modeling tutorials for beginners, as well as 3D modeling 101 series.
3. Using STL Files
This is an alternative option to the previous step. If you do not have the necessary skills to create what you want or if you find a design online that you feel is a better fit, you can download the printable STL files and either print them directly, or you can make modifications to the design and then prepare your file for 3D Printing. Get to know how to modify STL files in SelfCAD in the video below.
You can also apply colors, as shown below.
You can download STL files from websites like Thingiverse, Cults3D, Myminifactory, and many others.
4. Choosing the Right Material for 3D Printing
This choice depends on multiple factors, namely the intended use, the desired appearance, and the capabilities of your printer. Here are some materials you can choose and what you can expect.
-PLA: PLA is an environmentally friendly material derived from plant fibers. It is easy to print as it has a low melting point and does not emit obnoxious fumes. Shelves made with PLA would not be the best suited for holding heavy objects. You could 3D print a PLA shelf to keep your books, figurines, or other light objects.
-ABS: Unlike PLA, ABS is a synthetic polymer that is much stronger than PLA. ABS is capable of holding more weight and has better stiffness. However, ABS is not very easy to handle. This is because ABS is prone to warping if the base layer does not adhere properly, leading to structural weakness of your shelf. ABS also releases obnoxious fumes. Although ABS is strong, it is not easy to handle and is prone to warping.
-PETG: PETG combines some of the best features of ABS and PLA. It is easier to work with, has good strength, is transparent, and has good chemical resistance. So, besides being suitable for building a load-bearing shelf, you can build shelves to store chemicals.
-Polycarbonate: Polycarbonate is the ideal choice if you are looking for a strong and impact-resistant shelf with the additional advantage of temperature resistance. You can expose your polycarbonate shelf to high temperatures; it will not melt or deform. For the same reason, you will require a high-performance 3D printer with a heated bed and a heated chamber to ensure the polycarbonate reaches its melting point and gets extruded properly.
-Wood PLA: This is PLA with wood infused so as to give your printed objects a nice wooden appearance. This version of PLA melts at a higher temperature, is abrasive, and can damage your printer nozzle. It is weaker than normal PLA, and there is also a risk of burning. But if you are looking for a nice wooden finish and appearance, Wood PLA is a great option.
5. 3D Printing the Shelf and Assembling the Components
The first step is to slice your model into easily printable components. Also, make sure you add holes or slots for screws or other components to help assemble the shelf. Simultaneously, you could also calibrate your printer and ensure the bed is leveled and the heating units are working properly. You can then change your print specifications, such as infill percentage, based on the choice of filament to give your printed component maximum strength. You can add support structures if necessary.
You must closely monitor the process to prevent errors and to ensure smooth printing. Once all the components have been printed, you can remove any support structures, sand off rough edges and carry out other post-processing steps. Once all components are ready, you can assemble them.
3D Printing Shelves: Bringing Innovation to Interior Design
You don’t need carpentry skills to make a shelf to store your stuff, and neither do you have to make expensive trips to IKEA. As long as you have a 3D printer, some creativity, or a nice STL file for a shelf model that meets all your requirements, you can print a shelf. Before you start, you will have to measure the available space and tweak your design to fit in the available space and to be able to accommodate the things you plan to store in them. Once you have the design finalized, you can choose a material that fits your requirements for strength or resistance to temperature or chemicals.
Enjoy powerful modeling, rendering, and 3D printing tools without the steep learning curve.
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