3D printed scalable audio cassette shelf

1. Introduction

This project consists of an audio cassette wall shelf that can be 3d printed and only requires standard screws to assemble. Also, it can be scaled horizontally and vertically for any amount of cassettes. It is one of my first 3d printed objects so the model is somewhat simple.

There is FreeCAD model which use an internal spreadsheet for some parameters like the number of cassettes per individual 3d element for customization.

Here is image of the final shelf in a 3 by 4 cassette configuration:

The model is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0ccbyncsa.

2. FreeCAD model

You can download the FreeCAD model (1369 kB) if you want to modify it.

The spreadsheet can be used to modify some parameters but be aware that not all elements are parameterized and ony some parameters will actually change the dimensions of the model.

Here is a list of the most important parameters:

3. Required materials

You need a 3D printer using regular material like PLA.

To construct the final shelf, you need M2x5 screws. You can use screws with a different diameter if you change some variables in the model's spreadsheat.

You can use as many rows as you want and for each row you need:

The left, mid, and right piece contain a small vertical layer of support which must be removed after printing.

4. Base elements

Left piece
cassette_shelf/left-piece-4cass.stl (106 kB)
Middle piece
cassette_shelf/mid-piece-4cass.stl (122 kB)
Right piece
cassette_shelf/right-piece-4cass.stl (106 kB)
Horizontal bar
Outer-to-Middle: cassette_shelf/horizontal-bar-outer2mid.stl (31 kB)
Middle-to-Middle: cassette_shelf/horizontal-bar-mid2mid.stl (31 kB)
Wall attachment segments cassette_shelf/mid-wall-attachment.stl (29 kB)

5. Assembly

I recommend the following assembly order:
  1. Vertically connect all left pieces by inserting a nut into the top socket. Also insert nuts into the back slots for the horizontal bars. The left piece only requires the top or bottom nut.
  2. Then tighten the elements with the screw by the side.
  3. Do the same the for right pieces and middle pieces. The right pieces also uses only one nut for the horizontal bars, while the middle piece uses both nuts.
  4. Now use the horizontal bars of the correct length to connect the left, middle, and right pieces. The bar for the outer2mid connection is slightly smaller than the bar between middle elements. The bars have two holes on each side. The outer hole connects to the actual pieces, while the inner hole is used to be attached to a wall. Keep in mind that the inner wall holes are slightly off center on purpose for additional plastic material to carry the weight. Also, the outer holes have additional space for the screw head.
  5. When finished, you can attach the complete shelf to the wall by using the holes in the horizontal bars.

If you want, you can print additional horizontal bars for the front for increased stability but this is not required.

You can also print additional wall attachment segments which connect to the upper socket, but this is optionally too, as the horizontal bars can carry the weigth too.

6. Recommended print settings

I recommend the following printing settings:
tags: 3dprinting2