How To: 3D Print Customized Wall Mounts

Across the workplace, Nerf blasters are cherished and intently guarded. Impromptu skirmishes are a daily incidence and arms races are alive and properly. You’ll have the perfect blaster that Nerf has, however give it a pair months and Nerf has one thing even larger and badder than earlier than. On this battlefield, I should be on the able to strike again or strike first. With the assistance of some 3D modeling and 3D printing, I’ve mounted my blasters each above and hidden below my desk – it was very easy to design and assemble these mounts. Let’s put together for struggle and develop some mounts on your arsenal. This course of will work with any merchandise that you simply’d prefer to see displayed in your wall, or, you already know, hidden discreetly below your desk. 

Step 1: Determine the Goal – What Do You Need To Mount

On the whole, any “gun rack” or mount goes to be a fundamental hook sufficiently big to suit any blaster, which works, nevertheless it’s boring. To take advantage of safe match mount, particularly if you happen to’re mounting a blaster with 4 D batteries in it above your PC like I did, it’s essential make a customized becoming to intently maintain the contours of the blaster. One in every of our Product Affiliate’s, Matt, has a Sledgefire Nerf that didn’t have a mount, so I’m going to design one for his blaster.

Step 2: Reconnaissance – Determine the Finest Place for Your Mounts to Grip

It’s essential to work out the place could be the perfect place for the mounts to grip. Within the case of the Sledgefire, I do know that some individuals like to depart the inventory unattached (Matt), whereas others preserve it customary with the inventory put in (different Matt). Realizing that, I would like the mounts to grip in the identical place on each so it’s a normal mount. For earlier mounts I’ve used a set of calipers to measure and intently estimate how vast and the way lengthy the options of the blaster is. This works pretty properly, however I’ll admit there are in all probability higher methods to do it. You could possibly in all probability use a contour gauge, however I understand how to make use of my helpful calipers, in order that’s what I’m going to indicate you.

Step 3: Develop a Plan – Measure and Sketch Your Object

I figured the perfect place to hint for the mount is below the barrel and under the set off guard, so I took the required measurements and transferred them onto some notepads round a really exaggerated sketch so I had an thought of what the ultimate form ought to sort of appear like.

Step 4: Start Modelling – Match the Mount to Your Object

Below the barrel, it has a posh cross-section, so I’ll mannequin the holder into that form, however the grip of the blaster has a easy cross-section. I may make it a holder that’s completely sq., however the place’s the enjoyable in that? I took some extra measurements throughout the assorted edges of the blaster to get sufficient reference factors to form it in Solidworks.

Step 5: Take a look at Match and Iterate Your Design

For the primary iteration, I made it with none clearance so it matches the blaster as intently as it will possibly. As a substitute of printing your entire holder and discovering out it doesn’t match, I solely printed sufficient to see the place I must trim or develop contours. Every of those was sufficient to see that I may lengthen the grip only a tiny bit to extra securely lock into it, and the entrance wanted to be a bit wider to suit across the barrel and a bit shorter so it will possibly slide straight again and miss the fake bolts.

Step 6: Design for Ease of Meeting

After a pair extra iterations, taking materials away in some spots and including materials in others, I had a form that match fairly properly to each elements of the blaster. For the “arm” that extends out of the wall, I’ve a standardized form that up to now has match even the widest of blasters. To make it simpler to put in on the wall and never should drill across the arm, the thickness of this entire half is particularly designed so the pegs have simply the correct amount of clearance the place they are going to match tightly into the wall half and never want any glue to maintain it in place. Our PRO Collection Gentle Blue PLA is remarkably near the identical blue that Nerf used for the Sledgefire, and the Ultimaker Orange PLA is the brightest orange that matches fairly intently to the Nerf security orange shade. The opposite set was requested in PRO Collection Pearlescent PLA and PRO Collection Black PLA.

That’s all there’s to it! One in every of these was mounted instantly into the aspect of the desk for fast draw, and the opposite was mounted above the desk. You’ll be able to adapt this to make customized pegboard holders, TV stands, whiteboard marker holders, or the rest that should repair in opposition to the contours of an object.

I hope that this text was informative and has impressed you to create your individual Nerf wall mounts with the assistance of 3D printing. The numerous mounts that I’ve designed are actually within the MatterHackers’ Design Retailer, and I will likely be updating if I create extra fashions for the remainder of the workplace.

Is there one thing you’d prefer to see Alec create utilizing 3D printing? Tell us within the feedback under, or ship an electronic mail to assist@matterhackers.com.