ZEN Case - A tubular ITX-focused case

ZEN Case

A slick and sturdy tubular open air case. Designed for ITX, with some ATX support.

Before we begin…

This model is provided for free. I don't like paywalls, and neither do you.
However, a lot of work and time has gone into designing and testing. So if you'd like to offer a donation, I would really appreciate it. 💖

You can make a donation by clicking here, thank you!

An overview

Open air cases are cool, pun intended. So what's even cooler? 3D printing your own, of course.
It's inspired by existing cases, and improved upon them.

The ZEN Case can support GPUs up to 330mm and at least 2 3.5" drives and 3 2.5" drives.

Power power supplies and motherboards, there are 3 main combinations:
Either an ATX PSU w/ an ITX motherboard or an SFX PSU w/ an ATX motherboard. However, the case is designed with the former setup in mind, and there is a PSU support specifically for ATX PSUs built into it. Additionally, only 4 screws are available for mounting any size of motherboard. If you decide to go with an ATX motherboard you will most probably need to hotrod your parts, but that's cool in my book and that's exactly why this case supports it.
And yes, of course you can also use an SFX PSU w/ an ITX motherboard. 😉

All I/O is connected through the bottom. The internal connections can be routed through and around the case. There's extra space behind the GPU and motherboard, with 2 sneaky cable management ports.

There are 2 types of brackets provided, using which you can mount any type of component you want. They can hold 2.5"/3.5" drives, radiators, fans and similar parts. They are also required for mounting the PSU.

The case is designed with smaller printers (220x220) in mind, and needs no supports whatsoever when printing. All main items are numbered, for easier assembly.

Requirements

• 1.5kg of PETG
• A printer with a printable area of at least 220x220
• M3 L30mm screws 
  • At least 8 for the top and bottom panels and 2 for each bracket
• M3 L10mm screws
  • At least 4 for mounting the motherboard and 4 more for each 2.5" drive
• M3 L12mm screws, about 50 total
• M3 Threaded Inserts and an accompanying soldering iron.
  •  4.6mm x 5.7mm, about 50 total for the main build and 2 for each bracket.
• 6-32 L12mm screws (4 or 3 for mounting the PSU and 4 more for each 3.5" drive)
• 50cm aluminum or plastic tubes with 20mm diameter
  • 4 tubes total
  • The tubes need to have 4mm (at least) pass-through (both sides of the tube) holes, 405mm apart. I recommend making one hole 50mm off one edge of each tube, and placing the other hole 405mm off of the first hole.
  • You can get pre-drilled aluminum tubes or use plastic ones and make the holes using a soldering iron with old soldering tip if you want to avoid drilling. I sourced mine from a local online store with instructions on how to cut them.
  • A sample STL is provided for confirming the sizing of the tubes and their drilling points.
• A 16mm momentary push button with attached 2-pin cable, to act as the power button.
• A 180° PCI-E extension cable of at least 25cm. 30cm is recommended.
  • Here's the one I used, looks like this.
  • To ensure compatibility, I recommend using one with similar mounting points. However, the PCI-E riser holder of this design has support for different riser types.
• (Optional) Plastic M3 washers.

Instructions

1. Print with 20% Gyroid pattern, 5 walls and at least 4 horizontal layers. Don't use supports. I recommend using skirt when possible, and inner brim with 2mm spacing on the parts where it's not possible.
    
2. Threaded Inserts:
   1. On part #1, add threaded inserts on all holes except for the ones where part #2 is mounted (the bottom ones).
   2. On part #2, add threaded inserts on the bottom holes (where it's mounted to part #1) and on the big flat area (where the PCI-E riser is mounted.
   3. On part #4, add threaded inserts on the tall columns, where part #3 is mounted.
   4. On part #5, add threaded inserts on the tall columns where part #4 is mounted.
   5. On part #6, add threaded inserts on all holes.
   6. On parts #1 and 5# the tube mounts only need threaded inserts in the inner holes. It's a bit tricky to get it in there, so only pushed it 70% of the way in using the soldering iron and then used a 30mm screw guided through the outer hole as a helper to push it the rest of the way. These are by far the most difficult ones to add.
   7. On the brackets (and power bracket) only add threaded inserts in the inner holes (so that the screws can be added from the outside of the case).
   8. On the PCI-E riser holder, add threaded inserts on the 2 tall columns where the riser is mounted.
   9. On parts #3 and the PCI-E shroud holder, don't add any threaded inserts.
      
       
3. Assembly:
   
   
   1. Screw part 2 onto 1 using M3 12mm screws.
       
   2. Mount the tubes on part 1 using M3 30mm screws.
      1. Make sure the holes you are mounting have the same height on every tube
      2. If the SATA cables don't fit, use some washers to raise the drives.
          
   3. Mount your SSDs on part 3 and your HDDs on part 4 using either M3 10mm or 6-32 12mm screws, depending on what your drives support.
      1. If the SATA cables don't fit, use some washers to raise the drives.
          
   4. Screw part 3 unto part 4 using M3 12mm screws.
      1. Keeping the “3” and “4” numbers in the same orientation is recommended.
      2. If you need to rotate your hard drives, you can flip part 4, so that the “3” and “4” label are in opposite orientations. It is not recommended, but it is supported.
          
   5. Screw part 4 (combined with part 3) unto part 5 using M3 12mm screws.
      1. Make sure the “3” and “5” numbers on the parts are in the same orientation.
          
   6. Screw part 6 unto part 2 using M3 12mm screws.
      1. If you decide to use any brackets of type B, you will have to add them now. You need to secure them with M3 30mm screws.
          
   7. Mount the combined parts 3-4-5 on the top of part 6.
      1. Start by sliding part 3-4-5 into the tubes from the top until they mount on top of part 6.
      2. Screw the tubes unto part 5 using M3 30mm screws.
      3. Screw the combined parts 3-4-5 unto 6 using M3 12mm screws.
          
   8. Add any brackets of type A you want and secure them with M3 30mm screws.
       
   9. Mount the PSU using the brackets, with 6-32 12mm screws.
      1. (Optional) Route the PSU cable through the GPU mount hole and place in the circular socket.
          
   10. Pre-wire the system together to prepare the components for mounting. Find the optimal cable paths for your system and make sure everything PC part has a clear way for connecting. The following steps are the final mounting of the main components, so make sure everything is in order.
        
   11. Mount the motherboard on part 2, using M3 10mm screws.
        
   12. Mount the GPU
       1. Mount the PCI-E riser holder using M3 12mm screws. The arrow should be pointing towards the top of the case. Don't mount the actual PCI-E riser yet.
       2. Place the GPU in the PCI slots closest to part #2.
       3. Mount the GPU using the bottom holes with M3 10mm screws. Keep in mind you might need M3 3mm screws for these holes though.
       4. Mount the PCI-E shroud holder using M3 10mm screws. The shorter side goes towards the GPU, leaving enough space for the PSU cable.
       5. Mount the PCI-E riser on the GPU and then screw it into the PCI-E holder using M3 12mm screws.
           
   13. Optional Steps
       1. You can add a push button mount. I recommend the non-threaded version, for easier printing. Consider using some hot glue with it.
       2. You can print a bracket shelf which can be mounted on both sides of either bracket type.
       3. You can print tube caps (which also act as feet), 2 for each tube. There are 2 available sizes, so if some of the tubes end up shorter than the others you can use a larger cap to balance the case.

Thank you for checking my design out. Please consider leaving a donation here if you liked the result, thank you!