GridLink 5012 Jigsaw Tiles for Flat Panels, Boxes, Doors - GLJ5012-025

The 50 x 12 size sits at the sweet spot of structure vs. cost, being thick enough for real work yet thin enough to get a lot out of a roll of filament. Additionally, some filaments (ABS in particular) are very good insulators. So printing these with cubic infill can be used to create very good insulating 3D printer side panels.

If you want to build custom functional panels, sliding-lid boxes, small chests of drawers, etc., and the jigsaw aesthetic works for you, this or one of its reinforced variations is probably the right choice.

Jigsaw connecting parts in this size are available with or without mounting holes, grooves and channels for reinforcing rod. The parts below are plain and smooth, which is less expensive to print and a good choice for many decorative or light duty uses. To review other options, see:

•    All GridLink Sizes, Options and Tools

•    GridLink Build (50 x 12mm) Variations 

The minimal tolerance is tight (depending on printer tuning). You may need a mallet to pound them together, which is a good thing. It creates the stability needed for many potential applications. If necessary, this helper tool can help get them apart. If too loose, try temporarily increasing filament flow rate by about 0.5 at a time until tight enough. If too tight, reduce it.
 

A QUICK TEST:

The simplest panel is just one of each 1x1 corner piece… This will make a 100mm (~4") square, and is a cheap and simple test run to check the fit of pieces as printed by your printer. It's a good idea to get something small fit together, before printing a larger set.

If parts are too loose, a quick temp fix is often to increase flow rate by 3 to 5%. If too tight, reduce it.
 

SUPPORTING YOUR FAVORITE DESIGNERS:

I would love to see what you make with this. Please post a photo of your creations as a “make” here. Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu!

BOM: (These are affiliate links. Using them helps support further development of my designs.)

• Filament:

  • PLA+: https://amzn.to/3QWX0nQ 

  • ABS: https://amzn.to/3X3hUVO 
     

• (optional):

  • Dead Blow Hammer: https://amzn.to/3R7addX 

  • Printable tile removal tools: https://www.printables.com/model/1323416 

  • Magigoo: https://amzn.to/43yrB2r 

  • Elmer's Giant Purple Glue Sticks: https://amzn.to/3ZmCe5P 

‘Likes’, ‘Follows’ and ‘Downloads’ all help to elevate goods designs, like any other social media. If you like a thing, please click ‘like’.

REVISIONS: 
   2025-08-17: Breaking Change: Revised models to allow better structure building. This broke compatibility with prior models. Message me here if you need access to the older parts.
   2025-07-09: Redid the CAD file for efficiency. In the process, produced all possible parts for core, edge and corners from 1x1 to 6x6. It's problematically too many for most users, so releasing a revised subset here up to 4x4 core parts and up to 2 wide edges and corners. Larger parts up to 6x6 will be released in a separate post called “GridLink-50 Jigsaw Large Parts”. 
   2025-06-28: Added tile removal tool links, minor edits to text.
   2025-06-05: Initial GL50 version, replacing GL48. Switching to 50mm base square solves many issues (particularly with regard to creating flexibility with Voron and Prusa XL panels). This builds on dozens of iterations of the deprecated 48mm design.