Modular Shelf For Ender 3 S1/ S1 Pro

Motivation

I have an issue of keeping the sourrounding of my printer in order. The small drawer of my Creality Ender 3 S1 Pro could store almost all necessary items. However, this drawer is not considering the convenience factor. All the items have to be layed out in a strict mannor to be able to close it. People also created tray dividers for that sake. Also, opening and closing the drawer is quite difficult.

To make storing of various items such as tools, printed parts and consumables more convenient, I have considered adding a shelf on top of the printer.

Opportunities and Limitations

The opportunities above the printer are nearly limitless. It is relatively easy to design a shelf for this location. Also, it is by far more accessible and more intuitive to put things on top of something. 

However, it is best to not overload the shelf as this may cause higher amplitudes of the vibrations.

Design

The Trays

Seen from above, the trays have almost the same outline as the lamp of the Ender 3 S1 Pro. There is also a large bevel in the front to allow air flow arround the the led lamp. A bevel in the back considers the standard spool holder of this printer.  The mid front of this shelf shows the dragon head which is characteristic for all Ender 3 printers.

Remark: I used the Ender logo created by @Tuna for the mid part.

The shelf consists of three trays - one mid part and two side parts. These trays are connected by slotted pins (glueing these together is also possible)

The trays can be mounted to the upper horizontal bar of the printer using M5x8 pan head screws and T-nuts. The side trays have one hole and the center piece two holes for this purpose.

In case you don't have this stuff: The side trays also have slots for double-T shaped connectors. These will block the translation along the z- and y- axis. Additionally, hinges are implemented which prevent the translation along the x-Axis.

a) engaged hinge	b) double-T shaped connector

The connectors might require a little sanding and force to assemble. The assembly procedure is as follows:

1. Insert the connectors into the dedicated slots of the side trays
2. Insert the pins to the side trays from the inside (They should not yet stand out)
3. Add the prepared side trays to the horizontal bar of the printer by first aligning the connector to the slot of the bar and afterwards twisting the tray in the right position (see video below)
4. Engage the hinges
5. Add the middle tray and connect it to the side trays by pushing the pins through the pin holes. This step might be the most challenging one. Don't forget to add the locking cylinders.

a) Adding the side trays to the horizontal bar	b) Wobble action

The drawer lids

This entry here only contains the basic lids (with or without cutout). Further lids can be found in this list:

• WIP

These drawer lids can slide in and out along the y-axis of the printer. You should be able to use very little when sliding these in and out. However, the considered tolerance is quite small so that the lids won't wobble too much. 

a) Sliding in and locking	b) Unlocking and sliding out

The lids can be fixed in place by using the incorporated locks. A lock is cylindrical part with a knob at the bottom and barrier at the top. The barrier has the same profile as the guide for sliding the lids. Additionally the lock uses the elasticity of the material to lock into two (actually four) defined positions: locked and unlocked. A lock prints in two parts and can be stuck (optionally glued) together.  The locks have to be inserted while connecting the trays via the pins. It is best, if the knob handle and the barrier point in the same direction. 

a) Locking cylinder	b) Assembly of two trays

Requirements

• Filament (around 500 g)
• M5x8 screws (e.g. flat head or cylinder head)
• T-nuts (e.g. these here) 

Printing Advice

I printed the models on a Creality Ender S1 Pro using Venom Green rPLA-filament (FormFutura) and charcoal black PLA-filament (Polymaker PolyTerra). The slicer settings in the Cura Slicer were:

• Temperature: 210 °C (Nozzle), 60 °C (Printing Bed)
• Printing Speed: 80 - 100 mm/s, except for the first layer (15 - 20 mm/s)
• Layer height: 0.2 mm (or lower if you wish)
• Number of top and bottom layers: 3
• Number of contours: 3
• Infill: Lines, 20 %
• Supports: Yes, support blocker for the hinges

Remark: Remember to mirror the side parts to have one for the left and rigth side!