Mac Pro cheese grater style Latte Panda Alpha case

Note: This is a “work in progress” and could change.

I wanted more ventilation for the lid of the case I'm making for the LattePanda Alpha, and I had recently seen the design for the (then) new Apple Mac Pro 2019, so I decided to try incorporating the two. I also wanted to learn more about 3D printing and 3D modeling.

Tip: To really get the Mac Pro cheese grater look, print the bottom layers (until the end of the honeycomb pattern) with black filament, and print the rest with a metallic silver.

Version History:

V1:

The design was not easy to print, and might need some tweaking to make it a little more friendly, but I was pleased with the initial result, despite all the stray blobs and burs.

The Apple design is much more tight and symmetrical than mine, but for a first attempt, I think it's not half bad.

I printed this with the "Make overhang printable" setting in Cura, which may or may not be necessary.

Note: The original lid is 2mm tall(thick), whereas this lid is 3mm. I plan on eventually editing the main part of the case to fit the taller lid. I'll post the link here when that's ready.

V2:

Update (June 30, 2019): I made a revised version of the lid, based on this helpful blog post.

I haven't printed the full version yet, but I have been experimenting with a smaller subdivision of a corner of the full model:

I've stopped using "make overhang printable", and instead use extremely thin supports touching the buildplate between the honeycomb grid pattern:

I have uploaded the revised lid (LPA_cheese_grater_lid_v2.stl), as well as the corner. The corner has been helpful for getting the proper print settings down without having to print the entire thing:

The revised lid is thicker, and the edges are rounded on the right and left sides. There is a 2mm thick section around the entire base of the lid that should fit into the cases that this is remixed from. I'm still playing around with the 3d model, trying to make it a little more rounded in certain places along the upper part of the outer edge.

The whole process has been a tremendous learning experience :)

Update (October 8, 2019): I've added .3mf file versions of the existing files, after learning (in this video) that they are considerably smaller than (often less than a third to half the size of) .stl files. I'd like to use .3mf files more often, and I figured this was a good way to start.

Print Settings

Printer Brand:

Creality

Printer: 

Ender 3 Pro

Rafts:

No

Supports: 

No

Resolution:

Adaptive (0.04mm-0.2mm)

Infill: 

I used 30%

Category: Electronics