This week’s selection is the very practical “The HIVE” Stackable Drawers by engineer Dan O’Connell of Philadelphia.
The HIVE is a stunning design that mixes creativity with practicality, all wrapped up in a ridiculously easy 3D printing project. It’s a very simple two-piece drawer system with a twist: it’s hexagonal in shape and includes tongue-in-groove so you can attach them to each other.
The system allows you to arrange them in different configurations very easily. So easily you can even consider changing the arrangement on a whim. At top top you can see a particular drawer setup, but many more are possible. You could, for example, arrange the drawers to “flow” around tabletop objects, or provide a platform for something else.
The design does not just provide configuration fun, as it is a very well thought out structure. It is extremely simple to 3D print it on any 3D printer, and requires no support material to do so, as long as you orient the parts on the print plate appropriately.
After printing you will quickly discover that the attachment grooves are perfectly sized to allow easy attachment, yet sufficiently firm grip. Sizing attachments of this type is often a challenge for designers, and O’Connell has done a great job on this model.
To prove this we 3D printed the drawers on several different 3D printers using different slicing programs – with different materials as well, and were easily able to attach them without incident.
Of course, we had to try arranging them in different ways, too. But you’ll have more fun when you have a lot more drawers to configure. Print more, they are very easy to make.
The design is available, along with others from O’Connell, on Thingiverse for free download.
Via Thingiverse
