Completed Kibo K1 | 3D printable Case | customizable & expandable | 60h | 10L |

[Kiborato]

Spoiler: Old post

Old Title: KIBO K1 DIY Clean Minimal 3D Print Optimized Case

Alternate Title: Minimal Clean Look 3D Print optimized 10.7 L Case

Thanks for looking into my newbie post here!


K2 Concept with lighting and acrylic sidepanels

This will mainly be a DIY Project as for now​

The primary production process would be 3D Printing / CNC

I am planning this Project as a design series:

K1 Sandwich-SFF-Case ~10L​

K2 Sandwich-Showcase ~15L​

K3 Sandwich-Space-optimized <9L​

For the near future I plan on putting together "hardware kits"(Screws and acrylic panels) and STL-files

Introduction​

With the 3D printing community growing in size and Printers getting more affordable,
I have seen many Case Projects aiming for modularity and space efficiency.
What was missing for me were clean designs with clean Surfaces and full length GPU support.
I am not saying, that my design will be flawless.

I am aiming for the following design features:
- lightweightness (<1kg)
- modularity in the sense of mobility (hotswap modules, fan & filter modules)
- standardization of core elements for future modding


K2 Concept Fan-module

What „3D Print Optimized“ means:
- Support-structure used sparingly (edited)
- Printable with most FDM-Printers (minimum Printsurface: 200x200mm)

With my Goals set up, I went to the drawing board and started the design process.

​

K1 9.8​

The following are the features of my current K1 2. iteration, I am most proud of:

- Printable with most FDM-Printers (minimum Printsurface: 200x150mm)
- full size 2 Slot GPU (max 140x64x300mm)
- fits the most of the 240mm Radiators regardless of thickness (max width & length 124x282)

- Size: 145x315x215mm ~9.8L
- with these measurements it would fit perfectly into my Muji magazine organizer for a much cleaner look


List of materials:
- <1kg Filament
- 40 M3x6 + 40 M3x10 + 40 M3x20 countersunk screws
- optional acrylic sidepanels (2x 290x190x3mm) save 110g Filament per panel
Note: tempered glass is too expensive for a small volume Run, but u can find scratch resistent acrylic panels

I am open for constructive criticism and discussion

 

[Kiborato]

K1 Renderings:​

Next update: Cooling Strategies & Hardware Compatibility​

 

[Kiborato]

K1 Cooling​

The K-Series is designed foremost as a "Airflow Channel", where the Sandwich is suspended within.
With the need of more intricate cooling solutions in SFF-Builds, the following Layouts are meant as a cooling Guideline for the K-Series.
Naturally you can see this as an Upgrading-Path:

1. start low with Air cooling
2. buy an AIO
3. think about water-cooling your GPU
4. challenge urself to space-optimize your System

1. Air-cooling​

The simpler of the two options (excluding passive cooling)

Blue Cube: CPU-Cooler
Grey Slate: 2xFan

2. Water Cooling​

The "cooler" option

Blue Slate: Radiator
Grey Slate: 2xFan

3. Advanced Water Cooling​

For the more sophisticated SFF-enthusiasts under us
Custom-loop recommended!

Blue Slate: Radiator
Grey Slate: 2xFan


3x Radiators for 3090 & 5950X ? Who needs this?

K2 Mock-up​

​

​

used a 20cm Riser

Next Update: Hardware Compatibility (Friday)​

Spoiler

Spoiler: nearly everything will be compatible with K2

 

[Kiborato]

Hardware Compatibility (2. Iteration)​

K1 Desk-Footprint: 145mm x315mm

K1 is designed to be expandable in its height to fit any 240mm Radiator & Fan Combination regardless of its thickness.
Nevertheless the length x width of the Radiator should not exceed 283mm x 124mm.
If u are looking for 280mm support, I have an upcoming Project K2 that will support 280mm Radiators.

With the popularisation of the Sandwich layout of Pc components,
the general consensus is that you can move the middle plate of this Layout to cater to different needs in GPU/CPU-Clearance.
The Base Configuration of K1 will have an GPU Clearance of 50mm and CPU Clearance of 70mm.

GPU Clearance + CPU Clearance = 120mm
GPU Clearance = GPU PCB back to Sidepanel
CPU Clearance = max CPU Cooler height
the PSU placement limits the max GPU Clearance to 65mm and min CPU Clearance to 55mm inversely

Max GPU Length: 300mm (<303mm for the tight fit)
SFX & SFX L PSU!

Modularity​

K1 is designed to be expandable in the sense of upgradability.
In its Base Configuration the Main Module will have a height of 215mm, with two Fan-chambers of 15mm(bottom) & 25mm(top) height.

Starting off with a single Main Module, Expansion Modules attached on top and below the Main Module will allow you to accommodate more cooling components in the uniformity of the case.
Expansion Modules range from the thickness of 5mm to 50mm continuously in 5mm increments.
BUT as modules get bigger, the flexibility of possible rearrangements and the likelihood of re-use of the parts gets smaller. recommended max thickness: 25mm
The Expansion Modules are stackable, meaning you can attach them onto each other and leave flexibility for future upgrades, to reduce the case-volume.

Example:​

Top: NZXT Kraken X53 (30mm) + Stock-Fans (25mm) = 55mm
Bottom: NZXT Aer Fan = 25mm

Expansion Modules (20mm+10mm)
Main Module (215mm, 25mm top, 15mm bottom)
Expansion Module (10mm)

Future Version-Idea:​

K1 +1L:
- ATX PSU support
- 340mm GPU length support

anything else? write it down!

 

[Kiborato]

K1 Current Partlist (2. Iteration)​

Here is the part-list u will need for the present iteration:
Pricerange: cheapest / pro

• 1kg Filament of your choice (35% infill) 15€ 50€
• plastic glue 50ct 2€
• vandal switch 19mm 2€ 10€
• C13 to C14 90° extension cable 25/30 cm 2€ 15€
• Assortment of Countersunk-screws: 50 M3x20, 50 M3x10, 50 M3x6 5€ 10€
• Panhead-Screw: 4 M3x5 (for Motherboard)

optional:

• Countersunk-screws for 25mm Fan: 20 M3x30
• acrylic or polycarbonate panels: 2x 300x200x3mm 5€ 30€
• for magnetic panel mounting: 4€ 30€
  • 1.2m 1cm wide nickel or steel strip(sold for battery welding)
  • 1.2m 1cm wide double sided tape
  • 24 magnets(my choice of magnet size: d=6mm h=3mm)
• EZDIY-FAB Riser vertical mount (I love the RGB part) 40$/€

My shopping cart summary incl. shipping: ~50€

My current 3D-Printer: Ender 3 v2 200€
Estimated printing time: 15-120 hours (quality takes time!)

The pricetag I would put onto this Case fully assembled would be at least 120€, counting in print time and labor cost.
You can contact me privately if you are interested.

This is why I was thinking of only putting together hardware-kits at ~50€(+shipping),
containing screws, acrylic sidepanels, magnets and print of instructions.




K1 Prototype
For more renders like the post!

Next Update: K1 1. Prototype & Design Revision​

 

[Kiborato]

K1 1. Prototype​

Finally i finished the first prototyping stage.
I was met with a lot of compatibility issues along the journey, ranging from tolerance-problems, up to simply missing screw holes.
There are still some small twerks to be made, but from the functional standpoint, everything works!


The gray box below is supposed to be a fan module.


I still have to rotate the CPU water block to fit the bulky quick-connect-fitting from alphacool, so i can put the side panel on.

Print Details​

optimal print surface size 180mm x 200mm ; ~70 h


Material used (without side panels): ~ 700 g PLA ~ 16 €
Printer Settings:
- wall thickness: 1.2mm
- top/bottom thickness: 1mm
- infill: 35%
Printing time: 70 h * 300 W ~ 21 kWh * 28ct/kWh ~ 6€

Small Design Revision​

Compared to the render from the post before, you may find that the visible screws from the side are missing.
Reason is that those screw holes were too fragile to join the parts securely.
Instead, both top and bottom parts will be glued together.

So to speak the screws will only be visible on top, bottom and back of the case

​

Scrapyard:​

From the scrapped parts i could easily assemble another case, honestly I am too lazy to modify / process them to fit together.

Next Post: Materials & Finishes​

assembly timelapse in progress

 

[Kiborato]

Materials (boring post you can skip)​

In 3D Printing we have a huge variety of materials to choose from.
I don’t want to go through all the different types of filaments, because most of them are difficult or too expensive to work with.
The following filaments are my favorite 3D Printing filaments, I like them mostly for their ease of use and good print results.

PLA visual appeal	ASA the Allrounder	XPETG enables lightweight parts
+ highly cost-effective + high visual quality	+ flame retardant + weather proof and UV-resistant	+ good mechanical properties + good visual quality
- degrades over time (+3 years) - low temperatur resistance ~20€/kg ~240W	- power intensive printing ~35€/kg ~350W	- low impact resistance ~30€/kg ~260W

Carbon-filaments are known for their unparalleled mechanical properties and unique visual appeal,
but also for their extortionately high pricetag and abresive behavior towards the printers components.
~70€/kg ~350W

Visual effects​

Filaments come with three different visual effects:

Matte	Glittery	Glossy
modern look! + hides small defects	crystalline look most metallic filaments have glitter	+ metallic glare can be polished to mirror effect

Finishes​

For finishes there are mainly two methods:

paintin/spraying/lacquering	sanding/polishing
There are satin, matte and glossy spray coatings for more customisation of the surface. Spray paints offer a much larger variety of colours and effects compared to filaments. And paint jobs are pretty easy to do.	Every 3D Printed surface needs at least one sanding to get that homogeneous look. For a more matte satin look, the surface should be sanded up to a 600 grit sandpaper. To get the mirror effect out of your parts, you need time and effort to get through at least 3 polishing steps. Polished glossy glitter filament looks awesome, like starnight.

 

[Alur]

Materials (boring post you can skip)​

In 3D Printing we have a huge variety of materials to choose from.
I don’t want to go through all the different types of filaments, because most of them are difficult or too expensive to work with.
The following filaments are my favorite 3D Printing filaments, I like them mostly for their ease of use and good print results.

PLA visual appeal	ASA the Allrounder	XPETG enables lightweight parts
+ highly cost-effective + high visual quality	+ flame retardant + weather proof and UV-resistant	+ good mechanical properties + good visual quality
- degrades over time (+3 years) - low temperatur resistance ~20€/kg ~240W	- power intensive printing ~35€/kg ~350W	- low impact resistance ~30€/kg ~260W

Carbon-filaments are known for their unparalleled mechanical properties and unique visual appeal,
but also for their extortionately high pricetag and abresive behavior towards the printers components.
~70€/kg ~350W

Visual effects​

Filaments come with three different visual effects:

Matte	Glittery	Glossy
modern look! + hides small defects	crystalline look most metallic filaments have glitter	+ metallic glare can be polished to mirror effect

Finishes​

For finishes there are mainly two methods:

paintin/spraying/lacquering	sanding/polishing
There are satin, matte and glossy spray coatings for more customisation of the surface. Spray paints offer a much larger variety of colours and effects compared to filaments. And paint jobs are pretty easy to do.	Every 3D Printed surface needs at least one sanding to get that homogeneous look. For a more matte satin look, the surface should be sanded up to a 600 grit sandpaper. To get the mirror effect out of your parts, you need time and effort to get through at least 3 polishing steps. Polished glossy glitter filament looks awesome, like starnight.

ASA matte by far tbh.

 

[BaK]

Late to the show, but subbed anyway!
Very nice project!

Materials (boring post you can skip)​

Not at all boring, rather very informative, thanks for sharing!

850g Filament of your choice (30% infill)

I wouldn't have thought 30% infill would have been enough.
But the prototype looks very sturdy, can you confirm?

 

[Kiborato]

I wouldn't have thought 30% infill would have been enough.
But the prototype looks very sturdy, can you confirm?

I can confirm that the parts are sturdy enough for transportation in a backpack
I edited the printer settings into the 6# Prototype post

Material used (without side panels): ~ 700 g PLA ~ 16 €
Printer Settings:
- wall thickness: 1.2mm
- top/bottom thickness: 1mm
- infill: 35%

 

[Kiborato]

K1 Renderings: (second iteration)​

Honestly I find the trend of everything gray/black a bit boring, so I added some wood and white into the design:

The Scandinavian look!​

For those who want more normal feets, here you go!
The difference between column two and three lies in the outwards angled foots in column two, for a more dynamic look!

More Renders:​

While printing, the rounded edges were very difficult to get right, so I deleted them.

 

[Kiborato]

Patterns for meshes​

I have been busy recently with UNI stuff, so I am a bit short on time for this sideproject of mine.
So as not to put this project on a complete hiatus, I will post a small collection of patterns every now and then.

The pattern-samples will have the size of 6x6 cm square with 5 mm top & bottom bezels.
The 6x6 cm squares will be scalable to the full size of the K1 Sidepanels.

Pattern collection „Triangles“:​

different column widths: 15mm 10mm 6mm 4mm (from left to right)

Pattern collection "Hexagons"​

different gaps between hexagon focal points: 10mm 6mm 4mm (from left to right)

Pattern collection "Circles"​

different gaps between circle centers: 10mm 6mm 4mm (from left to right)

Pattern collection "Fins"​

different gaps between fins: 4mm 3mm 2.5mm (from left to right)

If you have some patterns u would like to see, post a reply and I will look into it, if it is feasible and printable.

I have set up a poll at the top of the post, would be nice if u leave an answer up there!

 

[eedev]

I love the 4mm and like the 6mm pattern!

 

[CC Ricers]

Those are some great designs. Being the owner of a Ender 3 (version 1) I am naturally more into printing the parts myself.

I'm a fan of the triangles and hexagon patterns the most. 6mm is my choice but that's because I think 4mm is not worth the extra print time. I also look at using a hybrid of materials (printed and non-printed) for the best of both worlds.

 

[Kiborato]

K1 2. Prototype​

After some long thoughts on my exam season this semester, I am planning to release posts in the following order

30.7.21 Update of previous posts (1.2. Iteration)
31.7.21 Release of Part Files of K1 2. Iteration
Cults3d
The current version requires you to use the vertical riser mount from EZDIY.
I am working on a 3D printable Riser mount supporting 90 180 & 360 degree angled risers.
Sidepanels Files will be added shortly after.

14.8.21 Post for Second Prototyping phase
will be delayed, had to trouble shoot the printer multiple times
aiming for Wednesday the 18th
21.8.21 Post for Assembly Guide & Video
11.9.21 Post for Second prototyping phase


For the best experience I recommend you to wait until the release of the assembly video on 21.8.2021.

If you want free Case Files, I will advise you to have a look on thingiverse & co.

Random Renders K1 2. Iteration​

I reinforced the thickness of the internal parts from 6mm to 9mm, to cope better with mechanical loads.


Mesh Pattern used here: Fins with 2.5mm gaps

 

[htko89]

How thick is the motherboard tray? I'm really liking this build - lots of nice design ideas in here, from the legs to the square vent holes. Very innovative!

 

[htko89]

Speaking of which, how about the walls of this case? Wondering if there will be warping / flex if it's too thin. Like the walls next to the radiator / fans for example

 

[Kiborato]

Speaking of which, how about the walls of this case? Wondering if there will be warping / flex if it's too thin. Like the walls next to the radiator / fans for example

Good point with the warping / flex:

• to counter warping under “warm“ temperatures i recommend wall-thickness of 1.2mm or higher
• the parts near thermal heatpoints like radiators or motherboard have at least 6 mm Part-thickness
  • so warping will be rather unlikely
• as for material recommendations:
  • ASA has a high thermal stability until 90 C, guarantees a prolonged use of the case-parts
    • expected lifespan +8 years
    • on the note of ease of Print: it sucks!
  • PLA suffices in terms of thermal stability as Radiators mostly don’t reach temperatures higher than 60 C
    • on the note of Filament-quality, pls mind the cheaper ones and go for suppliers that offer datasheets of material properties, where thermal resistance is higher than 45C
    • expected lifespan +5 years (without constant UV stress; e.g. Sun)
  • PLA will warp after extensive Hardware usage, resulting in warped parts
    • negative case pressure recommended
    • use at your own discretion
    • expected lifespan +2 months

 

[Kiborato]

K1 Assembly Animation​

Sorry for the lack of updates.
My printer just doesn't want to print ASA smoothly.
IRL is also pretty busy, so no time for passion-projects.
The second prototype is in works and will be finished next week.

​

A quick preview of the assembly process:​

Would be nice to leave a like, this took way too long to sequence/animate!

 

[GuilleAcoustic]

What a nice project. Please allow me to hide in a corner and stalk for the next updates