Production Lazer3D LZ7 - Quiet Gaming Cube PC Case

[K888D]

Looks great! Where did you get upright audio jacks with an isolated switch from? I had a similar design for my Front I/O as well but abandoned it due to not finding any.

I'm not sure what you mean by upright Audio jack with isolated switch?

The PCB is available on the Corsair website as a spare for their 240 case. It includes Audio/Mic, USB 3.0, power button, reset button and power/hdd LEDs. It also only costs £6 plus delivery as a bonus.

 

[iFreilicht]

Oh, I forgot that. I thought you'd be making your own PCB.

 

[Hahutzy]

I never understood either, as there seem to be more pros than cons for the connector at the end of the card instead of the side.

It probably became standard practice since AIB cards were violating height restrictions anyway with heat pipes sticking out everywhere. At least this way they keep one side clean.

 

[K888D]

Oh, I forgot that. I thought you'd be making your own PCB.

I wish I knew how to design PCB's, I'll leave that part to more intelligent people and focus on 3D design instead!

On a related note, the first IO cover prototype is complete, I should be able to post a photo of it assembled to the PCB later:

I've also been working through an updated cost based around the latest design, at the moment the design is slightly exceeding the £100 target initially set, however I have been working on reducing this cost back under the target and will be showing the updated design hopefully before the end of this week.

The Acrylic panels are roughly 30% of the cost, and the 3D printed parts are around 40% of the total cost. The 3D printed parts are a set cost whether I produce 1 case or 100 cases, so a smarter use of this process is required to bring down the case price. The Acrylic panels do reduce in cost with increased volume, however not by a massive amount due to the fixed amount of machine time.

I’ve done some investigating into laser cutting and the cost of producing a panel is made up roughly by 40% material and 60% production (depending on complexity of the design). The shorter the distance you have to cut the cheaper the production cost, also it takes longer to cut 2x 10mm lines than 1x 20mm line, straight lines also cut faster than curved lines, so basically simpler designs are cheaper meaning fancy vent patterns will put the price up. 3mm panels are around 30% - 50% cheaper than 5mm, but from my previous prototypes 5mm is substantially more robust than 3mm, but an upside of 3mm panels is a smaller case.

Based on the above I am working on amending the design to reduce the cost without compromising the aesthetics. To do this I will be reducing the amount of 3D printing and using a combination of 3mm and 5mm panels.

I am also investigating the option of purchasing a laser cutter and doing the manufacturing myself, but in order to make this a financially viable option the production volume will need to exceed around 50 cases, so there will be some work required in drumming up interest (If anybody is interested in helping me out please get in touch!). A big positive for going this route would be increased flexibility of material and colour options, surface finishes, laser etching and also small customisation options. For example – you want the side panel to fit a different size fan? You want your name/logo laser etched into the front panel? Different type of vent pattern? No problem, a couple of minutes to tweak the panel and its ready to cut. These kind of options wouldn't be possible through a laser cutting company, the case would probably be limited to 1 design and maybe 1 colour per production run of 20.

In other news, I'm also closing in on a brand and product name which have been sketched out, just need to find the time to do it properly!

If you have any comments or suggestions please let me know.

 

[K888D]

Here is the 3D printed cover assembled onto the PCB:

The PCB clips on firmly and the power/reset buttons work great with a very nice positive clicking action, a half mm adjustment is required to the USB and audio ports for better alignment with the openings.

The only thing that doesn't really work is that the LED's dont shine through/light up the plastic, I am very suprised as the material was thinned out to 0.6mm in those areas and the LED's are bright! The plastic completely blocks the light. I will just have to work out another way to let the light through such as small holes.

 

[iFreilicht]

To reduce cost of the 3D printed parts, try to put multiples of the panel together by connecting them with small pegs. Not sure how this technique is called, but on i.materialise you can make multiples of a part for the cost of one sometimes. I think this also relates to setup cost because the printer only has to be started and cleared out once for multiple parts instead of once for every single one.

The printed I/O panel doesn't look very nice in real life, though. It's so obviously printed, the edges are rough. But it'S nice to see that it works functionally. Did you test how well the LEDs shine through yet?

 

[K888D]

To reduce cost of the 3D printed parts, try to put multiples of the panel together by connecting them with small pegs. Not sure how this technique is called, but on i.materialise you can make multiples of a part for the cost of one sometimes. I think this also relates to setup cost because the printer only has to be started and cleared out once for multiple parts instead of once for every single one.

The printed I/O panel doesn't look very nice in real life, though. It's so obviously printed, the edges are rough. But it'S nice to see that it works functionally. Did you test how well the LEDs shine through yet?

The lights don't shine through the plastic at all even when its thinned out, so I'm going to look at other methods such as small hole patterns.

Yes the photos of the 3D printed part do look quite rough, for some reason photos always make 3D prints look worse than what they actually are when its physically in front of you. The print doesn't look too bad when you see it, but I get what your saying from the photos.

Something else to bear in mind that the 3D print in the photos above was made on an FDM machine which do not have a very good resolution compared to some other prototyping methods such as SLS. FDM parts are made with actual plastics (in this case ABS) for the purpose of mimmicking injection moulded parts, the plastic is melted and printed in beads, hence why you can see the layers and zig zag tool paths, etc. SLS parts are laser sintered which allow for much greater resolution and thinner layers therefore resulting in greater detail and a more uniform finish, they also have a slight rough/grainy finish to them.

For this case I will be using Shapeways to print the parts which use SLS type 3D printing which will result in better looking parts.

With regards to cost, are you referring to nesting? You can upload STL files with multiple parts within the same build, I have tried absolutely tonnes of different combinations and layouts/stacking, etc to try and bring this cost down. The Shapeways algorythm is very smart and no matter how I lay the parts out the cost always works out exactly the same per piece, i.e. it costs exactly 5 times more to print 5 components stacked on top of each other as it does to print just 1 on its own. Shapeways break the cost down into material volume and machine volume, so hollow parts will cost more as you can't place other objects inside them. Shapeways will fill the build envelope with many customer parts, they probably have some kind of automated stacking software and just print a giant cube of parts.

 

[jeshikat]

they probably have some kind of automated stacking software and just print a giant cube of parts.

That's exactly what they do.

 

[jeshikat]

Ah, it's actually a combination of automated software and hand tweaking:

 

[iFreilicht]

With regards to cost, are you referring to nesting? You can upload STL files with multiple parts within the same build, I have tried absolutely tonnes of different combinations and layouts/stacking, etc to try and bring this cost down.

That's exactly what I was talking about. I know that it works for i.materialise (who can also print SLS if I'm not mistaken). The best I've got was a single part for 10,00€ and a 2x6 combination of that same part for 12,50€. I guess their algorithm isn't as smart as shapeway's.

 

[K888D]

That's exactly what I was talking about. I know that it works for i.materialise (who can also print SLS if I'm not mistaken). The best I've got was a single part for 10,00€ and a 2x6 combination of that same part for 12,50€. I guess their algorithm isn't as smart as shapeway's.

I looked into these guys, their costings are calculated very different to Shapeways.

The starting price was much higher for the same part whether big or small, but if you ordered multiple parts the per piece price reduced.

For small parts they usually came in cheaper but larger parts still stayed a higher price than Shapeways even in large quantities, so overall Shapeways is better value. But I havent tried nesting parts into the same file, I will give that a shot and see if it comes down further.

On a related note I've ordered some test prototype parts from Shapeways in different colours and surface finishes. They offer a polishing service for around £0.50 per part. I'll take some comparison photos once I've received them hopefully next week.

 

[K888D]

Here is a render of the updated design, the colour scheme is questionable but it shows the potential for colour combinations:

A rear view all in black, as you can see the USB/Power ports have been integrated into the front corner component to save 3D printing cost, the intake fan has also been increased back up to a 140mm x 15mm compatibility (also compatible with 120mm fans):

And here is a bit of a tongue in cheek render showing what the case would look like stood up sideways, if feet were screwed into the side panel it would allow the GPU to breath:

Next step is to design some screw on feet!

The latest design measures 227mm x 205mm x 150mm giving a volume of 6.98Litres and allowing for a GPU length of up to 196mm.

A smaller version is also being developed for strictly ITX cards and PCIe slot powered cards, this version will measure 227mm x 185mm x 130mm with a volume of 5.45Litres and fit a graphics card up to 176mm long and a 120mm x 15mm side fan. it should also cost around 15% less.

 

[confusis]

That's gorgeous. So many amazing designs out at the moment

 

[Phuncz]

Indeed, this is looking better and better each iteration !

 

[Mango]

Looking good! Aesthetically, I'm indifferent to the slanted intake holes on the front and top panels but the butterfly design on the GPU side panel looks too busy. I realize it would look more bland and utilitarian with plain horizontal intake holes but I'm a sucker for minimal/discreet aesthetics.

Just as a curiosity, is there any difference in laser cutting prices in doing the slanted intakes vs horizontal intakes?

 

[K888D]

That's gorgeous. So many amazing designs out at the moment

Indeed, this is looking better and better each iteration !

Cheers guys, I appreciate your support!

Looking good! Aesthetically, I'm indifferent to the slanted intake holes on the front and top panels but the butterfly design on the GPU side panel looks too busy. I realize it would look more bland and utilitarian with plain horizontal intake holes but I'm a sucker for minimal/discreet aesthetics.

Just as a curiosity, is there any difference in laser cutting prices in doing the slanted intakes vs horizontal intakes?

I've done some comparison renders with angled, horizontal and a square patterned versions. Which do you guys prefer?

Angled slot Vents:

Horizontal slot vents:

Square hole vents:

I'm not sure I'm keen personally on the horizontal vents, what do you guys think?

There isn't much difference in surface area of ventilation between vent types, so in theory airflow should be similar. But will smaller holes restrict airflow compared to a single of hole of the same surface area:

Square Hole Vents = 3,060mm2
Horizontal Vents = 2,900mm2

I quite like the aesthetics of the square holes, but this type of pattern will result in increased cutting time and manual labour to remove the cut outs afterwards. I'm not sure this would be practical with laser cutting in reality.

I have had some quick part cost comparisons done between the horizontal slots and square holes, as feared the square pattern configuration costs 41% more to produce. In other words - fewer cutouts with longer edges cost less to manufacture.

I don't think there would be much difference in cost between the angled and horizontal slots.

​

 

[MrTiny]

I like angles and square hole vents myself.

 

[Phuncz]

I like the square hole ones, but if the cost is 40% more, I'd personally be happy with the angled ones.

 

[daedos]

I've just registered to say I love this form factor and what you are trying to achieve, small, gaming + quiet. The latest stealth black render is looking the best yet. Some thoughts for you:
- Diagonal vents suit the design better, may be the GPU vent could just be straight diagonals?
- From the front view, the left-hand top chamfer looks a little weird, maybe continue it all the way across.
- Have the approximate external dimensions been posted?
- So glad you've added 'front' USBx2 + audio.
- Switching to the 140mm fan is a good move, really optimising the space.
- Have you considered a Flex ATX PSU? May allow more air through from the side fan
- Any room for a slot dvd-drive? Only joking.

The DAN-A4 is a lovely looking case and proving popular, if you get anywhere near that in a cube form factor then yum yum. Plus here's hoping NVidia will do a 1070 mini soon.

In the words of Philip J Fry, 'shut and take my money'.

 

[K888D]

I've just registered to say I love this form factor and what you are trying to achieve, small, gaming + quiet. The latest stealth black render is looking the best yet. Some thoughts for you:

Welcome to the Forum and thank you for your comments!

I will try and answer your questions below:

- Diagonal vents suit the design better, may be the GPU vent could just be straight diagonals?

It seems that the majority of people so far prefer the diagonal vent style. I will try and find the time to put together a render with straight diagonals for the GPU side vent.

- From the front view, the left-hand top chamfer looks a little weird, maybe continue it all the way across.

Unfortunately this chamfer cannot be taken across the full width of the case as it would add an extra £10 of 3D printing to the cost. The purpose of the chamfered component in the front top left is that behind the front panel is bracket which holds the HDD panel. I am actually going to reduce how far across this chamfer sits so that a larger HDD panel can be fitted which may allow for 1x 3.5” HDD to be fitted. This has not be drawn up yet though so I can’t make any promises about 3.5” compatibility, it’s on my list to look at!

- Have the approximate external dimensions been posted?

Yes, the external dimensions are currently 227mm (width) x 205mm (Depth) x 150mm (Height), this gives a volume of 6.98 Litres and will fit GPUs up to 196mm in length with room for a top mounted PCIe power connector. I am also developing a lower height version to fit GPUs up to 176mm in length that do not have a top mounted PCIe power connector, this version will be 5.45Litres in volume.

- So glad you've added 'front' USBx2 + audio.

I should also be able to offer a version without these features to reduce the price by about £10, it will have just a simple on/off power button and/or a 16mm vandall switch version.

- Switching to the 140mm fan is a good move, really optimising the space.

Thank you, I decided against increasing the width to accommodate a 25mm standard fans, instead focusing on fitting a slim 140mm and 120mm fans, these will provide more than enough airflow for the type of parts you would want to put inside this case. There are quite a few 120mm and 140mm slim fans available, and the upcoming Noctua slim fans should be a bonus.

- Have you considered a Flex ATX PSU? May allow more air through from the side fan

Yes I considered Flex and TFX PSUs, but as one of the primary objectives of the case was to be quiet I made the decision to support SFX as there are some very good models to choose from. For example the Corsair SF450 can power a 200W system without even needing to activate its fan, you can’t really beat that for quietness!

I see your point though of better airflow from the side fan, yes that would help, but it would mean relocating the HDD’s to the side of the PSU rather than in front of it, this would then restrict airflow of the side fan, so it’s a catch 22.

- Any room for a slot dvd-drive? Only joking.

Well, not in this version, but I am considering making a slightly larger version that would have space for an optical drive. The design would be less than 9 litres in volume, but will fit a reference sized GTX 1070 and plenty of space for a top mounted 120mm (or perhaps even 140mm) AIO water-cooling system with double fans.

My current focus is to finalise the design for the laser cut panels so I can get some Acrylic prototypes ordered hopefully within the next week, once ordered and while I’m waiting for those I may be able to have a look at putting a concept together for the 9 Litre version.