Gridfinity "Fancy" Base

Infinitely extendable baseplate that uses bowties instead of screws to join together.
284
1941
21
11 k
updated August 25, 2024

Makes

Comments

Bridging performance on the mini is less than ideal, and therefore the bowtie section was a bit rough on the under side. However, I was still able to assemble and print entirely without supports.

I wish there was a way to print without supports, and still leave the magnets on the underside so that they do not hit the bin magnets when the bins are placed. I have cracked several of these magnets by connecting two things too forcefully. Therefore, I don't like that this design lets the magnets physically hit each other. That said, it prints well and does its job.

What material are you printing with? Also, I did notice that depending on your magnets they may not be exactly the right size. If they are slightly oversized let me know and I can add a second version with more tolerance for the magnets.

@CharlesTimko I printed this in Inland PLA Pro. It is a rubbery/tougher PLA and it's not been my favorite. I will switch to Prusament going forwards. Regardless though, I have never gotten great bridging on my mini.

As for magnets I used 2x6mm round. I have not yet populated these grids, so I am unsure if they will have any cracking problems when I remove and replace bins. However, on other projects I have had these magnets crack a lot. They are just too strong of a pull for how brittle they are.

Awesome design. An STL for the bow tie would be great. I used the magnetic base so I could screw it down, and scaled it to 80% to custom fit my Router Cabinet Drawers. The possibilities are endless now!!! Thanks

Nice design. They print super easy and fit my drawers like a Glove. Had to print the bows in 102 % and they snap in with a satisfying click. Will add some magnets in the next step

Bowtie system sounds great but seems a bit unstable.
Protip: print 6 bowties in a range of 95% until 100% size to find the correct size that works for you. (edited)

The ties seem to be decorative only. They require glue to stay in place and hold anything together. Otherwise pretty nioe.

@Jaidei_463100 Thank you for your feedback. For me they stay in place, so it may be that you have better tolerance on your machine than mine. They are intended to keep from separating in a drawer like the OG ones do and not use as much material and parts like the thicker ones.

Can you upload a 5x1 Magnetic version? I'm not familiar with FreeCAD and this would be great!

Or a 1x1 Magnetic version? I could work with that and make any size then.

@JaysonQ_1907547 apologies for the delay. Noted and I will work on getting that uploaded!

Works as advertised. I can confirm the geometry is spot on with all of my other gridfinity and gridfinity-adjacent paraphernalia. Thanks for the awesome design!

Printed with 0.2 speed mode (input sharper) with PETG and the bowtie is falling apart. I hade to glue it to the base, other than that seems to be fine...

@ricco386 Did you try scaling the bowtie up a tiny amount(+0.2)? It seems like your printer is tuned more finely than mine if the bowtie is falling out. I can also create another one with a lower tolerance

Yes upscaling the bowtie worked for me. Thanks.