Designing 3D Printed Custom Enclosures for Electronics Projects
Elektor engineer Saad Imtiaz shares his workflow for designing 3D-printed enclosures using tools like SolidWorks, Onshape, and KiCad.
In a recent episode of Elektor Lab Talk, engineer Saad Imtiaz gave a detailed walkthrough of how to design 3D printed custom enclosures for electronics projects — from CAD modeling to print orientation and material choice.
If your board has horizontal connectors or screens, plan those early
Saad recommends starting with a CAD model of your PCB, exported as a STEP (.stp) file from KiCad or other PCB design tools. This ensures mounting holes and connectors align correctly before printing.
- SolidWorks (€48 per year)
- Siemens Solid Edge (free community edition)
- Onshape (browser-based option)
Saad’s preferred tools include these options, noting that SolidWorks is "worth it for makers".
Author summary: Design custom 3D printed enclosures with ease.