Snap Rack 100% Printed 10" Home Lab Equipment Rack

Existing racks use too much purchased hardware.  Why purchase cage nuts, inserts or even regular nuts when printers make threads easily?  I set out to make a home studio/home lab rack that is simple to assemble and uses very few expensive purchased screws.  The only screws in this design is the M6-1.0 x 12.  You can get 50 of them for $7 on amazon. https://a.co/d/6O2gv1B  They are only needed for purchased 10" mounted accessories and other designs that require screw mounts.  Snap Rack accessories all just snap in place with no hardware needed.

 

Here are the standout specifications for this rack design:

1. Maintains compatibility with off-the-shelf 10" rack equipment.
2. 100% 3D printed.  All parts snap together.  Blank panels snap in place.  Screws are threaded into the model so absolutely no nuts or inserts are needed.
3. 4-hole rack bolt pattern maintains universal compatibility and allows ½ Rack Unit movement up and down for better space efficiency than 3-hole pattern.
4. Wider 227mm opening between rails for TP-Link ER706W and ER707-M2 VPN Routers and some audio gear.  Most racks are too narrow.
5. Bottom storage drawer is optional.
6. Top and bottom panels are in 1U rack increments and use standard rack blanks.
7. Side panels swing open for easy access to inside stuff.
8. One piece coupling to make a double unit.  Coupling is 1U and is fully open and usable.
9. Optional DC to DC UPS system for 12V, 5V as well as USB outputs. (Check my other models).
10. Customizer for snap in mounts.
11. Passive ventilation is standard.
12. Active fans are optional.

There are two options for panels: Solid and vented.  The design I use the most is vented for passive cooling.  That means the top and side panels are open hexagon as well as the panel blanks.  I use infill patterns for those so you can modify in the slicer if you want to customize your pattern.  If you want to use active cooling, you probably want to use at least one vented panel on the opposite side for airflow.  I believe in blowing hot air out of a rack, so my design has the fans at the top back blowing outwards.  You can easily change that to your liking.

There is a wall mount option for this rack.  It is best to install that part before anything else as it needs to slide between the rails.  It can be added later but may require some disassembly.
 

Be sure to print the test cube on Plate 6 first and adjust the X-Y hole compensation under “Quality” if needed.  The screw hole facing the build plate is the only one that is affected by that setting and is the most important.  I adjusted it so I can screw things in by hand easily.  Do this after your print has cooled to room temperature.  PLA shrinkage when cooled will make the hole smaller.

This print profile is for the main frame of the Snap Rack.  The top and bottom panels and drawer are here:

https://makerworld.com/en/models/1844533-snap-rack-sliding-drawer-and-top-panel#profileId-1971033

Link to the collection of growing Snap Rack accessories:

https://makerworld.com/collections/10367609

Boost MeI have been working on this design for 6 months.  I appreciate your boosts as they motivate me to continue to develop the rack and accessories.