Improved Sliding Electrical Outlet Cover

This is version 2 of my Sliding Cover Box for Wall Outlets model. It turns out that kids can learn how to slide things up as they get older, so this one locks closed. 

 

Improvements:

• Locking tabs on each side keeps the cover closed, but adults can still open it
• 2 child-resistant versions of the wall mount with different release tab designs- Standard or Harder
• Rounded edges and corners for extra safety
• Customizable dovetail tolerances so you can achieve the perfect slide for your printer's dimensional accuracy
• Dovetail section length now auto-adjusts based on total height
• Dovetail length is asymmetric for easier alignment- align and insert the bottom ones first, then the top ones
• Added a bottom retention bar to fully anchor the wall mount to the cover plate
• Anchor tabs behind the faceplate are thinner, minimizing faceplate protrusion
• Customizable wall thickness- make it thicker if you kid really likes to hit things
• Adjusted the cover geometry so it can optionally be printed faster on its face- but it won't look as good if you do

Need to step it up and make the cover truly impossible for kids to remove? Check out my Sliding Outlet Cover: Knox Edition. 

Customizing

The provided print profile contains the cover sized for my 115mm x 72mm outlet faceplates. Your outlet faceplates are not the same size as mine, you HAVE to measure yours and customize this to match. The print profiles are just illustrative of the different variation and print orientation options. 

 

Use MakerWorld's built-in Customizer (or a local copy of Fusion) to create a custom cover that matches your outlet faceplate's dimensions, and the depth that you require for your application. See the notes for the variable names for more information about what they control. 

Variations

The wall mount piece comes in two versions: Standard and Harder. The Standard version has larger release tabs that make it relatively easy for an adult to press them in to remove the cover. The Harder version has very small release tabs that make it much more difficult to release the cover- useful if you have kid who really wants to remove these. 

 

 

The two wall mount versions are available as separate Customizer files, just select the one you want to use when starting the Customizer. If you want to try both you'll have to customize both. 

 

Printing

The cover part geometry is the same for both versions, but you have the option of two different print orientations for that part. The short orientation takes about 30% less time to print, but the tall orientations looks nicer. Examples of these orientations are labeled on different plates in the provided print profile for reference. 

 

Customized models are NOT automatically oriented the right way for printing. Please download the provided print profile, open it in your slicer, create a new plate, and drag-and-drop your customized model file onto the new plate. Then orient your custom parts the same way that they are shown in the example plates. You will need to separate the downloaded model into separate parts using the Split > To Objects option in your slicer (right-click menu for the part). 

 

Post-Print

After printing, the side release tabs will likely be stuck. To un-stick them, look at the back side of the wall mount and firmly press/wiggle the parts indicated in the below image (repeat for both sides):

 

I usually hear a slight click when they un-stick. 

 

Once un-stuck, verify that you can smoothly slide the case into the wall mount until it locks. Press both side tabs inward while sliding the cover up to separate them again for installation. 

Installation

Unplug everything from your outlet and remove the outlet's faceplate cover. This is usually accomplished by loosening two screws. 

 

Place the outlet cover in the center of the wall mount as shown below. If you measured and customized it correctly it should fit with minimal wiggle room. 

 

 

Screw the outlet faceplate back into place, sandwiching the printed piece between the faceplate and the wall as shown below. The screws usually do not need to be snug; tighten them just enough that you can't easily wiggle the faceplate or the printed wall mount.

 

Plug things back into the outlet, making sure the cords are routed downward (the wall mount can be installed upside-down if you need the cords to route out the top instead). 

 

Slide the cover into place. Align the bottom dovetails first, then the top ones. It should easily slide down and click into place. 

 

To remove, press both side tabs inwards and slide the cover up at the same time. 

 

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