Desk cable system with dual tray and power outlets

Desk double cable tray with power outlets

The rear of my desk is facing the room, so I wanted to design a system that hides the cables and the ARCTIC X1-3D monitor clamps. I also wanted to have power outlets with different switchable power groups, so that I can switch off the PC, all screens and other outlets independently. And I wanted to have multiple trays, so I have more options to organize the cables and for example keep the audio cables separated from the power cables to prevent crosstalk.

This cable tray system is specifically designed for 3D printing. Almost everything can be printed without support. The monitor clamp parts are the only prints that does require support. You can combine different lengths to fit your needs and use the connector pins to align two trays together. Because not all printers print with the same tolerances, I supplied different versions with different 'free play', so you can pick the one that fits the tightest. With my Prusa XL, 0.1mm free play is what I used for the connector pins and 0.05mm free play for the end caps. Having 0.05mm for the end caps makes them tight enough to slide them on there without requiring glue or tape to keep them in place.

The holes in the tray have a dual purpose, they allow a 20cm Torx bit to reach the screws and they can be used with Velcro to tie your cables together.

The photos still show some messy cables, this is because I'm still working on a system to hang the power adapter and docking station under the desk, so I haven't been able to do the final cable management yet :-).

Print instructions

If you want consistent looks, it's important to print with the same speed profile and also with the same stealth setting! I decided to switch stealth on, because some prints take about 24 hours and without stealth the printer sounds wake me up at night. I printed everything with Prusament galaxy black filament and I noticed that printing with the structural profile (slow) makes the print look darker, glossy and the layers more visible than when I print with the speed profile, which creates a matt look and layers are less visible (also see the photo with the two trays side by side in two different colors). I personally preferred the matt look, so I picked the speed profile (less printing time as a bonus) and with stealth enabled.

Print the cable trays on the side and you do not need to use support. I did not use brim, because I didn't need it and when I accidentally used it, it was hard to remove and made the connector pin more difficult to insert.

"Desk cable system monitor arm cover - cable system" requires tree support, I manually painted this using the fill tool and made sure that no support is added in the clamp holes, because, unless it's soluble, there is no way to remove it afterwards.

"Desk cable system monitor arm cover - backplate" requires regular support under the clamp when printing the cover standing up.

I customized the following settings:

• Stealth enabled

• Speed profile

• Perimeters: 3

• Fill pattern: Gyroid 15%

Construction

For screws I used "Flat Head Wood Screws torx M3 x 20 mm Self Tapping Screws with Disk, Stainless A2 V2A Torx Screws, Full Thread, Plate Screws Stainless Steel". Screw the screws into the screw ring and put it inside the screw holder tube with the torx side towards the small opening. Then align everything with the hole of the cable tray, put the torx bit in it to ensure it fits and apply a little drop of super glue on the side of the tube/tray and just rotate the tube. The superglue should just leak between the two materials. Keep the screw fully inside the tube to avoid the inside screw + ring from getting super glued stuck to the cable tray.

Because I want to keep the option to repair or replace a tray part, I decided not to glue all the trays together prior to screwing it under the desk. This made it impossible to install it without small 1mm gaps here and there. I would have preferred to have everything gapless, but that said, I don't find it too disturbing as long as the tray length layout is symmetrical. Just keep in mind that these seams are added to the total length of your structure. You may want to end at the side of the desk which is facing the wall, to make the extra millimeters sticking out less visible. I wonder what would have happened if I glued everything together.. there's a big chance that a two meter 3D print would not end up entirely straight anyways.

I installed the individual outlet boxes, power sockets and some wiring where possible prior to screwing the trays under the table. I did not put anything behind the outlet boxes and this made installing the power sockets difficult, because you need to really push it inside the outlet boxes to make the copper cables bend into the right shape and this made the entire box move inside and make it hard for the power socket to get under the screws. I would recommend putting something behind the outlet boxes to prevent them from sliding inside.

I started on one side of the desk and worked my way to the other side. After one piece was screwed under the desk, I connected the power cables and installed the next tray. I did drill one custom hole to allow the power cable to go outside. If I had to correct the alignment of the tray, I just pushed a toothpick in the screw hole prior to re-aligning and screwing it back in.

I used even less free play (0.05mm) to print the end caps. Having so little free play allowed me to put the cap on there using pure friction. No glue or tape required.