TFT35 V3.0 Display Case with Tilting feature

Last crawled date: 4 years, 2 months ago

Introduction-
I designed this enclosure and mounting structure for the TFT35 V3.0 touch screen display offered by Big Tree Technologies. The mounting structure was designed specifically for my printer but I have provided the source files so that the design can be modified for any other mounting scheme. When designing the enclosure I wanted the ability to tilt the display so it was easy to view and convenient to touch the screen when issuing commands. I made the tilting mechanism adjustable for the added convenience of being able to rotate it "flat" to be a bit more compact when the touch feature is not needed. The back of the case and one of the sides has openings to allow cables to pass through.
Files-
The source files included were created using "SketchUp Make 2017" (free, this version does not require Internet to use). These drawings were created at a scale of X100. I then re-scaled the exported STL files to be X1 using the free version of Netfabb. Some of the source files are drawn with rounded edges and can be difficult to edit so I provided an alternate drawings listed as "type-0".
Assembly-
The case assembly is reasonably straight forward. I have provided several diagrams depicting this procedure. It is convenient to mount the Hing-plate to the printer frame and then mount the case to this plate.
Printing-
I printed my prototype, shown in the photos, using PLA but any type of filament could be used as long as the printed parts remain dimensionaly stable. You should be able to print the STL files "as-is" with no supports. Print the 3 case parts, Front, Middle and Back, with the same orientation and preferably the same position on the print-bed. This will ensure good fit and alignment if there is any "distortion" introduced by the printer.
Part sources/links-
TFT35 V3.0 display---https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000051759590.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.18904c4dalpTtm
Hardware (USA)---https://WWW.boltdepot.com
Netfabb basic---https://github.com/3DprintFIT/netfabb-basic-download/releases
SketchUp Make 2017---https://help.sketchup.com/en/downloading-older-versions
(Scroll down and choose 2017 make version for one that is "free" and not dependent upon Internet access to use it.)
Acknowledgements-
The TFT35 V3 model used in the assembly diagram was derived from https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3818344 provided by SwissDeadCow, thank you.
This is my first go at publishing a design to Thingiverse. I hope you find this useful.
On a side note...I have provided the link to the 3D modeling software I used and I provided my source files. For those folks that have not tried their hand at 3D modeling, load one of the provided SketchUp files and make some modifications. The "Hinge-plate_type-0_X100.skp" file would be a good place to start; make your own mounting design.
Updates-
15 Oct 2019 I made the Support-arm a little thicker. It will fit a bit more snugly in the hinge slot.
Added a sketch showing the display case and Hinge-plate being used in a "table-top" configuration.