If there’s any one thing that the average hacker is short on at a given moment (besides chips), it’s transient small part storage. Just as new projects are built from small parts, diagnostics and teardowns of commercial equipment invariably result in small parts. We think [amenjet] may have the answer — small parts holders made from the bottoms of soda cans.

You start by cutting the bottom off of an empty can however you like. In the first video after the break, [amenjet] scores the can on what could be a purpose-built jig before cutting along the line with tin snips, but you could use regular scissors if that’s all you have. Then it’s just a matter of shoving it into the circle around the perimeter of the print to secure the sharp edge.

The underside of the print is graduated and ends with a small hole fit for a disc magnet. To keep the prints from scratching the table, [amenjet] covered the bottoms with crushed velvet. After making about a dozen of these things, they CNC’d a tray to hold three of them, which you can see in the second video. Each cavity in the tray is lined with more crushed velvet for elegance and stability.

Between the concavity of the can bottom and that little lip, it should be particularly easy to actually retrieve a tiny part from the pile and grab on to it. Between the utility and the recycled aspect, this could easily be an entry into the second Challenge of the 2022 Hackaday Prize, which runs now until Sunday, June 12th. This round is all about reusing, recycling, and revamping anything and everything to keep it out of the landfill. Start your entry today!

Wouldn’t it be easier just to fill the base of the can with resin ? 3D printing the base is Ok, but they take a lot longer time than pouring and wait for the resin to set. Since the part is unseen, you can even use cheaper car repair bondo.

You could just staple a bunch together also. One might be a bit jittery and skittery, but 4+ stapled together, less so.

My first thought upon seeing the 3D printed insert was, “you’re already printing out something that has the same concave shape to it. Why not use that as the tray and eliminate the need for the can bottom?”

I came to say exactly this… I’ve already engaged a 3D printer. The other work is just unnecessesary.

The can bottom is also a perfectly servicable mold… just fill it with chopped up PET bottles and heat.

If I had a dollar for all the projects I ever think of that would be nice to do with resin…

I might actually be rich enough to buy a container of resin.

Ok, it’s not really that expensive that I couldn’t buy some if I wanted to but I don’t because it is (IMHOP) too expensive for use in any old common every-day project and I still have plenty of more practical skills to develop using more commoditized supplies.

It’s a shame though, it looks like some good things can be done with resin. Is there a secret supplier the aficionados all go to who doesn’t charge an arm and a leg for the stuff?

Sorry, I missed the Bondo line on the first read. Still curious about getting good clear resin though.

I think the secret supplier is “getting sponsored by TotalBoat”… I also wish I knew a cheap place to get it. There’s not even platinum in resin unlike two part silicone…

I’m sticking with gridfinity.

If the plastic piece is as large as the can bottom, why not use the plastic piece and avoid the can bottom altogether?

I was thinking the same thing

The print layers leave a series of steps that aren’t totally smooth, The small screws and whatnot get caught on them making it harder to slide the parts to the edge of the can. The lip at the edge of the can is useful for holding the part while you grab it with a fingernail.

If you’re CNC’ing a base from wood, why have the 3D printed parts when you could CNC the shape directly into the wood and not have to 3D print anything either?

Re: Keeping things out of landfill. As a younger man, I repurposed no end of stuff from the local skips and dumps, but alas that is no longer allowed, as once the council gets something in their skip, it is going to landfill irrespective of its potential second life. They have high fences surrounding their skips, and locked gates if it is not ‘working hours’, and then they complain bitterly that people fly tip by their gate. The idea of not locking the skip up for 17 hours a day is obviously a solution they can’t use due to insurance issues. If someone pulled a muscle removing something from a skip, they could potentially sue the council for having it accessible. I have realised that the word ‘progress’ is not always a good thing.

Yes lots goes to waste purely due to regulatory red tape. We used to have a anual kerbside colection of “bulky” goods this was a recyclers paradise. You could cruise the streets for the week prior to the collection looking for stuff to collect. Swings bikes radios computers tv’s satellite dishes. Now they have replaced that with “free” bulky goods dumping days so you need to take your stuff to the tip and no one gets to forage through the goods. The whole talk of recycling is just hot air from governments to earn them “green” credentials.

That’s not my experience of council WRC’s – if you want something and are willing to pay the totters a few quid for it they’ll fish it out, and they have their separate area full of stuff they’ve already fished out and put on sale.

Over two minutes of spead-up video of a 3D printer???

Spead-up? I just thought that it was a demo of a new very fast 3D printer. If I had a printer that could print this fast, I would be showing it to the world too. But, perhaps I’m wrong? And perhaps that scene, where superman is flying around the world so fast that time turns backwards, is a time lapse too? Darn… is nothing real anymore? What’s next superman does not exist, he’s just an actor… I’m just going to sit quietly in a corner for the rest of the day…

“scores the can on what could be a purpose-built jig“

This is a woodworking tool called a marking gauge.

There is no need to cut the can at all. Just turn it over upside down. Have been using these forever to mix epoxy. I appreciate that this build is going for but if whatever you are putting in the dish is nondestructive then there is non need to use a semi-disposable dish.

—- Our systems have detected unusual traffic from your computer network. Please try your request again later. Why did this happen?

Devil’s advocate here. Aren’t we overusing 3D printing for everything now, reinventing every wheel? Just the other day I read some DIY article that called for a 3D printed plastic square with a hole near a corner, what could have been wrong with a simple scrap of acrilic and a drill? Don’t get me wrong I’m first in line to 3D print some moderately complicated piece, but …

But regarding the topic of this article, I use a simple disposable (ready-made!) pill tray like this https://sc04.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1q4ZrSFXXXXXkXFXX760XFXXXi.png

Full marks for the idea.. I use soda can bottoms for things that require metal, like melting waxes and holding solvents.

I have a different option for transient small-part storage though: chemist’s weigh boats:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=weigh+boats&i=industrial&sprefix=weigh+bo%2Cindustrial%2C169

They’re cheap, sold in bulk, and are designed to fold into a pour spout so you can dump things out in a controlled manner.

Please be kind and respectful to help make the comments section excellent. (Comment Policy)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

By using our website and services, you expressly agree to the placement of our performance, functionality and advertising cookies. Learn more