5 Clever 3D Printer Projects To Organize Your Tech

Living a particularly plugged-in lifestyle brings various conveniences and benefits, but it also has its share of headaches. Specifically, keeping a handle on all the assorted gadgets, peripherals, and wires cluttering up your desk and drawers. If you're looking for a way to keep your tech from falling into chaos, there are various other gadgets that can fix clutter, but there may also be a solution if you own a 3D printer. With the right designs, you can print all kinds of organizational aids, such as cable winders, customizable trays, and gadget holders.

3D-printing your own tech organizers not only allows you to tailor their dimensions to your precise needs, but also adds a bit of personal flair with interesting designs. In this way, not only can you get all of the clutter off your desk, you can also make your workspace look much more chic and modern. If you're not sure where to start with creating your own organizers, you can find various projects on Printables to serve as your jumping-off point.

A consistent headache for tech-users across the spectrum is tangled, messy connector and charger cables. If you try to just leave one cable out on your desk, it inevitably falls into a corner somewhere, and if you place it in a drawer with other cables, they'll transform into a tangled hydra. If you need to keep your cables firmly wrangled, try printing out a Portable Cable Organizer and Winder.

This hexagonal gizmo is perfectly sized and shaped to store all kinds of cables, from game controller connectors to phone chargers. There are two ports on either side for both sides of the cable to poke out, while the cord proper is wrapped around the inner loop. The side of the organizer has a winder dial, pulling the cable tightly inside when turned. When you want to use the cable again, just pull the ends out. Using this organizer both makes your cables' overall footprint much smaller and prevents the cord from getting tangled up, making the whole thing easier to both use and store.

Everyone has a junk drawer somewhere in their home or office, a catch-all space to stash assorted odds and ends, such as cables, components, and small devices. If all you do is throw everything into that drawer and forget about it, though, you'll never be able to find anything when you actually need it. Bring a little order to that chaos by 3D-printing a set of Catch-All Trays.

This modular system consists of a multitude of different trays, available in two different heights and 21 different dimensions, with smooth, ridged, or textured bases. The trays can be printed off in whatever configurations you need, then linked together with universal connectors and plugs. You can make exactly as many trays as you need to fill your junk drawer, then segregate all of your odds and ends into specific trays, ensuring you know exactly where everything is. The different sizes are perfect for storing larger components, while the ridged bottoms ensure they don't bounce around when you open your drawer.

Perhaps somewhat paradoxically, not every desk is large enough to accommodate a keyboard, or even if it is, it may come at the cost of space to use your desk for other things. This is why some desks have compartments you can store a keyboard in, though unfortunately, not every desk has this. However, with a 3D printer and some screws, you can add a Keyboard Storage Structure to your desk on your own.

This simple project features a simple, sturdy mount, designed to be printed off in a pair and mounted to the underside of your desk, spaced out at your keyboard's particular width. Once it's installed, you can insert your keyboard for easy, discreet storage, perfect if you need some extra space on your desk for writing or other assorted work. You can also install it on the bottom of other surfaces like coffee tables, which is helpful if you like to work in your living room and need a quick wireless keyboard for your laptop or tablet. You could even plug a wireless keyboard into your smart TV for easy browsing, stashing it under the table when not in use.

Every desk worker, streamer, blogger, or any other tech-adjacent professional needs a good place to keep their smartphone on a daily basis. Keeping it in your pocket is inconvenient, and just leaving it flat on your desk makes it annoying to use quickly. What you need is a sturdy stand, one that can prop your phone up vertically and keep it at your ideal inclination. What you need is to 3D-print a Tilting Phone Holder.

This print-in-place project consists of a long, sturdy stand, large enough to comfortably fit most smartphone models, mounted on top of a gear-powered tilting mechanism. By turning the dial on the side, you can tilt the stand and your phone to your preferred orientation and keep it locked there. It's a simple and convenient way to keep your phone easily accessible, and a helpful addition for those who need to keep their phone level and stationary, such as a streamer using their phone's camera as part of their setup. The project also includes a larger, thicker stand variation for propping up tablets.

Whether you're streaming, gaming, or just chatting with your friends, any good PC setup needs a pair of headphones to go with it, preferably wired ones for that proper audiophile-pleasing sound quality. Unfortunately, much like charging cables, headphones and their wires can be a bit unwieldy to store, with improper storage leading to tangled wires and damaged ear cups. With a 3D printer, you can make a convenient stand for your headphones, and for added fun, you can turn it into a nifty piece of video game-themed decoration.

The Pac-Man Ghost Headphone Stand uses the signature ovoid shape of Pac-Man's spooky nemeses as a convenient mount for your headphones, keeping them propped up and spaced out to prevent them from getting damaged. You can print the front plate of the stand in any color you like to mimic the various ghosts of the game, or any other color you think would look good on your desk. As an added bonus, the front plate is removable, revealing a small storage cubby on the back, perfect for storing any loose headphone wires to keep them from getting tangled and damaged.