Ultra-light computer mouse shell, modified in CAD to fit and printed at about 40 g
A client asked for a mouse case under 45 g (without battery) based on an existing design. PrototypeBD adjusted the fit, slimmed the structure and printed an open-frame shell of about 40 g.
Specifications
- Weight
- About 40 g (as posted)
- Process
- FDM 3D printing
- Colour
- White
- Object
- Ultra-light mouse shell
- Brief
- Under 45 g without battery, based on the client's design
- CAD work
- Fit modified and structure optimised by PrototypeBD
- Completed
The brief came straight from the client: a custom mouse case under 45 g without the battery, based on a design they supplied, with the fit modified and the weight kept low.
What we changed
PrototypeBD worked on the client's model rather than drawing a new one from zero:
- the dimensions were fine-tuned so the client's mouse board, scroll wheel and battery sit in the frame;
- the structure was optimised into an open skeleton: thin side rails, diagonal braces and cut-outs wherever material was not carrying load;
- two click-button pads at the front sit over the switches.
The result
The printed shell weighs around 40 grams, inside the client's limit. The first photo shows it fitted over the electronics, with the circuit board, scroll wheel and battery visible through the frame; the others show the empty shell from the top and from below.
Need an existing part re-fitted, lightened or adapted to new hardware? Send the file or the part to our CAD design service.
Base design: supplied by the client; CAD modification and 3D printing: PrototypeBD.