Cable connector

A cable connector had to be developed specifically for an installation in a public space designed by Sintesi Labs Design. Compared to existing splash-proof products on the market, this connector had to have a significantly smaller footprint and adapt to various cable cross-sections, accommodating up to four input and output cables.

Up to seven different configurations of the adapter were to be produced using rapid prototyping. We opted to develop the product as a configurable parametric model in FreeCAD.

Team
  • Brandes
  • Sprekelsen
  • Zoppi
Services
  • Concept Modeling
  • Solid Modeling
  • DFM (Design for Manufacturing)
Software
  • FreeCAD
Complexity
  • S

Table-Driven 3D Model parametrization

Using FreeCAD's integrated table-driven configuration function, each of the adapter’s inputs and outputs can be configured with six sizes of commercially available cable glands—each certified to the IP68 standard and equipped with a sealing ring—to form a splash-proof minimal housing.
This allowed us to generate up to 24 variants of the product from a single dataset, each occupying the smallest possible installation space.

We have released the CAD file to the public so that anyone can edit and adapt the design to their needs, producing the necessary geometry to feed into their 3D printer. This means that not only can everyone produce their own tiny cable connector box, they can also customise the design.

Find the source files and instructions here.

case studies

Challenges in 3D modeling and their solutions, demonstrated using selected projects.

key
login incorrect
login temporarily blocked. Retry in a bit.