Electricians and electronics engineers keep running into situations where they need a non-standard part: an enclosure for a home-made board, a mount for a sensor in an awkward spot, a blanking plate for a consumer unit that isn\u2019t on sale. It used to mean improvising with whatever was to hand or waiting weeks for delivery. Today 3D printing<\/strong> makes the part you need in a few hours \u2014 exactly to your dimensions and requirements.<\/p>\n In this article we look at specific examples of the parts electricians and electronics engineers print most often and explain which materials suit each job.<\/p>\n The most popular request among electronics engineers is making enclosures<\/a> for home-made devices. These can be:<\/p>\n The main advantage of 3D printing is that the enclosure can be designed exactly for your board, with openings for connectors, ventilation slots and mounts for specific screws. No off-the-shelf enclosure gives that precision of fit.<\/p>\n A separate category of jobs is making panels for equipment racks and instrument enclosures. A 3D printer can produce a front panel with precise cut-outs for any connectors: USB, RJ45, XLR, banana sockets, switches and indicators. This is especially useful for lab equipment, test rigs and home-made instruments, where standard panels simply don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n A familiar situation: there are empty spaces in the consumer unit after fitting the breakers, and the manufacturer\u2019s blanking plates have run out or aren\u2019t in stock. 3D printing solves this in a matter of hours. Blanking plates can be made for any type of unit, with precise clips and catches.<\/p>\n Tidy cabling is a sign of professionalism. 3D printing makes it possible to produce:<\/p>\n Printed markers are more convenient than paper stickers \u2014 they don\u2019t peel off or fade and can be read even in poor light.<\/p>\n The DIN rail is the standard for mounting in consumer units. But far from every device comes with a factory adapter for it. With 3D printing you can create DIN rail mounts for:<\/p>\n The adapter is designed for a specific device, with ventilation openings and access to the connectors. It\u2019s much more reliable than fixing equipment with cable ties or double-sided tape.<\/p>\n During measurements there\u2019s often nowhere to put the multimeter \u2014 it slides about, falls and gets in the way. A printed holder with a magnetic mount for the consumer unit or a hook for hanging solves this problem once and for all. You can also make an organiser for probes and extra leads.<\/p>\n When you need to mark out holes for back boxes, mounts or cable entries accurately, a 3D-printed template becomes an indispensable helper. Design the template once and you can use it again and again, with perfect accuracy every time. PLA works well for templates \u2014 the part carries no mechanical load, so this material is strong enough.<\/p>\n Insulating covers and caps can be printed to protect exposed contacts, terminals and connections. They\u2019re especially useful when working with low-voltage equipment, where protection from accidental contact or short circuits is needed. It\u2019s important to remember that printed parts are not certified insulation for high-voltage circuits \u2014 they\u2019re suitable for additional protection and organising space.<\/p>\nEnclosures for electronic devices and junction boxes<\/h2>\n
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Custom panels with connector cut-outs<\/h2>\n
Blanking plates for consumer units<\/h3>\n
Cable organisers and markers<\/h2>\n
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DIN rail mounts<\/h2>\n
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Tools and fixtures for everyday work<\/h2>\n
Multimeter holders<\/h3>\n
Drilling templates<\/h3>\n
Insulating covers and protective parts<\/h3>\n
Which materials to choose for electrical parts<\/h2>\n