3D printing my laptop ergonomic setup(www.ntietz.com)
67 pointsby kurinikku11 hours ago5 comments
  • unwindan hour ago
    Very cool, nice effort and a good write-up!

    If my math is right it seems the cost in material for the printed part is around $5 which seems ridiculously cheap for a custom-designed and adapted solution like this. Nice!

    I wish the author had spent a few words extra to motivate why it needs to be in PETG filament for "heat resistance", is the regular PLA limit of ~55 degrees Celsius not okay for a desktop accessory? I guess if it's in direct sunlight that might be exceeded, or perhaps if the laptop runs very hot?

    • kubik36925 minutes ago
      > is the regular PLA limit of ~55 degrees Celsius not okay for a desktop accessory?

      Not the author, but PLA has a glass transition temperature of around 60 degrees, which in layman's terms is when it starts to melt. However, depending on the quality of the printing process, layers start separating/the print is pliable significantly lower, at around 35-40 degrees. This means that in countries where you get 30+ degree summers, PLA is not really suitable for anything which experiences any kind of stress. I would hazard a guess that the standing laptop can cause quite a bit of stress when the train starts/stops.

    • Fradow14 minutes ago
      To be fair, that's something you learn as soon as you start 3d printing. Anything that experiences repeated stress and have any chance of getting over room temperature during summer should not be printed in PLA. And near a computer heating up, it sure looks like it's going to be higher than room temperature. Also pictures in a train exposed to sunlight via glasses are another reason for concern.

      Compared to PLA, PETG has higher temperature resistance (by about 20°C), isn't quite as susceptible to stress, doesn't cost more and isn't any harder to print on modern printers.

      Some people in the 3d printing community have totally ditched PLA and use PETG as a baseline because of that.

  • fhd22 hours ago
    Quite cool! I wonder if it doesn't wear down the laptop hinges to keep it at 180 degrees opened in an upright position. Could print some clamps for the sides to reduce strain if that's the case. Though that'd only work for laptops that actually _do_ open 180 degrees, according to TFA, not that many.

    I have a "car desk", which is just a little expandable contraption you hang on the steering wheel, then you can place your laptop on it. I wouldn't call it ergonomic per se (the right external keyboard could probably fix that), but using it for about one hour per week, it works well and doesn't cause any issues I'm aware of. The driver seat is not a place where I previously could get any work done, so the bar is a bit low.

    • thunfischbrot2 hours ago
      I believe there‘s likely less wear in that position than any other angle you might use it at.
  • ameliusan hour ago
    She should have a look at the Huawei Matebook. You can transform the screen into a big desktop sized screen. The only thing missing is a stand that brings it to an ergonomic height.
  • pmontra3 hours ago
    I'd cut off the numberpad of my laptop, center the touchpad and what's left of the keyboard. That would be my ergonomic setup.

    That laptop served me well but it was a compromise between several factors. I think that at the time there were only an handful of 15" laptops without a numberpad and probably it's still like that. I eventually had to give up on that to get other features.

    • VBprogrammer8 minutes ago
      For my home laptop I ended up going for 13" specifically to avoid off centre / number pad layouts.

      I'm sure there are plenty of better options if money is no object but it was mainly for light gaming, personal projects, video editing etc.

    • Heliosmaster3 hours ago
      That's basically what I'm telling folks. My MBP16 is fantastic in that regard. I use the integrated touchpad only
  • marak8304 hours ago
    That's a really interesting concept. Either once they open source their build (or I get over my innate laziness) I could use something like that for my build at home (more of a horizontal stand style thing, looking at the monitor) - my laptop's primarily my second monitor at home with attached KB.

    More fuel to help convince my wife the printer isn't a waste of money xD