Orbiter Nexus 5X Case

thingiverse

I Designed Another Phone Case with a Space Theme, Can You Tell I'm a Fan of Spaceships?! Download the design file and make your own custom phone case. Check out my sketches and design process below. Disclaimer: The printed parts in the cover picture were professionally made through Shapeways using strong and flexible plastic. My home-made printer couldn't handle the level of detail in the prints. How I Designed This Phone Case Initial Design Sketches I started with rough sketches in my engineering notebook, adapting a design from 2015 for the Samsung Galaxy S4 to fit my newer Nexus 5X. The original sketch is on the right, and the adapted version is on the left. Finding Reference Images I used this image of a space shuttle as reference: https://www.howitworksdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/6938210-space-shuttle-photos.jpg Measuring My Phone with Calipers Since I couldn't find an accurate CAD model for the Nexus 5X, I measured my phone with calipers and created a basic stand to build the case around. Designing the Case I designed two cases that fit together, one over the phone and another over the first case. I laid out how different parts of the design would align through various levels. Adding Color and Style Knowing my phone is black, I wanted to incorporate orange and white into the design. Sketching Out Cuts and Edits Once the case designs were complete, I sketched out where cuts needed to be made for alignment. Working in Assembly Mode I primarily worked in assembly mode in Solidworks, editing parts based on how they would look with the phone and additional case. This made it easier to visualize the design. Finalizing the Design After making various tweaks for wall-thickness and fillets of concern, I uploaded the design to Shapeways and ordered printed versions. Transferring the Sketch to the Inner Case I transferred the general sketch to the inner case, preparing it for assembly.