Car Trash Bag Holder

Introducing the Car Trash Bag Holder!

This product was designed with the intent of providing a place to throw away trash while in the car. This idea came into fruition from riding in a family member's messy car for several months. With trash and wrappers all over the floor and seats, it became hard to find clean space to put my belongings. So, I spent several hours designing and prototyping a fully functional 3d model to solve this problem. Any feedback or comments on how the design can be improved upon is very welcome! Leave them in the comment section and I will be sure to check them out.

Some challenges that came up during the design process of the project were the fact that there was a lot of support material and the long print times. I did not always have access to my printer, so it was hard to find time to print different versions of this model. If you have home or work access to a printer, your experience should be better. You may also want to flip the model upside down so that fewer support bridges are needed to print it. It does take a long time to get it all off.

The total materials list of the project includes:

-3D printer - Can be any make or model you have available, but needs to have a large print space depending on the size of the mode.l https://www.makerbot.com/3d-printers/replicator/

-3D printer plastic filament - Can be purchased online from the manufacturer of the printer. I used PLA plastic for my model and it yielded the best results. https://store.makerbot.com/filament/pla-large/

-Razor blade or sharp object - Used for taking the design off the print bed, and cutting away the support material. https://www.amazon.com/Single-Industrial-Replaceme...

-Measuring tools - Optional but recommended for measuring the dimensions of the car interior so you can fit the design on the first try. https://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Digital-Caliper-...

-Time - The print takes around 2 and 1/2 hours, depending on the size

-Computer - A computer with internet access is required to download the printing software, and to download the design.

I have also included the print file below. They are labeled as Fantastic Kasi; I don't know why. The first file is downloaded as an STL file, so it can be opened in a 3D printing software or TinkerCad for modification. Anybody can use this design. Another version of the file, .obj is also included for added accessibility.

For the designing process, I used the free online software TinkerCad to bring my idea to life.

https://www.tinkercad.com/#/

I included a nimble outside frame, small openings to tuck the excess slack into and cut some of the shapes down to have a shorter printing time. However, the design is optimized for my car and will not fit every seat design that is in the market. I recommend using this software to customize the design so that it will fit onto the headrest of whatever car it is needed for. In my experience, I needed to change the original design a few times in order for it to fit onto the headrest of the 2013 Volkswagon Passat I used it in. Resizing and spreading apart the hooks that attach to the seat is needed in order for it to fit your vehicle. Doing this in TinkerCad is the most efficient way because it offers an easy way to do so. All in all, the design phase of this project took me around 5 hours.

After you have the design modified, you will want to Import the file into a printing software. My printer requires the Makerbot Print 3D.

https://www.makerbot.com/3d-printers/makerbot-prin...

Make sure that your printer is connected to the computer you are printing from, and choose the settings that you want it to print it. I would recommend increasing the extruder temperature to 250 degrees Celsius because It helped the material stick to the baseplate when printing. I have provided a picture of the settings I used for the print above. The changes I made to the default settings have a helpful green symbol next to them, so you can see where I changed it. I also kept the quality setting at medium, because the high setting on the MakerBot Replicator 2 does not print well.

After the print is complete, you can remove it from the printer and remove the excess support material. I advise you to be careful with whatever tool you use because the filament is tough and you may injure yourself removing it. Safety first!

After you are done printing and have the final model, feel free to attach it to your car seat. I found the best position to be behind the passenger seat so that the driver can reach it while he/she is driving. If the dimensions are off, you can choose to either attach it by only one hook or to reprint it in the correct size. It did take me a couple of iterations to optimize the size. After putting a bag in it, you will find that it is sturdy enough to support the average weight of a full trash bag. It is also made for the smaller size trash bags, for convenience when changing it out. Now the project is complete, and you have a place to put your trash while driving. Feel free to let me know how your experience was, and if I can improve upon this instructable. Thank you for reading!