Modular 3D Printed Enamel Pin Collection Display

This tutorial introduces how to 3D print, assemble and attach a modular enamel pin display.

Enamel pins are attractive with their vivid colors, but you'd better not forget them into the washing machine if you want them to stay so... Overall the conditions are rarely met

To make this project you will need:

• A 3D printer and printing filament (a complete display with 30 tiles will require about 500g of PLA)
• A way to attach the display to you wall, depending on your choice:
• Plaster or similar type of glue
• Screws
• Nails
• A pair of cutting pliers, a cutter and a small hammer
• The 3D models available here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5663296

The tiles that compose this display are hexagonal with 55mm between two opposite sides. They can accommodated enamel pins using a single needle. Those images show how a pin is fixed in position. The first step consist in looking at the pins you want to display and choose how many tile you want. Do not worry, it is straightforward to add more tiles later if you want to.

Next you need to decide what orientation you want to use: Horizontal or vertical. This orientation pilots the choice of the attach tile you will use and the esthetic of the final display. I used the horizontal orientation in the illustration at the beginning of this tutorial.

This display is meant to be fixed to a wall using a 3D printed hook. This hook is designed based on a French cleat but i added a groove and tong system to block the rotation of the display. This way you can assemble the tiles in any shape you want, including dissymmetric ones, and fix it with a single hook without having the display becoming crooked.

I also designed 3 hook models: the first one is meant to be glued to the wall using plaster or any kind of glue. The grid shape allows a good adhesion and you wont need to pierce your wall. The second model is adapted for a single screw. You should tighten the screw enough so that the hook cannot rotate. Finally the third model uses two small nails and is adapted for wooden panels.

Once you have chosen the number of tiles, the orientation and the fixation mode it is time to print it all. All the files are available on Thingiverse: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5663296

In total you will need one "hook tile", as many "standard tiles" as you want, one "hook" and about 3 times as many "joins" as you have tiles (the exact number will depend on your shape). You will also need up to 5 "join hook tile" to assemble the hook tile.

The tiles should be printed face down. If your printing bed has a nice surface you wont need any adhesion structure, if not a raft will help you achieve a homogeneous look. The parts are deigned to be printed with 0.4 line width and you will have issues if you use bigger ones, but it doesn't contain any fine details and it will print well using 0.3 or more layer height.

The joins and hook part should also be printed as they are oriented in the STL file.

Once all the parts are printed it is time to decide on the shape you want to form. Place all the shape on the ground or on a table if you have enough space and form the shape you want to make. The hook tile should be place at the top and close to the center of the shape. When you are satisfied take a picture of the form and begin the assembly.

To assemble the tiles you need to place them side by side and force a "join" into the corresponding grooves. Each "standard tile" has one grove initially open and 5 "hidden" ones on each side. They are initially hidden to improve the esthetic of the final assembly and you will need to remove the single wall where it is necessary to complete the assembly. Just use a cutting plier and a cutter to open the grove and force a join in to hold everything together. For more details you may refer to this video: https://youtu.be/RVnH4WTFr5Q

Now just repeat the process until all the tiles are fixed together.

When the shape is formed set it on the wall and mark the position of the hook. Fix the hook according to the method you chose and tada: your pin display is ready, enjoy.