One of my clients in my freelancing days informed me that a supplier for his ID card company was unable to provide replacement caddies to hold cards after they are output from the printer. He had a desperate need for an order and asked me to come up with a replacement.

I was provided with an original part and went on towards replicating the design in Fusion 360. I knew because of the hanger in the back that this part would be best suited for a powder bed process.

Minimizing cost was critical — my labor was a one-time purchase and the parts would simply be printed on-demand by the client. For this machine, the volume of powder consumed was a primary cost center. Because the walls could not be thinned without significantly impacting manufacturability and durability, the only remaining choice was to perform a generative design study.

I knew I could lightweight the bottom of the part already, but wanted to know where on the sides I could clear out material. I gave two simple loads and a fixture and examined the heatmap.

I was able to remove a substantial amount of material, however if I had removed everything the simulation told me I could, the cards would simply slide out. I took the heatmap and created hollowing everywhere I could to ensure the cards would stay in place and reduce stress risers.

Even today, this is one of my favorite parts, as I learned two new techniques (static load simulation and generative design) in order to rapidly meet a client’s needs. I keep a copy in my workshop to hold my spare business cards.