TL;DR: I have a panic attack every time I think I’ve lost a flash drive. So I made a custom 3D printable shell for flash drives to make them hard to lose!
If you’re just looking for the file for this 3D printed flash drive shell, and you’re not interested in reading the rest of this article, follow this link to get it from Gumroad!
So I recently got into a new gig. And every time I get into a new gig, I get a new flash drive! It’s my deperate effort to separate it from *gesture wildly* all the other things I have going on. But how do I make it convenient to keep around? 3D printing to the rescue!
My main peddler of flash drives is Microcenter (did you know they sell flash drives in packs?). Their Inland/Microcenter drives are square at the intersection of quality, cost and storage quantity. There’s only one catch: I lose track of these small flash drives super easily. If you spiral and panic easily like me, losing track of things is something you avoid as hard as possible.
Let’s Fusion it out
Microcenter is not going to make me a bigger flash drive even if I ask nicely! So I did it myself with an afternoon of taking measurements and 3D modeling in Fusion 360. Aaand here’s where we are!
Notice the channels on the inside of the shell! There are no screws in this project – I didn’t want to shop for hardware as well. The shell holds together with hot glue instead! Squeeze some hot glue into the channels and as you press down the flash drive, the glue will spread along the channels. This increases the surface contact between the shell and the flash drive to secure it. Same for the side holes on the shell: squeeze more hot glue in there for peace of mind if you want to! I also added a loop to keep the flash drive on a carabiner as needed.
The whole things looks a bit like a Q-pid from Death Stranding if you squint really hard. I like the vibe of that game, and I’ve been listening to the soundtrack while designing this flash drive shell.
The whole thing is as close to perfect as it gets for the time being! Microcenter flash drives have not changed in years and they have a ton of stock out there. This shell will not become obsolete anytime soon! There’s room for tiny tweaks if I feel like it. Less constrained tolerances that allow for fuzzy skin could be nice!
Get it and make your own!
I thought this was convenient enough for people other than me to want one, so I made it into a thing! I’ve never been into complex model kits, but I love the look of a nice runner sheet. That’s where I got my inspiration from this time!
You can buy the file from Gumroad, 3D print it at home with standard quality settings, then cut and assemble your flash drive shell in a few minutes. The longest thing to do is probably wait for your hot glue gun to heat up!
What if you don’t have a 3D printer? No problem! You can buy a fresh print from Portals by Slant 3D. If you get one from them, take a picture and tag me on Instagram!