Drainage Tray
Having entirely way too many plants, I was finding that watering everything in the sink became an all-day process. I set out to design a solution to this issue; either by making a device that enabled me to water everything in place, or by making a ‘hide in plane sight’ item that would drain into my kitchen sink. Thereby expanding the quantity and speed at which I can water my little jungle.
The CAD design began with ‘how can I adequately turn a flat piece of wood into a 3D, angled, drainage tray. CNC machining items requires a firm understanding of what features you can successfully reach in a 2D process. I wanted to avoid having to machine a piece, then flip it over, and machine it again. Especially when considering I also wanted to create a product that could scale well into production.
Original Prototype
The idea for the drainage tray came about long before I had any significant expertise in 3D printing. Or any decent 3D printers for that matter.
The trouble with designing this item through subtractive-manufacturing processes is there’s a decent amount of waste involved, as well as multiple steps in the assembly.
While I do honestly prefer the wood-aesthetic, it just wasn’t a viable product for production. Luckily the general design did allow me to convert the concept into a 3D print that needs both no support material or post processing.
