HN Distilled

Essential insights from Hacker News discussions

Gridfinity: The modular, open-source grid storage system

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

Here's a summary of the themes from the Hacker News discussion about Gridfinity:

Mass Production and Commercialization Potential

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around the idea that Gridfinity would greatly benefit from mass-produced, injection-molded parts. Users see this as a way to save time and make the system more accessible and cost-effective.

  • "It’s such a nice project. But boy do I think it would benefit from mass production. People spend a lot of time printing generic bins and baseplates that would be better spent just printing custom bins." (stevenpetryk)
  • "I guess selling injection molded parts is forbidden under its licensing terms, which seems unfortunate. Let people make some money while everyone is saving money." (KeplerBoy)
  • "Ironically printing custom pelican inserts with this right now" (f1ay)
  • Conversely, some argue it doesn't make economic sense for mass production when 3D printing is fast and cheap enough for individual needs. "Commercializing doesn't really make sense. So I need to get a small 1x1x3 container to store washers or whatever. With my 3D printer, I'll have that container in under an hour. Even if I bought it with the fastest shipping Amazon has available... the earliest I could get it would be half a day away." (paradox460)

Licensing and Open Source Aspects

The licensing of Gridfinity, and the broader implications for commercialization and derivative works, is a point of discussion. The shift to the MIT license is noted, but questions arise about the legal boundaries of selling 3D-printed parts based on the designs.

  • "It's been MIT licensed for a couple of years now:" (rented_mule)
  • "Kragen clarifies the legal landscape around selling injection-molded parts: 'It's not clear what tort would be committed under US law by someone who sold injection-molded parts using the Gridfinity STLs. Patent infringement? No patent has issued. Copyright infringement? Copyright generally only covers expressive elements of works such as the sculpture in question, not functional elements... Trademark? Also doesn't protect functional elements.'" (kragen)
  • Another user questions the motivation behind commercialization debates: "Let people make some money While everyone is saving money." (KeplerBoy) asked by "Can people who did nothing to invent and develop the system get the money and not the creators?" (poulpy123) to which "Dilettante_" replied "For providing a useful intermediary service?"

Usability and Practicality of 3D Printing

Users discuss the practicalities of using 3D printers for Gridfinity, including the time investment, the learning curve, and the perceived limitations.

  • "Time has never really been an issue imo. For the average person your printer sits unused 99% of the time if it takes you half a day to print a baseplate and some bins, who cares. It’s still faster and cheaper than shipping." (Gigachad)
  • "The example you bring up is for a single one-off extension. Yeah, for that case it doesn't make a lot of sense. However, for initial setup of the system (e.g. filling up multiple drawers with baseplates and basic bins... it would definitely jump start the process a lot, where you'll otherwise spend weeks printing everything." (hobofan)
  • "I think they're a good intro to 3D printing." (JKCalhoun)
  • "I don't understand the sibling posts that're arguing with you. Consumer-grade containers would be cheaper than 3d printing if buying a set, it'd get folk up-and-running without fuss, and when they wanted to customize it they could do so with the help of any of their 3d printing fanatic buddies." (inanutshellus)
  • "I’ve always viewed these projects with a bit of suspicion - like I have trouble believing that anyone who does this actually does more with their tools than organize them and put them away. Which is fine if that's what you like, but not why I personally own tools. Shop time is limited enough as it is." (nancyminusone)

Adopting Gridfinity and System Fit

The issue of drawers and cabinets not being perfect multiples of the Gridfinity module size is raised, with discussion on how to mitigate wasted space and achieve better fits.

  • "The biggest problem I’m experiencing is that your draws won’t be a perfect multiple of the grid size. Which means you are always going to be left with gaps on the side which are wasted space which could be up to 40mm." (Gigachad)
  • "There is also the option to do half bins / half grid pattern at the edge. So you have the normal 42x42 grid pattern, then on one edge there are 21x42 sized boxes. There are a number of designs that support the half grid pattern." (MarkCole)
  • "I am actually beginning work on a fork which uses 21mm (half normal size) as the basis grid) --- a lot of my work (and attendant hardware) is smaller scale, so hoping that will work out well." (WillAdams)
  • "What does “draw” mean in this context?" (thebruce87m) to which "nimos" replied "I assume it is drawers."

Alternative Storage Systems and DIY Solutions

The discussion branches out to mention and compare Gridfinity with other open-source or DIY storage solutions, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses.

  • "Open-source Honeycomb storage wall by RostaP:" (morjom)
  • "Yet at the same time, go to any 3D printing model website, and you'll see numerous obvious copyright and trademark violations of Multiboard, often under completely incompatible licenses." (cge)
  • "I Can recommend Honeycomb Storage Wall. Printed it two weeks ago, so far I am super happy with it. I've tried multiboard previously, but only a few segments. It was harder to print, I had it for a year and never really got into accessories, it felt too limiting." (Bystroushaak)
  • "For anyone looking to get into those storage systems I can also highly recommend 'Hands on Katie's' Youtube channel:" (hobofan)
  • "For walls there is also the GOEWS (Greatly Over Engineered Wall System)" (hobofan)
  • "However personally, I've also been a fan of IKEA Skadis boards, as it's quite easy to get up and running in terms of a baseplate + there are already a lot of models for it out there." (hobofan)
  • "While the overall effort and time investment of making Gridfinity... I rather got myself a cutting board and glue to recycle old cardboard." (tetha)
  • "Along these lines, foam core board is a super common and effective material for making drawer organizers and little boxes." (bityard)

Tips for Creating Custom Gridfinity Bins

Several users offer advice and methods for creating custom Gridfinity bins, particularly for fitting specific tools and items.

  • "One of his main struggles was getting boxes that fit his power tools perfectly. He was looking for a way to easily get a shape of the tool into CAD. What’s the most straightforward and effective way to get a CAD representation of a solid these days?" (SOLAR_FIELDS)
  • "Photogrammetry is one. Generally results in messy geometry though and tolerances get finicky." (junon)
  • "The common approach is to take a photo of an object from above together with a ruler or something of a known size for scale, then import that directly into the CAD software, scale according to the scaling object, and create a cutout along the object's outline." (pavelrub)
  • "Well if you want to get dirty and not deal with design, build a vacuum former." (wizardforhire)
  • "I just pull out calipers, take some quick measurements, then put them into OpenSCAD, export, and hit print." (lrvick)

Creator and Community Appreciation

There's a recurring appreciation for Zach Freedman, the creator of Gridfinity, and the broader community that contributes to its ecosystem.

  • "Zach Freedman, the creator of the original Gridfinity, is also an amazing writer and wordsmith. His videos are full of amazing tongue twisters, alliterations and incredible puns." (slau)
  • "Zach is always a treat." (pragma_x)
  • "It is by no means a perfect solution, but its simplicity and its mass adoption make it by far the best one out there. Kudos to all gridfinity makers out there." (d--b)
  • "Zach Freedman is also an amazing writer and wordsmith. His videos are full of amazing tongue twisters, alliterations and incredible puns." (slau)

Hygiene and Material Concerns

A brief but notable side discussion touches on the hygiene aspects of 3D printing materials and repurposed items.

  • "Why do people want to reuse toilet paper rolls? Paper is not a hygienic material, and these are used in a place that's rife with bacteria..." (ffsm8)
  • "IIUC this is also true of most 3D-print materials. You should not be using Gridfinity to store food!" (bjackman)
  • "this is how to do it.I also round the edges of the cutout. Also, there is an extension for freecad to make non rectangular (e.g. 'p') shaped bins." (alphalima)