The lab is mess. This is not, in and of itself, unusual; in fact, one could make a compelling argument that it is the default state. However, as nominal lab manager, one of my resolutions for this year is to, uh, manage the lab. Therefore, I decided it would be best not to let things continue to glide along at maximum entropy.
One of my particular pain points is never being able to find the tool that I need. Our workbench is part of a shared lab space, with several other groups working in the same area. Since we have the most complete (and most visible) set of tools, they tend to get used by everyone. I am not inherently opposed to the idea of the tools being communal property, but I do get a little peeved when I have to perform a detailed survey of the entire lab in order to find the screwdriver that I need. Hence, the sign in the photo. In practice, however, it doesn’t do much good: I can’t even get people from my own lab to consistently put tools away. That, combined with Rui’s penchant for consuming sticky beverages in the soldering area, makes my life difficult.
Perhaps the root of the problem is that many of our tools don’t have a defined home. Ever since we moved to Florida, our lab has been in a partial state of upheaval, with items distributed between our two spaces seemingly at random. Many of the more rarely-used items have yet to be unpacked from their cardboard boxes. As you can see in the picture, we did at one point purchase an install a FlowWall organizer system, in a moment of optimism. And yet, our workbench remains stubbornly unorganized.
The wall organizer has tended to go underutilized because we only have one type of hangar that goes with it:
It’s certainly a sturdy hook, but there are only certain things you can hang with something like that. It is possible to purchase other types of hangars, but there is only a small selection. Even worse, FlowWall appears to be the Lamborghini of garage organization systems, and all their accessories are very expensive. This would not do.
3D Printing
I decided that it was time to take matters into my own hands, through the power of 3D printing.
I designed a plastic hook that snaps into the wall. (It took me many tries to get the geometry just right for the perfect amount of snappiness.) The hangar itself is modular, and it comprises two parts: a piece that connects to the wall, and a separate piece that contains the actual hangar. This allows you to change out the second piece depending on what you want to hang. So far, I have versions for various sizes of screwdrivers and small hand tools. The two pieces snap together easily:
So for the past couple of days, I’ve burned through our entire PLA supply printing dozens of these things. But in the end, it was worth it. Behold!
Now, every screwdriver has its place. There is no random box-o’-crap on the table with everything that we didn’t know where to put. I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. All day, I’ve been finding excuses to go into the lab so I can stare at it. Of course, it will probably be mere days before the whole thing is in disarray again, but I can’t be faulted for having dreams, can I?
If you too are the proud owner of a FlowWall organization system and you would like to 3D-print your own hangars for tool organization, the STL files are available in our GitHub repository. Good luck!
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