From the workshop · Engineering notes

From a software brief to a 3D-printed enclosure.

Words, design & prototype by Dmitriy Savenkov

A 3D-printed enclosure prototype, from concept to physical form.

A client approached me to develop software for a non-contact infrared thermometer. By that evening, I was designing its enclosure in SolidWorks.

We met with the whole team and discussed the details. After reviewing the circuit design, I suggested a couple of improvements. Then the conversation turned to the enclosure.

I looked at the proposed options—and felt that familiar engineering itch. I wanted to explore the shape, fit the electronics neatly inside, and work out the assembly. I was already picturing the surfaces, mounting points, and how the parts would fit together.

An evening in SolidWorks.

That evening at home, I sketched out the exterior and internal layout. The enclosure needed to accommodate:

A built-in 18650 rechargeable battery.
Three control buttons.
Two interconnected PCBs, a separate sensor board, and a display.

I designed locating features and supports for the components, and explored two ways to join the enclosure halves: snap-fits or ultrasonic welding.

Inside the SolidWorks model: the 18650 battery, interconnected boards, controls and display supports.

The project stopped. The idea didn’t.

I showed the concept to the client the next day. But the project didn’t move forward.

By then, though, I was hooked on the design. I wanted to build it, check how the parts fitted together, and take the idea at least as far as a physical prototype.

So I printed the parts on my home 3D printer and assembled the enclosure prototype you see in the photos.

The physical prototype

A closer look.

Side profile and access to the controls.

The enclosure’s proportions in the hand.

A closer look at the sensor opening and front geometry.

The relationship between the body, grip and control surfaces.

The display face and the transition into the grip.

Display-side view from the opposite hand.

Another view of the display and side-mounted control.

The front and side surfaces in natural light.

The finished enclosure prototype at dusk.

Photographs show the enclosure prototype. Display readouts are visualizations.

I enjoy working across the whole product: understanding the circuitry, writing the software, and designing the mechanical parts. Especially when a decision in one area helps improve another. Being able to move between those disciplines is a big part of what keeps engineering interesting for me.

Have you ever continued developing an idea after the original project came to a halt—simply because you still wanted to build it and see how it worked?

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