3D Printer FYI
Part of the Featured Designers series. Files: ZackFreedman on Thangs.
Who / where
ZackFreedman on Thangs publishes the original Gridfinity files. The Thangs profile line is: “I make silly videos about serious projects! Find me on YouTube, and download all my stuff here to build yourself.” The announcement video is Gridfinity: Your Ultimate Modular Workshop is FREE!. The community wiki at gridfinity.xyz states that Alexandre Chappel’s Assortment System (CC-BY-NC-SA) partly inspired the first designs, and that Zack released Gridfinity as a framework under the MIT license. Confirm the license on each Thangs file page before you print or sell.
The problem
Workshop clutter. The wiki’s tagline is that Gridfinity is meant to keep you productive and organized: a modular, almost fully FDM-printable storage system on a 42 × 42 × 7 mm integer grid. Zack’s own listing copy says the point is to deploy plates “anywhere you need some order,” not to win a density contest.
Designs that show the system
| Design | Official listing | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Gridfinity Baseplates | Thangs — Gridfinity Baseplates | Frame vs weighted plates; magnets/screws optional |
| Gridfinity Divider Bins | Thangs — Divider Bins | Scoop + 12 mm label tab; stackable blocks |
| Gridfinity Window Divider Bin | Thangs — Window Divider Bin | One wall is a glass microscope slide |
Prefer these listings over Printables re-uploads that say “I am not the author.”
Divider Box 2×1×6, five compartments. Creator: Zack Freedman. Source: Gridfinity Divider Bins on Thangs. License: view on that listing.
Window Box 2×1×6, three compartments. Creator: Zack Freedman. Source: Gridfinity Window Divider Bin on Thangs. License: view on that listing.
Print notes from the listings
Taken from Zack’s Thangs descriptions:
- Baseplates: a Prusa i3 Mk3 can print up to a 5×5 grid; wide plates curl — “make sure your bed adhesion and release is dialed in.” Optional 6×2 mm magnets and M3 screws; rubber feet and tire weights on the weighted plate. “Use any filament with an 0.6 mm or smaller nozzle.”
- Divider bins: dimensions in filenames are width × depth × height in grid units (42 mm) and 7 mm height units. Scoop for retrieval; label tab fits 12 mm label-maker tape. Two-unit-high bins omit labels. No brim/support required per the listing. Same 0.6 mm nozzle note; wider bins can curl.
- Window bins: one wall replaced with a glass microscope slide (scratch resistance vs acrylic). Two printed parts: compartment + faceplate. Because slides come in one size, only 2-unit-wide bins are offered.
License
gridfinity.xyz describes the original release as MIT. Thangs listings currently display “This model is restricted by licensing terms” with a View license control — click it on the file you will print or sell. Community ports (OpenSCAD rebuilds, generators) have their own licenses. Chappel’s earlier assortment system is called out as CC-BY-NC-SA; that is a different project.
What to steal as a method
- Publish a grid and a compatibility rule (“all blocks fit all plates”), not one hero STL.
- Put units in the filename.
- Write the failure mode on the listing (curl, adhesion) instead of “easy print.”
- Credit the prior art in public.
Parametric generators on gridfinity.xyz are community tools, not Zack’s Thangs account. Use them, then still credit the system.