Laser-Cut PC Case

Two iterations, one warped and one right

EXP-04

Org: Personal project
Role: Design · fabrication
Period: 2024 – 2025

2iterations

0designed joint tolerance, using kerf

Invertedboard layout for top intake

1.0

Objective

A basswood PC case built twice. The first warped and hung the GPU from the backplate. The second used SolidWorks assemblies, kerf-sized joints and an inverted layout.

2.0

Work performed

2.1Measured the board by hand after the published spec did not match it.
2.2Drew mortise-and-tenon joints with zero tolerance so laser kerf produced a tight interference fit.
2.3Inverted the motherboard so GPU fans pull clean air from above, away from carpet and cat hair, which also put the I/O within reach of short front-panel cables.

3.0

Specification

Tools	SolidWorks · Fusion 360 · Illustrator
Process	Laser cutting · 3D printing
Material	Basswood plywood with varnish

4.0

Plates

Laser-cut plywood PC case with engraved artwork and a hexagon mesh side panel. — Pl. 1The finished case on a shop bench: engraved mountain-and-sports artwork, front USB ports, and a hexagon-mesh panel with the GPU visible behind it.

Plywood PC case with engraved panels on a desk next to a monitor and keyboard. — Pl. 2The finished case in use beside a monitor, front USB ports and blue LEDs lit, engraved artwork on its side.

Close-up of plywood panel joints next to the edge of a motherboard. — Pl. 3Close-up of a motherboard edge seated against stacked, finger-jointed plywood panels.

Motherboard and graphics card sitting on a laser-cut plywood panel. — Pl. 4Test fit: a motherboard with white RAM and a GeForce RTX card resting on a plywood base panel.

Two laser-cut plywood case panels standing on a desk in front of a monitor. — Pl. 5Laser-cut plywood panels with finger joints and a hexagon vent, dry-fitted on a desk in front of a CAD screen.

Empty laser-cut plywood PC case on a workshop table. — Pl. 6The empty plywood shell on a shop bench: finger-jointed panels, front I/O cutouts and a hexagon vent.

Interior of a plywood PC case showing a CPU socket, RAM and a graphics card. — Pl. 7Inside the case: a Ryzen CPU and white RAM on the motherboard, with the INNO3D GeForce RTX card mounted beside the hexagon-vent panel.

Open plywood PC frame with the graphics card at the top and the power supply at the bottom. — Pl. 8Inverted-layout test fit: the INNO3D GeForce RTX card sits at the top with fans facing up, above the motherboard, RAM and power supply.

Plywood PC frame holding a power supply, a large CPU cooler and a graphics card. — Pl. 9Components installed in the plywood frame: power supply, a tower CPU cooler with a white fan, and the INNO3D GeForce RTX card.

Two plywood panels, one with a hexagon vent and one engraved with a couple and two cats. — Pl. 10Two laser-engraved panels: one with a hexagon vent, a cat-and-yarn motif and the name "Sunny"; the other a portrait of a couple holding two cats.

5.0

Anomaly report

Closed

Observed: Version 1 warped and had no GPU support.
Root cause: Internal components were never fully modeled, and unsealed plywood took on heat and humidity.
Corrective action: Version 2: full assembly model, interlocking joints, varnished panels.