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Customize your TI calculator with a 3-D printed case

Posted 01/27/2017 by Texas Instruments

If you lose the slide case for your graphing calculator, or simply want to up your style game, you can now print a spare case for your TI-84 Plus CE graphing calculator. Texas Instruments Engineer and 3-D printing pundit, Jim Galu, designed printing files to create custom slide covers for TI’s newest graphing calculator, the TI-84 Plus CE. “These designs aren’t meant to replace the protective cover that comes with your TI calculator,” says Galu, “but it does give you some options if you lose your case or simply want to be the envy of everyone’s eye in algebra class.”

Galu, who works as a Software Quality Assurance Engineer for Texas Instruments, created the prototypes in his free time and is sharing them on Thingiverse, a thriving design community for discovering, making and sharing 3-D printable things. So far, he’s created dozens of different 3-D printable designs and he’s excited to add calculator cases to his current portfolio of pencil holders, drawer organizers and multipurpose tools.

What’s his motivation for creating the cases? Galu said he often finds himself using the case of his graphing calculator as a straight edge when he’s drafting designs. But, because the slide cases are beveled, they aren’t ideal for drawing a straight line. So, like any good engineer, Galu identified a problem and created a solution to solve it. With his 3-D printable designs, you can print a slide cover that has a straight edge, along with a built-in ruler and compass to get all of your measurements in one place.

On the less practical side, Galu expects students to have some fun personalizing the customizable calculator cases. “I hope students take the design and use it to express their personality, perhaps by adding their name or experimenting with different color combinations.” With more and more students showing an interest in 3-D printing, Galu said calculator cases seem like a natural fit to expose students to exciting 3-D technology.

According to Galu, a calculator slide cover should take anywhere from three to six hours to print and only requires a couple of dollars’ worth of filament. We’d love to see your creations. Share them with us on Facebook , Twitter or Instagram by tagging @TICalculators. Happy printing!

 

Disclaimer: Use these cases at your own discretion.  These designs are offered for free and as such, TI offers no warranties or representations regarding these designs or their ability to protect your calculator.

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