Creality Otter Grip and Modular Mount System

Completed Project can be seen here:
https://www.creativecarrs.com/product-page/creality-otter-modular-handle-and-mount

I recently purchased the Creality Otter 3D scanner and while I enjoyed it, I found it a littler cumbersome and fatiguing to use handheld as I was constantly worried what would happen if I dropped it. Additionally, there are a lot of things that I wanted to scan that were too far away from my computer and I wanted some portable solution that would work for short impromptu scanning as well as longer extended sessions potentially out in my garage or some remote location......so I set out to design and build something.

First, I wanted a battery that had more capacity than what Creality was offering, as I wanted to charge both my phone and power the scanner without worry of running out part way through the day, this also meant I wanted a display on the battery bank and hoped to find something with an integrated cable.

After scouring the internet for a while, I finally found something that looked like it would fit my needs, so I purchased it and waited patiently. Upon its arrival, I used my 3D scanner to scan the battery/power bank and then pull it into CAD so that I could create a shell/case for it. After a few test prints I found a design that provided a snug and secure fit, that confidently held the battery, without being too hard to use.

Next was the grip, I found one online and printed it out to see what I thought of it in use, and while it was a good design, I decided that I wanted to improve on it further to fit my needs and comfort preferences. I decided to use my 3D scanner again to literally scan my hand in a resting position, brought this into CAD and then used it to "mold" the grip to my hand.

Next was determining how I could install the otter, with a screw, without having multiple joints. Again after some trial and error, I finally found a way to create a path, internal to the grip, for the bolt to go through that would provide easy access and maintain the structure that I was looking for, but it was a very tight fit.

In addition, I learned that I really wanted an anti-rotation flange on this grip, to help with the install but also to prevent the need/want to over tighten the unit.....again it took some dialing in of prototypes, with changes of ~0.1mm until I was happy with a robust but secure design, but eventually I was able to get what I needed.

Then it was the phone holder, I wanted something simple and universal that could be removed. I tried a few readily available models and though I drew inspiration on them, in the end I again built something from scratch that better fit my specific needs and now have something that should be easily adaptable to many needs.

The last part of the grip was the bottom flange, this needed to be strong, stable and allow for attachments. This required a few iterations with the "base" for the battery bank, as my fittings want to be tight but not difficult to use and I wanted the flange to be large for stability but not overwhelm the design, knowing i'd need to add other items to it (power/data hub). It again took some trial and error, not only for fitment and tolerances but in the design of the leading edge to make it easy to install....I actually used my 4 year old to help with this, by giving him a couple of options and asking for him to assemble it.....the one that was easiest is what I moved forward with.

Now I had a comfortable grip, with a universal phone mount and a detachable battery bank, great.....but now I needed to hook everything up and make it function. Realizing that I would need/want the ability to split the power and data, I decided to find a specific type of USB hub that would allow this and potential growth of a wifi adapter in future, but also wanting it to be affordable while having the transfer speeds I wanted, was a challenge. Eventually I found something that met that criteria and the only remaining items was buying a plethora of USB cable types/sized to determine what provided the best connection, ease of use, minimal cost and limited strain on the USB ports of both the scanner and my phone.

With all of this together, the first full prototype was printed, tested and refined further until I was happy. The next task was to refine the actual 3D print for some quality issues and determine how I wanted the model to be split to ensure the best finish on the multiple components and while ideally minimizing both material and print time.....this took a while and left me with many "complete" prototype scattered throughout my office and house.....but eventually a design was found that "only" took around 13 hours to print and produced consistent results that felt good and looked good too.

So after many iterations driven by testing and use of the product, the final version is now available for sale! Depending on how well it does, I have some side projects in the works for other adapters and accessories to fit an even broader set of needs. I am very happy with how it has turned out and how much easier it makes my life for scanning while tethered to my computer or when scanning "remotely" from my phone.

A few images are below of the finished product and some " in development" pictures also.

If you have any questions, feel free to message me at info@CreativeCarrs.com.