The Ladder Box, a modular shelving system, is born
The Ladder Box is a modular, adjustable shelving unit, designed to store electronics and their wiring. Everything is laser-cut from either bamboo plywood or red-tint acrylic. Ordinary wood glue is used to hold the parts together to form the major components, but the main assembly is knock-down.
The supports are on the outside in order to maximize internal space and leave the interior sides flat. This also reveals the construction, and the charred edges highlight the manufacturing process. Acrylic was chosen for both its transparency and color. It also has a bit of an "oooh, shiny!" factor. Being transparent, the status lights of the electronics are visible through the panels without needing to open the box. The red gives a nice, strong contrast to the more neutral bamboo, while still complementing its warm tone. Being a firm believer in "honest design", I didn't attempt to hide the charring, or the supports. Instead, the charring is visible as a design element down the front, sides, and back. I wanted the box to demonstrate how it was constructed, and for that demonstration to also be aesthetically pleasing. The exterior reveal of the tabs also exposes the interior configuration, showing where the shelves and dividers are mounted.
The electronics in this instance are a cable modem, wireless router, old laptop running FreeNAS, external hard drive enclosure, and powerstrip for everything. The only connections leading out are for the cable net connection and power. There are cable runs through the shelves and top, as well as the back panel. Internal divider panels help organize the electronics and increase rigidity of the assembly. Though designed with this specific electronics configuration in mind, it is flexible and can accommodate a variety of configurations. It doesn't even have to be used for electronics.
Starting with some sketches and performance specs, I quickly moved to Rhinoceros for an idea of sizing and assembly. This was followed by a cardboard prototype to verify the sizing and functionality. Though slightly flimsy, the prototype was functional, containing the file server, router, and all the cabling, for a while. The prototype validated the design. If it were more attractive, it could keep going indefinitely. Once the prototype proved the concept, the parts were arranged in Rhino, virtually cut and built to ensure fit, then sent off to Ponoko SF for cutting. (I wish I could get it cut locally, but nobody else seems to offer the service and materials. I suppose I could always get my own laser cutter…)
Virtually "building" the Ladder Box in Rhino provided a great way to validate the assembly design through a virtual prototype without having to waste time, material, and money on multiple laser-cut versions. The overall process of designing and manufacturing electronically allows for a design that is both elaborate where it needs to be, yet simple enough for easy assembly and adjustment. The intricate tabs and supports would have been almost impossible to design and test without virtual construction, and quite difficult to cut precisely and repeatably by hand. Still, it was essential to start in the sketchbook, quickly working through ideas and forms to arrive at a specific concept. Also, working virtually does remove a sense of scale from the process, so verifying the size and usability was only possible with a physical prototype. The Ladder Box is very much the product of a workflow that combines analog prototyping with digital design and manufacturing processes, and wouldn't be possible without either.
The Ladder Box will be on sale on Ponoko soon. For now, the only inserts available are shelves and vertical dividers. However, the flexible mounting system means different inserts can be made, including drawers or even purpose built shelves for specific applications. (Think a caddy for a Mac Mini media server, an ethernet cable coiling panel, or a shelf with a secret compartment!)
