For my project, I struggled to come up with an idea. I originally wanted to do something more artistic and with the theme of my work so far. I was thinking of making a shift knob for my car but as I was driving around today, I noticed a problem that has been annoying me ever since I bought the car. The cup holders are in the most illogical spot in the car and get in the way of my arm every time I shift gears. The photo below shows what I am referring to. As you can see from the photo, the gear shift is right in front of my cup holder. I’ve got to the point where I can’t have any drinks in my car when I drive because it gets so frustrating. I’ve also spilled a few drinks in the past due to this as well.

My idea is to create a different spot to place my drink during drives so that it doesn’t interfere. To do this, my plan is to model a part on solid works and 3D print the pieces to create the holder. I have a couple issues I need to think about during my design. Firstly, the mounting position of the holder needs to be strong enough to hold a drink during motion. My car doesn’t have a lot of room to work with so I’m limited to where I can put it. It also has to be close enough to reach while being safe when driving. In the photo below, I show the area where I am planning on putting the holder. On the right side of the center console next to the shifter. If you look closely, you can see a button like object on the plastic. This is actually a screw cover, but I can use that screw as a means of attaching the holder securely.

Another problem I need to consider is the fact that not all drinks/cups are the same diameter. So, I will need to come up with a way to keep multiple different sized drinks in place. Scouring the internet, I found a couple examples of ways I could do this shown below.

I think the idea of having a single sized ring would be neat since it’s not super complex and I can use the chamfer of the cup to hold it in place. This won’t work with cups or cans that don’t have a chamfer, but I can easily add a shelf below as a stop.

This is another idea where I can have spring loaded flaps like those shown above. This will press down when the cup is placed into the holder, securing the cup in the center.

Finally, I need to consider the aesthetic for this design. I don’t necessarily want this piece to be boring and one single color with easy geometry. I also don’t want it to be too flashy and look cheap either. Seeing that my car interior is a mixture of black and silver, I’m going to try my best to match the aesthetic of the car by having smooth silver accents with a matte black frame. Luckily, 3D printers allow for different colors of material so I have looked into purchasing silver PLA for the accents and black PLA for everything else. Looking around at some other 3D printed cup holders, I found someone who made a model similar to what I am planning which will help me during my design process. Below you can find a photo of the holder made by Miata man on youtube.

References

Red Hound Auto Cup Holder for Compatible with Chevy GMC (2007-2013 …, www.walmart.ca/en/ip/Red-Hound-Auto-Cup-Holder-Compatible-Chevy-GMC-2007-2013-Silverado-Sierra-2007-2014-Suburban-Yukon-Tahoe-Replacement-Center-Console-Beverage-Drink-In/PRD0S2AT9QD3QHJ. Accessed 1 Mar. 2024.

Man, Miata, director. Another Great Cup Holder Option for 1990-1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata / Eunos., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF_640Lhvug.