We show you here the external box that makes up the skeleton of the prototype SolarNET.HuB (SNH) from its beginnings in the design.

We opted for a fast prototyping and 3D printing as this can offer several benefits for product development process:

• Recycled material
• Easy to print
• Low warping
• Long-term sustainability
• Educational value
• Innovation and digital heritage preservation
• Improved design iteration
• Reduced costs
• Increased customization
• Enhanced communication
• Improved product quality
• On-demand manufacturing
• Environmental benefits
• Increased accessibility

It is a box made from sustainable materials and can be built with a 3D printer.

Imagine you could recycle plastic bottles and food containers into brand new ones, without sacrificing quality or safety.

That's exactly what's happening with PLA, a bioplastic made from plant-based materials. We are using Recycled PLA or rPLA, is a type of 3D printer filament that is made from the post-industrial extrusion waste streams of PLA filaments, so no new plastics used here, comes with a sustainable packaging and offers a high-quality 3D printing guaranteed and we bought an industrial-sized cardboard spools, to print big without creating a lot of waste.

The process includes:

• Sorting PLA for Purity: PLA is easy to sort from other plastics, thanks to special techniques that use light and density. This means we can keep PLA separate and clean, ensuring the recycled material is top-notch.

• Producing New PLA from Recycled Lactic Acid: Instead of using new plant-based materials, we're recycling old PLA into lactic acid, the building block of PLA. This process is like giving PLA a new life, reducing the need for fresh resources.

• Food-Safe Recycled PLA: The recycled PLA is just as safe as virgin PLA, meeting all the food contact regulations. That means you can use it for food packaging and other applications where food contact is expected.

• Reducing Virgin Material Use: By using recycled PLA, we're reducing the need for new plant-based materials, which is good for the environment. It's like having more cake while using fewer eggs.

• Rethinking Recycling: A Win-Win: It helps us reduce waste and save resources, all while producing high-quality plastic materials. It's a circular approach that makes sense for our planet and our future.

The whole case has been built, with the wonders of parametric design, which allows us and you to:

• Ensure designs are always spot-on: the design rules makes sure everything is consistent and accurate, so you can say goodbye to those pesky mistakes.
• Work together seamlessly: Sharing and modifying designs in real-time, from anywhere in the world.
• Explore endless possibilities: lets you experiment with different design options in a snap.
• Try out new ideas, test different variations, and find the perfect solution for your needs.

All will be published under our free licenses allowing people to share, modify and create alternatives for theirs use.

This way of designing transforms product design, engineering, and manufacturing.

We have think on all the process in a modular way, so to keep the core or brain of the system connected to the solar power and portable version and the case, we opted to use a shield.

This shield works as a portable solution to internally store the energy from the sun through the solar panels in a lithium battery. This power supply turns your Pi into a self-powered, portable powerhouse, letting you take your creativity and actions anywhere its needed, from hackatons, hacker-spaces, nomadic laboratories, demonstrations, conflict areas, you think it… it stays there for you ready to work.

A shield is a daughter board that plugs into your PI, as a backpack attached to the GPIO Pins, and leaving free-to-use the locations and functionality of most of the native IO pins, giving you as a user a whole set of extra functionality.

Imagine the possibilities:

• Power your Pi projects outdoors with PiJuice's long-lasting battery backup. Whether in nature, at a remote location, or just feeling adventurous, your Pi stays powered and ready to go.
• Never lose track of time thanks to the real-time clock (RTC) that keeps your Pi's time synced even when power is lost. No more missed moments or disrupted projects.
• Get smart power management with the integrated microcontroller (MCU) that handles shutdowns, deep sleep states, and intelligent startups, keeping your Pi and data safe.
• Stay informed and in control with the dual tri-colored RGB LEDs that provide real-time feedback on charge levels and other important info.
• Expand your Pi's capabilities with three programmable buttons that trigger events and scripts, giving you even more control over your projects.
• Not losing GPIO pins – PiJuice uses just five, leaving plenty of room for other cool site-specific projects.
• Stack and expand with the stacking header, ensuring compatibility with your existing HATs and add-ons.
• Go to a more renewal attitude and practice, and power your Pi with the sun, wind, or other sustainable sources using PiJuice's renewable power solution.
• Turn your Pi into a self-monitoring, autonomous system, from a space satellite, enabling groundbreaking projects like autonomous camera systems, weather stations, off-grid desktops, and so much more.

And this is how it looks on our rendering system:

Below a video of the whole process from rebuilding the Raspberry Pi 3B+ to the shield with the lithium battery and then building the case around the core.

The workflow combines the benefits of the Ender 3V2's rapid prototyping with the Bamboo Labs X1 Carbon's refined execution for final parts.

We have carried out resistance tests and thought about each space to make it as efficient as possible and added some rubber feets to avoid sliping on the table.

Gyroid infill has emerged as a popular choice for 3D printing due to its unique properties and advantageous characteristics. Its intricate, bone-like structure contributes to its remarkable strength-to-weight ratio, making it ideal for lightweight yet robust applications.

Studies at the MIT in 2017 have demonstrated that gyroid infill can withstand up to 30% more compressive force than traditional infill patterns while using 15% less material. Additionally, its smooth, continuous structure allows for efficient material deposition, reducing printing time by up to 20%.

Gyroid infill's inspiration from nature's strength and its adoption by popular slicing software have propelled its use in various fields, including aerospace, automotive, architecture, medical devices, and consumer goods. As the technology advances, gyroid infill is poised to play an increasingly significant role in shaping the future of 3D printing.

Besides the Gyroid, we have created on the horizontal and vertical shells, 4 solid layers on its interior and exterior, to give this case a robust structural engineering strength.

Here we share with you a funny moment with the team, when we got the first fully working armor for the SolarNET.HuB (SNH) and we question how robust was this honeycomb pattern and gyroid infill.

In this section you can see the evolution of the different prototypes for the external case that protects the kit.

We present the first version of the prototype called: .:Solaria:.