On the market, there is a lack of functional cup/ water bottle holders for individuals with disabilities who require assistance on their wheelchairs. To address this issue, I reached out to Trusted Parents, a non-profit organization, to assist a family in creating a customized cup holder for their child.

This guide will teach you how to design and 3D print your own cup holder as an assistive device.

Hey, I'm Parinaz Hathiram, a junior in high school enrolled at Charlotte Latin School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Volunteering is a passion of mine, and I am particularly drawn to digital fabrication technologies such as 3D printing, laser cutting, and CNC machines. I enjoy using my skills in these areas to make a positive impact on my community.

This device was designed on Fusion 360, and the files for the parts are accessible to anyone who is interested in printing them.

I highly recommend checking out Makers Making Change, an organization that may benefit from this project and help people all around the world. Utilizing your digital fabrication skills and printing models like these is an excellent way to assist those in need within your community and beyond.

Supplies

For this project you'll need:

Access to a 3D Printer (This tutorial uses an Original Prusa Mini)
Access to Fusion 360
Calipers (or any sort of measuring tool)
Screw & Nut (2x)
A lanyard
A good attitude :)

Step 1: Creating the Cup Holder

The first step is creating the cup holder in which the cup will be attached to on the gait trainer, walker, wheel chair, etc.

Here are the step by step instructions on how to create the Cup Holder in Fusion 360:

1. Open Fusion 360 application.

2. Create a sketch and draw a circle with the diameter of the cup you will use (e.g., 4 inches).

3. Extrude the sketch to the desired height (e.g., 4 inches).

4. Shell the feature to your desired thickness (e.g., 0.25 inches).

5. Create a new sketch on the outside of the cup and draw two center slots next to each other, with a height of 2.7 inches and a width of 0.75 inches, spaced about 0.9 inches apart.

6. Extrude cut through the cup to create two slots on opposite sides.

7. Create a new sketch on the back of the cup and draw a rectangle with dimensions of 3x1 inches.

8. Offset the rectangle inside by 0.30 inches.

9. Extrude the space between the original rectangle and the offset rectangle to a height of 0.50 inches.

10. Create a new sketch on the bottom of the cup holder.

11. Draw a circle with a diameter of 2.5 inches.

12. Extrude cut the circle through the cup to create a hole.

13. Add fillets of 0.15 inches to the top and bottom lip of the cup for a finished look.

14. Congratulations! Your cup holder is complete.

cup

Step 2: Making the Clamp

After creating the cup holder, now we need a way to fasten it to the target device where it is going to reside.

Here are step by step instructions on how to create a clamp in Fusion 360:

1 . Create a new sketch and draw two rectangles. One rectangle will serve as the slider for the cup, and the other as the base of the clamp.

Draw the slider rectangle with dimensions of 0.48 x 0.40 inches.
Draw the base rectangle with dimensions of 1.30 x 1 inch.

2 . Extrude the slider rectangle to a height of 2.7 inches.

3 . Also, extrude the base rectangle to a height of 0.5 inches.

4 . Create a new sketch on the left plane and draw a circle with a diameter of 1.5 inches.

5 . Offset the circle inside by 0.05 inches.

6 .To create the holes for tightening the clamp, draw a protruded rectangle with dimensions of 0.38 x 0.035 inches.

7 . Use the spline tool to connect the circle to the protruded rectangle, creating a smooth transition.

8 . Use the move/copy tool to duplicate the circle with the protruded rectangle, resulting in two sets.

9 . Go back to the original sketch (step 3) and draw two lines between the profiles to determine where you want the two circles to end, allowing flexibility and easy screwing.

10 . Extrude cut the newly created profile through both circles.

11 . Create a new sketch on the top surface of the base rectangle and draw two circles spaced 0.35 inches apart.

12 . Extrude cut the two circles in both directions through the bottom of the base rectangle and the top of the protruding rectangle.

13 . Congratulations! You have created a clamp that can be used to fasten the cup holder to the target device.

Clamp

Step 3: Making the Cup Transportable

This step is optional, although the girl I worked with at Trusted Parents had cerebral palsy on the right side of her body and struggled to balance herself while holding something in her hands. She needed a way to carry the cup on her person for easy access. She carried her basic necessities in a bag slung around her shoulders and wanted a way to have the cup with her even when she wasn't using her gait trainer to walk.

In this step, I will show you how I made the cup portable from her gait trainer to her body, enabling her to access her water whenever she needs it.

Here are the step by step instructions on how to create the Transportable Ring:

1. Created a sketch, and draw a circle and using the parameter "Bottle Diameter" which can be found by clicking: Modify > Change Parameters.

2. Next, create and offset of 0.25 inches, or the desired thickness.

3. Extrude the object 0.32 inches or the desired thickness.

4. Now onto creating the stubs which will hold the lanyard, this is done by creating another sketch on the right face of the component, and drawing a circle.

5. Using parametric measurements for dimensions for the circle sketched. This label is referred to as "Stubs" which can be found by clicking: Modify > Change Parameters.

6. Extrude the object 0.30 inches or the desired thickness.

Below is the Fusion 360 file, where you can download the ring and customize it to your own cup using the parametric design feature.

Transportable Cup Ring

Step 4: Clip Attacher and Lanyard

In this step, we will be using attachable clips to connect to the stubs on the transportable cup ring. This will allow us to attach the lanyard to the clip and easily attach and detach the lanyard from the ring.

Here are the step-by-step instructions to create the clip that will attach to the stubs:

Sketch a 1 x 1 inch square.
Sketch two circles, one with a diameter of 0.25 inches and one with a diameter of 0.27 inches.
Draw a center-to-center slot with a length of 0.60 inches and a diameter of 0.097 inches.
Extrude the square shape, leaving the circles and slot empty.
Use the spline tool to create a desired shape.
Extrude cut the outer part, leaving the practical design clip.

Once you've finished your design on Fusion 360, export the design and print it on a 3D printer.

Clip To Attach Lanyard To Stubs

Step 5: Exporting & Printing

Congrats! You’ve successfully generated your own cup holder!

Print Settings -

My tests were printed using the default "0.20mm Speed" from PrusaSlicer on a Prusa I3 MK3S+. This layer height gives a strong good quality print in a timely manner!

Supports:

Dependent on which part you are printing in this multi part process - they may be necessary.

Resolution:

0.20mm - as mentioned above, 0.20 is a good resolution, as the print come out to be durable, and fast. Aesthetics are also important although quality is more valuable in this project.

Infill:

15% or 20% - depending on how strong you want each piece.