Suzuki SX4 Key Fob Cover
A quick and dirty cover to hold together two halves of a key fob.
This was a last-minute project to help a friend after they revealed their monstrosity of layered, peeling tape that still wasn’t holding the two halves of their broken key fob together. The proper solution would have been $30 for a new fob (or just a new shell), and a better solution would have been to print this face down with supports in TPU, but without the time or materials for either, ugly layers lines in PLA had to do.
The broken halves (tape removed) and the fob in the case
The final model
Design process
I started with a test fit of the basic outer dimensions based on a scaled top-down image. I then refined the outer edges and traced the button cutouts, printing a faceplate to check alignment. The third print the first full prototype and it fit well aside from the overestimated depth, so after slimming it down and running out of time, the next print was the final, good-enough part.
The design progression
Future Improvements
Aside from the poor print orientation, the button cutouts are not quite perfect, and the thin outline around the keyring hole is fairly fragile due to being separated from the rounded body. In this print orientation, this ended up breaking after some use.
The bottom of the fob with its case on
I think the case might friction-fit well enough to not need the keyring holding it on at all, and the bottom of the case could be thickened inwards to improve that fit. An easier first option, however, would just be using a flexible filament that could conform to the fob better without any additional design.
