3D Printed iPhone Lightning Dock
July 19th, 2013
Projects
![](/projects/3d-printed-lightning-dock/77a57_header_resized.jpg)
One of the few docks available for the iPhone 5 is the Lightning Dock. Apple did not release an official dock for any lightning-capable devices, leaving it for third-party manufacturers to make them. The one I came up with is visually similar to the Lightning Dock, but modified to work with the limitations of the 3D printer.
![](/projects/3d-printed-lightning-dock/bf60d_dscn9860.jpg)
The connector can be extended higher to accomodate thicker cases. The connector itself is strong enough to hold the phone, so I didn’t bother adding back support.
![](/projects/3d-printed-lightning-dock/3ec0f_dscn9866.jpg)
A long M3 bolt holds the connector in place. The slot at the bottom is for holding the dock down to the table.
![](/projects/3d-printed-lightning-dock/b0f38_dscn9883.jpg)
The way 3D printers work means that all models have ridges between layers. Some people like the look of it, but I don’t so I sanded it down with some 120-grit paper.
![](/projects/3d-printed-lightning-dock/f7e8c_dscn9873.jpg)
Internal structure.
STL Model
Also available on Thingiverse.