Phone Stand
JVDesignStudio - https://jvdesignstudio.co.uk/workshops/tinkercad-ep5-phonestand.html

Offline reference pack for this workshop.
This is a companion copy of the build steps, so you can follow along without
the website. Open the workshop online for the interactive screenshots, videos
and the copy buttons.

What you build: Phone Stand

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STEP-BY-STEP BUILD
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## Plan your design
- On paper, draw a side view of a phone stand. It looks like a backwards letter "L" with the back part angled.
- The ideal viewing angle for a phone stand is about 70 degrees from horizontal. This is comfortable for reading, watching videos, and video calls.
- Your stand needs three parts: a flat base (for stability), a back support (angled at 70°), and a lip (to stop the phone sliding off).
- Think about where a charging cable could fit, you'll need a slot at the back bottom.
- Open tinkercad.com and sign in. Click "Create new design" to start a blank workspace.

## Build the base
- From the Basic Shapes panel on the right, drag a Box onto the workplane.
- Click the box to select it. Use the dimension handles (the small squares) or the Inspector to set the size to 80mm wide x 60mm deep x 5mm tall.
- The base is wide and flat on purpose, a wide base means the stand won't tip over when you put your phone on it.
- A thicker base (5mm) adds weight at the bottom, which lowers the centre of gravity and makes the stand more stable.
- 5 mm THE BASE · WIDE AND FLAT 80 wide ✨ 60 deep ✨ 5 tall. Wide catches tipping, and the extra millimetre of thickness (5 instead of 4) adds weight low down, so the stand plants itself. 💡In engineering, stability comes from having a low centre of gravity and a wide base. Think about why a pyramid is so stable, wide at the bottom, narrow at the top! ⚡ True or False? +15 XP A wide base makes a phone stand more stable. TrueFalse A taller base makes the stand more stable. TrueFalse A heavier base prevents the stand from tipping over. TrueFalse ⚡ Check All 🧠 Knowledge Check +15 XP Why do we make the base plate wide? AFor stability, a wider base stops the stand tipping over BTo make it look bigger CBecause TinkerCAD requires wide shapes Check Answer ✅ Correct! Next Step → 3 📏 Build the Back Support Create an angled back piece using the rotation handle Locked 🎯 Goal for this stepAdd a back support angled at 70 degrees so the phone leans back comfortably. Add the angled back Drag another Box from Basic Shapes onto the workplane.
- Resize it to 80mm wide x 3mm deep x 70mm tall. This is a thin, tall panel that will support the phone.
- Position it at the back edge of the base plate.
- Now for the key part: click the back panel and look for the curved rotation handles that appear around the shape. These are the three curved arrows.
- Grab the side rotation handle and rotate the panel to 70 degrees. Watch the angle readout as you drag, TinkerCAD shows the exact angle.
- Adjust the position so the bottom of the back panel sits right on top of the base plate's back edge.
- 70° drag the side rotation handle 70.0° SIDE VIEW · the panel's bottom edge sits ON the base, at its back edge Watch the angle readout while you drag, it snaps in steps, so ease off near 70. Leaning back 20° from upright = 70° from the desk, the comfy angle for watching videos. ✅Checkpoint: from the side (click a side face on the ViewCube) your stand should look like a backwards slash sitting on a flat bar, with the panel bottom touching the base, not floating or buried. 💡Hold Shift while rotating to snap in 45-degree increments. For precise 70°, type the number directly into the angle field that appears while rotating. 💻 Code Challenge +20 XP Fill in the blanks for the back support settings: Shape: Rotation angle: degrees 🔍 Check Code 💡 Hint: We're using a basic shape and the ideal viewing angle we learned in Step 1. 🧠 Knowledge Check +15 XP Which tool do you use to rotate shapes in TinkerCAD? AThe dimension handles (small squares) BThe Align tool CThe curved rotation handles (curved arrows) Check Answer ✅ Correct! Next Step → 4 🛑 Add a Lip to Stop the Phone Sliding Create a small ridge at the front so the phone stays put Locked 🎯 Goal for this stepAdd a small lip at the front of the base to prevent the phone from sliding off the stand. Build the lip Drag a new Box onto the workplane.
- Resize it to 80mm wide x 5mm deep x 10mm tall. This is a thin ridge that sticks up from the front.
- Position it at the front edge of the base plate, sitting on top of the base.
- The lip needs to be tall enough to catch the bottom edge of your phone (about 10mm) but not so tall that it blocks the screen.
- The lip depth of 5mm is enough to hold the phone without making the stand look bulky.
- 10 mm tall 5 mm the lip · catches the phone's bottom edge Front edge, sitting ON TOP of the base. 10 mm is tall enough to hold the phone, short enough to stay clear of the screen. Slide it flush with the front so it looks intentional. 💡If you have a phone case, measure the bottom edge thickness, your lip should be at least that tall plus a couple of millimetres for a snug fit. ✏️ Fill in the Blanks +15 XP The lip height is mm and the lip depth is mm. ✏️ Check Answers 🧠 Knowledge Check +15 XP What does the lip do on a phone stand? AIt makes the stand look nicer BIt stops the phone from sliding off the front CIt holds the charging cable Check Answer ✅ Correct! Next Step → 5 🕳️ Hollow Out the Back Use the Hole tool to save material and reduce print time Locked 🎯 Goal for this stepHollow out the back support to use less filament and speed up printing, while keeping it strong enough. Create a hollow back Select your back support panel and press Ctrl+D (or Cmd+D on Mac) to duplicate it. A copy appears right on top.
- With the duplicate selected, make it slightly smaller, reduce width by 6mm and height by 6mm (so there's a 3mm wall on each side).
- In the Inspector (top right), click the colour swatch and change the duplicate to "Hole". It turns grey/striped, this means it will cut away material.
- Make sure the hole shape is centred on the solid back panel. Use the Align tool (press L) to centre them perfectly.
- Select both shapes (click one, then Shift+click the other). Press Ctrl+G to Group them. The hole cuts into the solid, your back panel is now hollow!
- PANEL + SMALLER HOLE Align, then Ctrl+G HOLLOW FRAME 3 mm walls all round, strong but lighter Duplicate, shrink by 6 mm, make it a Hole, Align, Group. The middle vanishes, leaving a picture-frame back that uses less filament and prints faster with no loss of strength. 💡Hollowing saves filament (plastic) and makes your print faster. A 3mm wall thickness is strong enough for a phone stand while cutting material use by about 60%! ⚡ True or False? +15 XP Setting a shape to "Hole" makes it remove material when grouped. TrueFalse The hole shape must be bigger than the solid shape. TrueFalse Grouping (Ctrl+G) combines shapes and applies holes. TrueFalse ⚡ Check All 🧠 Knowledge Check +15 XP How do you turn a shape into a hole in TinkerCAD? ADelete it from the workplane BPress the H key CChange it to "Hole" in the Inspector Check Answer ✅ Correct! Next Step → 6 🔌 Add a Cable Slot Cut a slot in the back so you can charge your phone while it's on the stand Locked 🎯 Goal for this stepAdd a cable routing slot so you can plug in a charger while your phone is on the stand. Create the cable slot Drag a new Box onto the workplane.
- Resize it to about 15mm wide x 10mm deep x 8mm tall. This slot needs to be big enough for a USB cable to fit through.
- Change this box to a Hole in the Inspector (just like we did in the last step).
- Position the hole at the back bottom of the stand, centred on the base where it meets the back support. The cable will run through here from behind.
- Select all parts of your stand (Ctrl+A) and press Ctrl+G to group everything together. The cable slot cuts through the base and back.
- VIEW FROM BEHIND cable slot 15 mm wide ✨ 8 mm tall set to Hole, then group all Centre the slot where base meets back panel so the charging cable runs straight through to the phone. After placing it, Ctrl+A then Ctrl+G cuts the slot and welds the whole stand into one piece. 💡Measure your actual charging cable plug, USB-C plugs are about 9mm x 4mm, but the cable itself needs more room. A 15mm x 8mm slot gives plenty of clearance. 🔢 Put It In Order +15 XP Click these steps in the correct order to add a cable slot: Change the box to a Hole Select all and Group (Ctrl+G) Drag a new Box onto the workplane Position the hole at the back bottom Resize to 15mm x 10mm x 8mm 🔍 Check Order↺ Reset 🧠 Knowledge Check +15 XP Why do we add a cable slot to the phone stand? ATo make the stand lighter BSo you can charge your phone while it's on the stand CTo let air flow through Check Answer ✅ Correct! Next Step → 7 🔄 Round the Edges Make the stand comfortable and safe with rounded edges Locked 🎯 Goal for this stepRound off the sharp edges so the stand is comfortable to pick up and looks more professional. Soften the edges If your stand is grouped, click it and press Ctrl+Shift+G to Ungroup so you can edit individual parts.
- Select the base plate. From Basic Shapes, drag a Roof (wedge/prism) shape onto the workplane.
- Resize the wedge to match the base's front edge and set it as a Hole. Position it to chamfer (cut away) the sharp front corners of the base.
- Alternatively, you can use TinkerCAD's Round Roof shape or Cylinder shapes as holes to create smooth rounded edges.
- Group your rounded edges with the base. Repeat for the lip and top of the back support if you want a fully polished look.
- Rounding edges isn't just about looks, sharp edges on 3D prints can be uncomfortable to hold and can even cause small scratches.
- WEDGE HOLE ON THE CORNER Group SMOOTH CHAMFER SIDE VIEW · the sharp 90° corner becomes a friendly 45° slope A Roof (wedge) shape set to Hole is a corner-eraser. Sit it over any sharp edge and Group; the corner gets sliced off at a slope. Repeat wherever the stand feels boxy. 💡Professional products always have rounded edges. Pick up any phone, remote control or mug, the edges are smooth. This is called ergonomic design! ✏️ Fill in the Blanks +15 XP Rounding edges makes the stand more and . ✏️ Check Answers 🧠 Knowledge Check +15 XP How can you round edges in TinkerCAD? AUse the Smooth button in the toolbar BChange the shape to a sphere CUse wedge or cylinder shapes as holes to cut away sharp corners Check Answer ✅ Correct! Next Step → 8 🧪 Test the Design Use a phone-shaped rectangle to check angle and stability Locked 🎯 Goal for this stepTest your phone stand design by placing a phone-shaped proxy on it and checking the angle and stability. Test your design Drag a Box onto the workplane and resize it to roughly phone size: 75mm x 8mm x 150mm. This is your phone proxy.
- Place the phone proxy on the stand, the bottom should rest on the lip and the back should lean against the back support.
- Use TinkerCAD's Ruler tool (press R) to check that the angle looks right. The phone should lean back comfortably at about 70 degrees.
- Check that the phone proxy doesn't extend past the sides of the base, if it does, your stand might tip sideways.
- Look at the stand from multiple angles (hold right-click and drag to orbit). Does it look stable? Would it tip if you tapped the phone?
- Delete the phone proxy when you're done testing, it's not part of the final design!
- ≈70° phone proxy · 75 ✨ 8 × 150 mm box bottom caught by the lip · back resting on the support · nothing hanging past the base sides Build a fake phone to test with. A simple 75 ✨ 8 ✨ 150 box stands in for the phone; lean it on the stand and orbit around, if it looks stable from every angle, it will be. Delete the proxy before exporting! 💡If the phone seems like it would tip the stand backward, try making the base deeper (increase from 60mm to 70mm) or adding more weight to the front. 🔮 Predict What Happens +15 XP Your phone stand has a 40mm deep base and the back support is angled at 85 degrees (nearly vertical). What will likely happen when you place a heavy phone on it? AThe phone will sit perfectly fine BThe stand will tip backward because the phone's weight pushes past the base CThe phone will slide sideways 🔮 Check Prediction 🧠 Knowledge Check +15 XP Why do we test with a phone-shaped proxy before 3D printing? ATo catch problems before wasting filament and print time BBecause TinkerCAD requires a test object CTo make the file bigger Check Answer ✅ Correct! Next Step → 9 📦 Export & Learn About Infill Save as STL and understand how infill percentage affects strength Locked 🎯 Goal for this stepExport your phone stand as an STL file and learn how infill percentage affects the strength and weight of your 3D print. 👨‍👧Parent note: Exporting the STL is the final design step. To actually 3D print, you'll need a slicer program (like Cura or PrusaSlicer) and a 3D printer. Many libraries and makerspaces have printers available for free! Export and print settings Make sure your phone stand is fully Grouped (select all, Ctrl+G). The whole stand should be one piece.
- Click the Export button in the top-right corner of TinkerCAD.
- Choose .STL as the file format. This is the standard format that 3D printers understand.
- Save the file somewhere you can find it (like your Desktop).
- When you open the STL in a slicer, you'll choose an infill percentage. This controls how solid the inside of your print is:
- 20% infill = light and fast to print, but weaker. Good for decorative items.
- 50% infill = a good balance of strength and material use. Recommended for phone stands!
- 100% infill = completely solid, very strong but uses the most filament and takes the longest to print.
