Acrylic Breadboard Case

I have a Twin Industries Breadboard that is 3 modules wide and has 4 power connectors at the top. It is all packaged on a sheet of steel and is well constructed.

I built a case that I could slide it into, to protect the circuit that I am working on, and make it easy to put in my backpack.

The case was laser cut out of acrylic, bent into shape, and then glued together. It has stood up to a few months of torture in my backpack, and has saved me a lot of headache.

I made this at Techshop using their Epilog CO2 laser cutter, heat strip bender, planer and miter saw. Check out their website at Techshop.ws!

Step 1: Laser Cut and Make a Form

I started out with a large sheet of neon yellow acrylic. About 2'x3' from TAP plastics for $5.

Laser cut out a top /bottom, 2 sides and a lid. Also a good amount of 5mm wide strips for slides. The dimensions I used came from the board that I used, and I made sure to leave enough room for taller components to be placed on the breadboad.

The 2 sides are different lengths to accommodate the lid. I made the left side 1/4" shorter for this.

I also made a wooden form to help me bend it to the correct shape. I grabbed some scrap wood and cut it to the correct dimensions. I also rounded the corners at the bottom to match the side pieces.

Step 2: Bend and Glue

Heat up the acrylic, and then drape it around the form. I did each bend individually.

Make sure it is cooled down before relieving pressure from the acrylic to ensure it keeps its form.

Using acrylic cement, glue the strips to the side pieces to act as rails to keep the breadboard in place. Wait for it to set and then glue the sides to the top / bottom piece and wait a full 24 hours for the assembled breadbox to be ready.

I added 2 small tab pieces to the top of the right side for the top lid to slide into and be kept in place.

I ended up adding epoxy to the small gaps in the corners where the bend wasn't the correct radius. This may help to make the case more durable too.