The DevOps profession is based on automation, containers, and deployments, but it often forgets the physical world. 3D technology allows you to create prototypes of servers, racks, or mounts for lab hardware. A clear example: designing a mount for a Raspberry Pi that runs your CI/CD pipelines. Necessary programs: OpenSCAD for parametric modeling, Fusion 360 for mechanical design, and Cura as a slicer for the printer.
Parametric modeling for reproducible infrastructure 🖨️
With OpenSCAD you can write the design of a server bracket as if they were configuration files. You change a variable and the model adapts, just like a Dockerfile. Fusion 360 allows you to simulate thermal and physical loads, ensuring your printed rack doesn't collapse under the weight of a switch. Then, Cura converts the model into G-code for the printer. The result: exact parts for your homelab, without ordering them from a supplier that takes weeks.
When your pipeline fails and the filament is to blame 🔥
Nothing like a Monday morning: the deployment breaks because the test server mount melted at 35 degrees. Turns out you used PLA filament, which is biodegradable and also biodegrades with the microcontroller's heat. Now you have to reprint in PETG, but the printer has been heating up for three hours and the boss is asking why the pipeline is red. The moral: infrastructure as code is fine, but infrastructure as melted plastic is another level of troubleshooting.