Laser-cut aluminium holder and divider sets for MINDEF

Aluminium holder sets for MINDEF: a tray folded from one sheet, with four dividers that slot into notches along its front.

Client: MINDEF
Service: Sheet Metal Fabrication and Bending in Singapore
Also used: Laser cutting & stickers
What it is: A sorting tray with dividers that lift out
Finish: Raw aluminium 5052, left as cut
Started from: A first quote for a 3D printed version

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Holder sets in the order: 150
Parts in all, one holder and four dividers a set: 750
Aluminium for the holder and for the dividers: 2 mm and 4 mm

What we brought

What we can do
One sheet, folded into a tray
We drew the holder as a single flat pattern, cut in one piece and folded up at four bends.
How we look after you
Dividers that drop into place
Each 4 mm divider sits in one of twelve notches along the front wall, so the spacing can change.
What you get
Two materials quoted, one drawing
We quoted the set 3D printed first, then in laser cut aluminium, and drew the parts and cutting files ourselves.

Gallery

The whole project at a glance. Drag or swipe to browse; tap a picture to enlarge it.

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The finished piece
Looking into the finished holder.
The angled end and four dividers.
The plain back wall.
Design and prototyping · First designRenderThe holder in CAD, 2 mm thick.
Design and prototyping · Aluminium designDrawingThe holder as one flat sheet.
DrawingOne divider, 4 mm thick.
ProductionA bent holder and its four dividers.
Fitting and checksThe four dividers fitted, seen from above.
Dividers standing in their notches.

The build

How we built it

5 steps, from the brief to the finished piece. Pick a step to jump to it.

The brief

Step 1 of 5

Each set: One holder and four dividers
Quantity: 150 sets
Finish: Raw metal, no coating

At Additive Inn, our 3D printing studio in Singapore, we made holder sets for MINDEF. They needed a sturdy holder to keep materials sorted, with four dividers in each one, and every set the same.

Design and prototyping

Step 2 of 5

We drew the holder as one flat sheet that folds up into a tray, with twelve notches cut along the front wall. Each divider is a flat plate with a slot that fits over that wall. The client approved the scope on 25/09/2026.

First design

The holder in CAD, 2 mm thick.

Render
First quote · 17/06/2026

The holder sets quoted as 3D prints, in black carbon-fibre PETG or acrylic.
Aluminium design · 12/08/2026

Laser cut aluminium 5052 instead, a 2 mm holder with 4 mm dividers.

Drawing +1 more

Production

Step 3 of 5

Each holder was laser cut from 2 mm aluminium 5052 sheet and each divider from 4 mm plate, then the holder's walls were bent up at 90 degrees. The parts stay raw, as cut.

A bent aluminium holder on the bench with its four flat dividers laid out in a row in front of it, each with a small slot near one corner — A bent holder and its four dividers.

Fitting and checks

Step 4 of 5

We fitted four dividers into a holder to check the fit. Each one drops into a notch along the front wall, its slot over the wall, and stands upright across the tray.

Looking straight down into the holder standing on its end, with the four dividers spaced across the tray — The four dividers fitted, seen from above.

The holder from a low front angle with its four dividers in place and the two holes at one end of the front wall — Dividers standing in their notches.

The final build

Step 5 of 5

The finished set: a folded aluminium holder with its four dividers standing in their notches, left raw as cut. MINDEF collected all 150 identical sets from our studio.

The finished holder seen from the front and slightly above, looking into the tray across its four evenly spaced dividers — Looking into the finished holder.

More production runs

See all production runs →

Laser-cut aluminium holder and divider sets for MINDEF

What we brought

One sheet, folded into a tray

Dividers that drop into place

Two materials quoted, one drawing

Gallery