Xperia Z3 hard case with buttons

thingiverse

I smashed my phone screen so many times (like 5 times) in a few months and I was sick of ALL case designs. I also methodically tested glues for holding the new screens to my phone but in the end I wanted a lightweight hard case. You will need 10 x 1mm self tapping screws to hold it together. They are very strong. You might need to clear out the clearance holes in the back and pilot holes for threads in the front with a sewing needle. A pin is usually too thick. Test your printer calibration by printing some holes before you try this. The clearance holes are 1.2mm and the pilot holes are 0.7mm. The buttons move freely for my taste at 0.2mm clearance. If you want a tighter fit, scale them up accordingly. The case weighs about 20g or less than an ounce. It never broke. It protected my phone from several hip-height drops onto concrete. The last time it dropped, the case and the screen protector and the LCD survived but the digitizer cracked. I am planning to revise the design to incorporate felt cushioning next time and will make a new post when that is ready. But I ordered some silicone cases and if they are good for me then I won't do that. I ended up here because several case sellers online let me down and now finally after smashing 5 screens someone is sending me something that will have enough impact resistance. I'm still going to cut out the back for cooling. I liked the idea of LoveMei cases but they were too heavy for my taste at around 800g with the phone! My ex had one and it was ok in a purse but not a pocket IMHO.