Artificial intelligence has demonstrated a surprising aptitude for hardware design, as evidenced by a recent project where Claude Fable, an AI developed by Anthropic, successfully designed a 3D-printable rack for three Framework 13-inch mainboards. The mainboards, which house the processor and core components of Framework laptops, can be purchased separately or salvaged from existing machines. This design suggests potential for multi-PC setups, home servers, or other custom computing projects.
David Soria Parra, a member of technical staff at Anthropic, spearheaded the effort, utilizing the AI with Autodesk Fusion 360 through an "MCP server" which facilitates safe interaction between large language models and the design software. The process involved the AI researching the necessary dimensions and then generating a design for the rack. While Parra noted the design was "straight from Claude to printing," the final product required two to three iterations with the AI to achieve optimal results.
Claude Fable generated both the Fusion 360 file and the STL files for each component, ensuring they were ready for 3D printing. The AI also provided a bill of materials, streamlining the procurement of necessary parts. The resulting rack features specific cutouts for the mainboards' heatsinks and accommodations for their heat pipes, demonstrating a level of detail beyond simple housing.
The successful creation of this rack highlights the growing capabilities of AI in practical design applications. While the actual thermal performance of the setup will be a key factor in its long-term utility, the project showcases AI's potential to assist users who may lack extensive design experience, as Parra himself indicated he is "completely design-inept."