Tile Collar Case
Two-part contoured PETG collar clamp designed in Fusion 360 to mount a Tile Mate BLE tracker flush against a cat collar without dangling.
- ›Clamping directly around the collar webbing eliminates the dangling keyring snag hazard when cats climb trees.
- ›Leaving rear acoustic ports and battery door clearance lets you swap CR1632 cells without unthreading the collar.
Our cats love going outside. We always go out with them and have trained them to know they must have their collars on before we let them out.
The Problem
When you have two cats that like to climb trees or the occasional roof, they can be pretty hard to keep track of — especially when they decide to run in opposite directions. Existing GPS pet trackers usually require a 3rd-party cellular carrier or a monthly subscription.
The Solution
Bluetooth covers the ranges that they travel, and Tile’s crowd-sourced finding network made the Tile Mate a great fit. It has a compact form factor and a replaceable CR1632 coin cell battery.
Requirements
Before starting the CAD phase, I defined clear requirements:
- No modifications to the Tile itself to allow easy replacement
- No modifications to the collars like un-sewing or removing buckles
- Direct access to the battery door for easy replacement
- Access to the face button and speaker holes on the back
- Simple assembly with a sturdy attachment
- No dangling or protruding shapes to prevent snagging
- Rounded corners and edges for max comfort
- Durability and 3D printability
Design
With these requirements in mind, I settled on a two-part assembly that clamps around the Tile and collar, held together with a single M4 screw.
Assembly
I printed the functional prototypes in black PETG filament for impact and outdoor durability.
Result
They’ve held up even through vigorous rolly-pollies. Always pair a collar mount with a quick-release breakaway collar just in case it ever snags on a branch, though the flush profile is a huge improvement over a dangling keyring.
