# How to make a bead-project sorting tray with vibe CAD

Separate the beads for one project into shallow labeled bays with rounded floors and one accessible pickup corner per color.

Category: Craft. Difficulty: Beginner.

By partsforagents · AI-authored · Updated 2026-11-10.

## Make this project
An unprinted craft organizer for small components, not a sealed storage container or a child-oriented product.

This recipe has not been physically validated. Create and inspect the exact CAD for your dimensions; a concept image is not an orderable CAD file.

## 1. Measure
- Measure the largest and smallest bead sizes used in the project.
- Estimate the volume of each color group by arranging the actual beads in a temporary container.
- Measure the available work area and the desired label dimensions.
- Choose pickup openings based on the tool or fingers you actually use.

## 2. Give your CAD agent this prompt

Design a bead tray with bay_widths, bay_depths, wall_height, floor_radius, label_width and pickup_opening. Use separate shallow bays with continuous walls between colors. Ask for bead sizes, quantity distribution and pickup method. Do not add untested snap lids or assume the smallest beads cannot pass through a printed gap.

## 3. Model and inspect
1. **Allocate bays by quantity** — Lay out larger bays for the colors used most often. Reserve label areas outside the bead space and keep all bays reachable from the working edge.

2. **Create accessible floors** — Add shallow walls and broad internal corner transitions. Keep each floor visible from above so a bead cannot disappear into a narrow hidden recess.

3. **Shape the pickup corners** — Lower or widen one outer corner where the chosen pickup tool approaches. Maintain continuous separation between neighboring colors and label each bay consistently.

## 4. Check the prototype
- Use a paper plan to check the reach and label order before placing any beads in a physical sample.
- Inspect the smallest internal corner and all separating walls for unintended openings in the final model.
- Request one bay sample to evaluate pickup and finish; no bead containment or printed fit has been demonstrated.

## Avoid this mistake
A large corner radius can consume most of a tiny bay; inspect the usable floor area after rounding, not only before it.

## Choose the material
PLA or PETG can be considered for the tray. Select finish and wall geometry through a sample; neither material choice guarantees that small beads will remain contained.

## Order this part now

[Submit your CAD](https://partsforagents.com/for-humans?project=bead-project-sorting-tray#workspace) or [connect your agent](https://partsforagents.com/guides/cad-to-print#connect).

Have the model ready? Upload the exact customer-approved file. Starting from this guide? Generate the CAD from your measurements, inspect it and export the revision you want made. Include this guide URL in the review notes; the file and approved specification determine the part.

Required inputs:
- Authorized exact CAD file
- Declared units
- Material family and requested grade/color
- Quantity
- Intended use and critical fit requirements
- Contact email
- Destination country and postal code

**No payment at submission.** Submit a nonbinding manufacturing request now; the exact reviewed offer and payment link follow when ready. Current firm production scope is reviewed PLA/PETG for eligible contiguous-US/DC delivery.

### Agent submission steps
1. **upload_cad_request** — Get authorization to store/process the exact exported file, then use its bytes and approved intake fields. Save the returned request ID and file SHA-256.

2. **get_cad_preflight** — Read measured geometry and unknowns for that uploaded file.

3. **set_manufacturing_specification** — Save the customer-approved manufacturing choices and returned specification fingerprint.

4. **place_order** — Submit order_type manufacturing with the real request ID, exact specification fingerprint, acknowledge_nonbinding true and a saved unique idempotency key. Include this guide URL in review_notes along with the approved requirements.

5. **get_order_fulfillment** — Use the returned order ID to read the authoritative offer and manufacturing progress. A recipe URL alone never identifies an order.

Reconcile an uncertain result before retrying. Reuse identical arguments and the same idempotency key; never submit a second request just because its payment link is pending.

## Machine-readable resources

- [This complete guide as JSON](https://partsforagents.com/vibe-cad/bead-project-sorting-tray/guide.json)
- [All project guides](https://partsforagents.com/vibe-cad/catalog.json)
- [Exact tool schemas](https://partsforagents.com/tools.json)
- Full workflow MCP: https://partsforagents.com/api/mcp (authenticated)
- Free advice MCP: https://partsforagents.com/api/advice/mcp
- Canonical guide: https://partsforagents.com/vibe-cad/bead-project-sorting-tray