Integral Box
Added 2022-12-18 15:50:25 +0000 UTCHey there, wonderful people!
It's been a while since I've designed a mechanically-latching box! I've made cogs that drive other cogs, cogs that drive rack gears, but not a box that has a side-to-side rack gear that drives a cog latch. And, that's how this one operates - there's a latch in the lid that can be moved sideways to lock and unlock the box.
You can put magnets in the latch and box to keep things a bit more secure, but that's strictly optional!
I've printed this in two colours but it's not really a multimaterial model, just a model made up of a bunch of different parts.
The bottom of the box has our old favourite 45-degree internal flooring, which lets the box print upside down. The lid prints in a folded-open position which keeps it right-way up, and allows the bits on the top of the lid to extend upwards arbitrarily, which is decidedly useful when putting handles and latches in.
The lid is of course hinged to the box itself:
Print Description
This is an articulated, print-in-place, mechanical model, so make sure your first layer is nice and neat and that there aren't any print issues like overextrusion or stringing that might bind moving parts together!
You'll also want to make sure your bed adhesion is dialled in since the first layer includes a series of small blocks that layer combine into the outside wall.
Optional Magnets
If you opt to use magnets in the latch you'll need a pair of 6mm x 3mm cylindrical magnets, but it's strictly optional.
Print Dimensions
The Integral Box occupies 136mm x 216mm on the print bed and is 133mm tall.
Supports Needed?
Not at all! Designed for straightforward printing!
Scalability
As a print-in-place mechanical model this isn't designed for easy scaling! It will scale to some degree, but components will be looser or tighter with scale, and you'll need to take care not to end up with parts fused together during printing.
That said, if you had to scale it down just a touch to fit on a not-quite-big-enough print bed, you'd probably be fine :)
Print Orientation
The Integral Box prints open and upside-down, like so:
File Location
You'll find this one at at 614 Integral Box
Link to dropbox post: https://www.patreon.com/posts/31697592
Further Thoughts
There's something so satisfying about pulling a mechanical design off the printer and having it just work. Printers really can do some amazingly precise stuff :)
Happy printing!
xoxo
Sven.
Comments
Where do the magnets go? Can’t wait for this to finish printing!
2023-04-04 21:53:56 +0000 UTCFunny thing, I have done that, purely because of requests to make boxes that can be much larger, and not be constrained by having the lid and box on the print bed at the same time. I hadn't considered it for geared lids, though! I've played around with two main approaches: bolt-based hinges, and hinges that slot in at a particular angle, though I used 45 degrees in my prototypes, for no particular reason. The latter is probably more practical, but I just like big bolts :D I should get a move on and finish up an actual box that goes together like that!
Clockspring3D
2022-12-29 12:15:56 +0000 UTCYou are the king of print-in-place gears! I know you have done some designs with the option of a separate lid and others with a print-in-place hinged lid- but have you done a hinged lid that prints separately? One of those hinged lids that snap on at the right angle, typically when all the way open? Might be the best of both worlds having a lid you can't drop, but that could be in another color on a box with a flat bottom.
TheArtifactWorkshop
2022-12-19 22:25:46 +0000 UTC
