Radiator Box!

The vertical slots just somehow said "radiator" to me, so Radiator Box it is.

Howdy, wonderful people!  Somehow, there are still more approaches to hinged lids out there - like this one!  So, what's so different here?

First, the obvious part: on this box the shape of the lid is almost completely arbitrary - it's curved on both top and bottom, no flat bits - the part that sits against the bed is essentially part of an extended hinge at the back.

There's another difference that's less obvious, though.  The other print-in-place hinged lid designs I've done have all tied dimensions of the box to each other.  

For example, if the lid printed on its edge, the height of the box generally had to be the same as the box length.  The exception is the boxes that have the lid sit flat on the bed, but then the lid occupies the same footprint as the box itself and the size of the box thus limited to a little under the size of the bed (I generally try to make things fit 200x200mm).  

But this box avoids both those limitations!  By extending the hinge horizontally on the bed, the lid can be printed vertically, and since it isn't against the bed it can have any shape and any features (on both sides!)

TL;DR...

All those things aside, though, what we have here is a curvy-topped box with a separate internal insert that shows through exterior!  Actually, there's also a single-print version, too, but the version with the insert is cooler.

Dimensions

The interior of the box is a trapezoidal-ish thing with a curved top, so dimensions are tricky, but these should give you some sense of size: 

* internal width 55mm

* internal length 118mm

* internal height at tallest point 65mm

File location

You'll find this one on Dropbox under "823 Radiator Box"

Note that there are actually two version of the box in there, one that has inserts, and one without. 

Printing tips

Designed for straightforward printing, no crazy angles, no support required.  The base is designed to let the hinge be a little resilient to first layer issues, but as usual the better you can make the first layer, the better it will all come out.  Also, watch out for things like stringing or overextrusion that might bind the moving parts in the hinge!

One thing about that lid - if you're printing the model on a printer that moves the bed back and forth you might want to align it so that the lid sits side-on to avoid any wobbling.  That said, I did the opposite and it worked out fine :) 

Final thoughts

This hinge approach needs to be combined with gears somehow... 😁 

Have fun! 

xoxo

Sven.