Chained Hatch Container!

Howdy, wonderful people!  Did you know it's really easy to cross-thread 3D-printed screw mechanisms?... 

Yes, I destroyed a few test prints by getting this threaded lid completely and utterly stuck, to the point that even pliers just served to tear bits off without moving the lid at all.  You'll be happy to know that I changed the threads!

While I've made quite a few threaded designs in the past, I've always used very coarse threads for the sake of printability.  The threads in the planetary kaleidocycle, for example - pretty big and chunky.  But, for this lid a coarse thread meant a thicker lid, so I figured I'd go a little finer than I normally would.  I allowed for movement based on tolerances and ensured the lid couldn't fall out, but I didn't consider the impact of driving the thread into the wrong spot...

But what is this thing?  Well, you might have noted my throwaway end comment on the last post about needing hinges involved with the screw-top things.  That's what this is!  A screw-topped container with a lid attached via an articulated chain (you might recognise that from the articulator dish!).

There's a bit of looseness to the chain when the box is closed, and this is intentional because the lid needs to be able to sit level on the top of the container before it is screwed in.  If the chain was only long enough to reach when the box was closed then the lid would swing down on a curve rather than moving down vertically, and that's not going to work well with a screw mechanism.

This thing changed quite a bit from concept to final version, and I'll have to dig up some of the rejects for a photo at the end of the month.  The main change was the thread, which went through three different versions (and three different lid depths), but the registration points that keep things aligned around the outside changed, too.  

One last word of warning, though - the thread is now much more robust, but it's still quite possible to cross-thread it if you try hard enough.  Be gentle with those poor plastic threads :D

Printing Tips

No support needed, designed for straightforward printing!

This prints with the main body bottom-down and the lid top-down.  It prints in place, already assembled, connected via the chain links that all print individually.

Like all print-in-place designs, this one is sensitive to first layer problems to some degree.  I've allowed for a bit of elephant footing by increasing space between the parts on the bottom layer, but there are limits!  So, make sure your first layer is looking pretty good before printing this one off.

File Location

You'll find this one under Chained Hatch Container on Dropbox!

Have fun!

xoxo

Sven.