Flex Clip Box!

Boxes that stay closed?  What is this craziness?!

Well, wonderful people, this is the complete opposite of the Vault Box.  Rather than the most overly-complex approach to latching a box closed, this one is simple.  However, that doesn't mean that there isn't a bit of complexity to the forms.  Let's take a look!

First things first, the overall box design: as you'll no doubt see in the photos this is that classic style that I love where a lid slides over a base, forming a double wall.  It's robust, prints well, and stays closed pretty well even without a latch.  But, that design will come open if it's bumped around enough.

So, second thing: a pair of notches in the lid and matching bumps in the base.  It's that way around rather than the opposite so that the bump only needs to slide over a small part of the print to reach the notch, rather than the entire height of the design.

Makes sense so far, right?  But see that blue box in the background of the picture below?  That one is designed exactly as discussed above, and it's near-impossible to open!

But why, you ask?  Well, the walls can only flex so much, so pulling the lid off puts a lot of force on the bumps and notch, and the layer lines drag against each other like some kind of brake.  So, how is that worked around?

Two things!

* Number one, the gap between the lid and the box is increased slightly, but only on the sides without the latching parts.

* Number two, extra ribbing has been added to the side with that extra gap, which makes it harder to flex.

These things combine to make it possible to squeeze the lid on the ribbed sides and flex out the other two sides to release the latches!

Where I'll end up next in exploring boxes-that-stay-closed I'm not sure, but it's certainly an interesting road to travel!

This one's on Dropbox under (you'll never guess), Flex Clip Box.  Have fun!

xoxo

Sven.