Exclusive! Print-in-Place Slideback Box!

Some design concepts just work, first go!  This was not one of those :P

However, getting it working reliably and printably was great!  So, what is this thing?  Well, it's like a classic roll-top desk or cabinet, where the lid is articulated in man pieces that allow it to bend and slide along a rail.  I've called it "Slideback Box" because names are hard, and I've already used the name Rollerbox!

If you want to see this in action, I'll be putting some quick videos on Instagram after I post here (you guys, my beloved supporters come first, obviously!)  I might even put up one or two of the failure videos, too, since those were amusingly sad to pull off the printer...

So, the tricky part with this was working out a way to make this print assembled, with a captive lid.  The key thing with that is that unless we're going down the path of post-processing every individual part of the design has to be in contact with the bed.  This one started out printed on one edge, much like the Singularity Box I made when I first started on print-in-place lidded boxes, but ended up printed entirely upside-down.  

Now, this idea has been around in various forms in my head for a while now.  The original "Rollerbox" (i.e. the one I have on MMF, the three-part assembly) started as a multi-piece lid like this - you can kind of get that vibe from the design of its lid, in fact.  In that case I ended up simplifying things, but the drive to design this kind of lid remained.

So, why now?  Because that lid is full of hinges!  I realised that the hinge design I've been working with was something I could bring to bear on both the links between the lid parts and between the lid and the box rails, and sure enough it worked beautifully.  Well, once I designed the actual lid components properly it worked beautifully :)

As always, thank you so much for being on this journey with me!

Creative Printer supporters will find the model on the Dropbox.  Oh, and if you didn't already see, the dropbox link has been updated, so make sure you grab the new one!