Little Robot Compartment

Howdy, wonderful people!

That's right, it's a tiny robot box! But what it is really is an excuse for me to explore a more secure kind of magnetic twist latch! A tiny robot with a more secure latching mechanism, what more could you ask in life?! :D

I've implemented a few versions of the kind of closure that uses a connect-and-twist approach to holding things closed, and the magnets in those just keep the lid from rotating and coming open. At least, it does in theory! A forceful enough bump could well rotate one of those lids to the point where it could come open. Not super likely, of course, but it's still worth exploring a more secure alternative!

The lid, or, well, head on this little robot requires a full 120 degree turn to open or close, just as another layer of backup security if things came open, but that's not the important part. What's new is that the magnet at the end of the track on which the lid rotates is actually shifted down few millimetres, and so will pull the lid downwards. It just so happens that at that point there's a gap in the track and so the lid can indeed move downwards until the outer lid hits the body of the robocontainer and it is officially locked closed.

With the lid now pulled downwards it's not possible to rotate the lid anymore, because it's sitting in a short, vertical track. Instead, the lid must be pulled upwards and then rotated, and the magnets resist that motion strenuously! So, there's no chance of an accidental rotation bump - an accidental opening would be far more difficult!

(also, it looks like a robot!)  

Print Description

This is an assembled print that incorporates magnets, so make sure your print is neat and dimensionally-accurate!

Print Dimensions

The body occupies 40mm x 51mm on the print bed and is 39mm tall.

Supports Needed?

Not at all!  Designed for straightforward printing!

Scalability

The main issue scaling this one is that the magnets will no longer fit!

Print Orientation

The body prints right-way up while the head prints upside-down.

Further Thoughts

Okay, so not everyone desperately wants little robots catching attention when they're trying to store and carry things, so I've also built up the mechanism into a much simpler style, and included a lanyard attachment point :)

Happy printing!

xoxo

Sven.

---

506 Little Robot Compartment