November 10, 2024
Description
Playing around with hinges that I've used in recent past models - wanted to experiment with creating a print-in-place flatpack box.
The design is somewhat a fusion of cardboard and woodworking in that it folds mostly like a conventional flatpack box but snaps together using box finger joints.
All the folds are hinges, which gives it a certain aesthetic (but kind of looks like more box finger joints). When printed, it lies flat and unfolded on the bed, which is nice because most of the time the surface on the bed has the best finish - and transfer plates can be used for the entire exterior.
It can fit a little over 100 sleeved cards.
There's only 1 model to print. I suggest using PLA. No supports are needed.
The default 15% infill is recommended - if the infill is too high, the box has a higher chance of breaking during snap-assembly.
No extra tools are required, but a clamp with rubber feet (such as a trigger clamp) may be useful.
See the video for assembly demonstration.
The sides lying on the bed will be the box's exterior. Attempting to assemble inside-out is not recommended, as certain product features and mechanical features rely on it being assembled with certain sides facing inwards and outwards.
Chances are moderate force will be required to make things snap into place, but try to find the route that requires the least force - during testing, some of the corners tore out if too much force was required.
After printing, I would not recommend trying to tear the snaps and re-flatten the box. I'm not sure how well it handles being repeatedly folded and unfolded.
Source Blender file is also included. The model folds and unfolds when the timeline is animated. If previewing the folding process, I recommend disabling the Boolean modifiers - especially for the snap notches, as this greatly slows down the redraw process.
License:
Creative Commons - Attribution
Reavenk
