This is a decorative foldable gift box which you can use to gift small presents, decorate your desk, put under a tiny Christmas tree, store candies, and whatever you can think of. This design features a box base and a lid that fit together. I designed it so that it requires no glue, tape or screws; minimal purge waste to print; different designs to choose from; and two sizes. It uses a single layer thin living plastic hinges and tabs that allow you to fold and snap it together to a sturdy box (as sturdy as a thin layer of plastic that is) and is surprisingly strong! Since it prints flat and folds up, the designs can come from Hueforge and only requires multicolor filament changes at layers which significantly reduces purge waste! This also means that a multi-material or multi-extruder system is not required but is helpful.
You will need at least one base and one lid of the same size to complete the set.
Unfortunately, because I designed this for a printer that has a larger bed, only really the small size is able to fit on a Prusa MK4/3 bed as well as a mini at 100% scale. You can reduce the scale of the normal size to fit on a Prusa MK4/3 bed, see below for specific percentages:
Sizes (interior volume):
Normal: 7.5cm x 7.5cm x 7.5cm (2.95 in x 2.95 in x 2.95 in)
Minimum bed size required: 22.6cm X 22.6cm (8.9 in x 8.9 in)
Scaled Down Normal for MK4/3(see %s below): 6.5cm x 6.5cm x 6.5 cm (2.5 in x 2.5 in x 2.5 in)
Minimum bed size required: 19.9cm x 19.9cm (7.8 in x 7.8in)
To make it fit on a MK4/3 bed, you can scale the normal size down using the following tested values:
Base: 88% scale on the X and Y dimension only
Lid: 89% scale on the X and Y dimension only (you can increase or lower this by .5% if it is too tight or loose respectively)
This size should allow the lid to still fit ok on the base if your printer can handle tighter tolerances below 0.15mm. Anything smaller than that may not work.
Small: 5cm x 5 cm x 5cm (1.96 in x 1.96 in x 1.96 in)
Minimum bed size required: 15.1cm X 15.1cm (5.91 in x 5.91 in)
Fits on an Prusa Mini bed and bigger
Before you start, your printer should have the following capabilities:
Your printer can handle a 0.15 tolerance. Tolerances are tight for this model due to the living hinges. Please make sure that your printer can handle a 0.15mm gap. Otherwise it may be a bit difficult to bend the hinges or it may even fuse together.
Your printer can produce a good quality first layer. The living hinges are on the first layer and any first layer defect may affect the bendability.
When slicing, you must follow these guidelines for best results:
Do not rotate the models any angle other than 90 degrees. The first layer infill pattern must be monotonic with the default angle. The infill pattern must cross 45 degrees through the living hinge of the model to allow them to actually bend.
For all projects, make sure to print at 100% infill, it is thin enough that having sparse infill can cause surface defects with a minor reduction in filament used which is not worth it.
For all projects, the first layer must be 0.2mm thick and consistent, the living hinges are designed based on that thickness.
For all projects, use a 0.4mm nozzle, and 3 walls.
For any boxes that include Hueforge designs, please print layer height of 0.1mm with a base layer of 0.2mm.
I do not recommend scaling the model significantly, it has tight tolerances on the living hinge and Hueforge designs are optimized at a specific scale. Any scaling can influence the hinge and lid tolerances where it will not fit anymore. I have mainly tested the illustrations and fit at 100% scale for both the normal and small sizes. See above the tested scaling percentages for the scaled down normal size to fit a MK3/4 bed
Do not scale the Z dimension, all lids are tailored to the thickness of the base. All hueforge prints are dependent on the Z dimension for color.
Own a BL printer OR use Orcaslicer and want files with color swaps already set up? See my profile on Makerworld for everything already set up for printing with or without an AMS.
Assembly Instructions
When removing your print from the print bed, please be gentle and slow. The living hinges are thin and can be torn off if you aggressively remove the print. If using a textured or hot plate, please wait for the plate to cool completely first before removal. If using a plate with high adhesion where you need to peel, pry or aggressively bend it it off, consider using a medium for easy release like a glue stick or hair spray.
Designs
Choose the appropriate design STLs and slice them with these color changes. You can insert a pause when slicing and swap out the filament to this color. You don't have to use color changes if you just want the texture.
Spiral Pattern: Two colors, simple print
Print at 100% infill with a layer height of 0.2mm with a base layer of 0.2mm
Filaments Used:
PLA Sunlu White (background, can be any color you want)
PLA Sunlu Red (Spiral stripes, can be any color you want)
Swap Instructions:
Start with White (background, can be any color you want)
At layer #6 (1.20mm) (about 1 hour 5 minutes from start) swap to Red (Spiral stripes, can be any color you want)
Snowflake Pattern: Two colors, simple and fast print
Print at 100% infill with a layer height of 0.2mm with a base layer of 0.2mm
Filaments Used:
PLA Sunlu White (background, can be any color you want)
PLA Sunlu Black (Snowflakes, can be any color you want)
Swap Instructions:
Start with White (background, can be any color you want)
At layer #6 (1.20mm) swap to Black for the rest. (Snowflakes, can be any color you want)
Maze: Two colors, simple and fast print
Print at 100% infill with a layer height of 0.2mm with a base layer of 0.2mm
Filaments Used:
PLA Sunlu White (background, can be any color you want)
PLA Sunlu Blue (Maze walls, can be any color you want)
Swap Instructions:
Start with White (background, can be any color you want)
At layer #7 (1.40mm) swap to Blue for the rest. (Maze walls, can be any color you want)
Poinsettia Pattern: Three colors, simple and fast print
Print at 100% infill with a layer height of 0.2mm with a base layer of 0.2mm
Filaments Used:
PLA Sunlu White
PLA Sunlu Red (Petals)
PLA Sunlu Grass green or Green (Leaves)
Swap Instructions:
Start with White
At layer #5 (1.0mm) swap to Red
At layer #8 (1.6mm) swap to Grass Green or Green for the rest.
Ornaments: 3 colors, hueforge print
Print at 100% infill with a layer height of 0.1mm with a base layer of 0.2mm
Filaments Used:
PLA Sunlu Black
PLA Sunlu Grass Green (Ornament color, any base color should work like red or blue)
PLA Sunlu White
Swap Instructions:
Start with Black
At layer #5 (0.6mm) swap to Grass Green (Ornament color, any base color should work like red or blue)
At layer #12 (1.3mm) swap to White for the rest.
Snowy Trees: 4 colors, hueforge print
Print at 100% infill with a layer height of 0.1mm with a base layer of 0.2mm
Filaments Used:
PLA Sunlu Black
PLA Sunlu Grass Green
PLA Overture Matte Light Blue
PLA Sunlu White
Swap Instructions:
Start with Black
At layer #4 (0.5mm) swap to Grass Green or any darker green color
At layer #13 (1.4mm) swap to Matte Light Blue or any subtle light blue color
At layer #17 (1.8mm) swap to White for the rest.
Watercolor Snowflake: 4 colors, hueforge print
Print at 100% infill with a layer height of 0.1mm with a base layer of 0.2mm
Filaments Used:
PLA Sunlu Black
PLA Sunlu Blue
PLA Overture Matte Light Blue
PLA Sunlu White
Swap Instructions:
Start with Black
At layer #5 (0.6mm) swap to Blue
At layer #12 (1.3mm) swap to Matte Light Blue or any subtle light blue color
At layer #16 (1.7mm) swap to White for the rest.
Starry Night: 4 colors, hueforge print
Print at 100% infill with a layer height of 0.1mm with a base layer of 0.2mm
Filaments Used:
PLA Sunlu Black
PLA Sunlu Blue
PLA Sunlu White
PLA Overture Matte Yellow
Swap Instructions:
Start with Black
At layer #6 (0.7mm) swap to Blue
At layer #10 (1.1mm) swap to White
At layer #16 (1.7mm) swap to Matte Yellow for the rest.
Blue Marble: 3 colors, hueforge print
Print at 100% infill with a layer height of 0.1mm with a base layer of 0.2mm
Filaments Used:
PLA Sunlu Black
PLA Sunlu Blue (or any base color you want your marble to be)
PLA Sunlu White
Swap Instructions:
Start with Black
At layer #4 (0.5mm) swap to Blue (or any base color you want your marble to be)
At layer #13 (1.4mm) swap to White for the rest.
Great Wave: 3 colors, hueforge print
Print at 100% infill with a layer height of 0.1mm with a base layer of 0.2mm
Please note, due to the nature of the wave designs, this print may be a bit sharp/pokey, beware!
Filaments Used:
PLA Sunlu Black
PLA Sunlu Blue
PLA Sunlu White
Swap Instructions:
Start with Black
At layer #3 (0.4mm) swap to Blue
At layer #11 (1.2mm) swap to White for the rest.
Hearts Pattern: Three colors, simple and fast print
Print at 100% infill with a layer height of 0.2mm with a base layer of 0.2mm
Filaments Used:
PLA Sunlu White
PLA Sunlu Red (lower hearts)
PLA Sunlu Sakura Pink (upper hearts)
Swap Instructions:
Start with White
At layer #5 (1.0mm) swap to Red or Pink (lower hearts)
At layer #8 (1.6mm) swap to Pink or Red (upper hearts)
Basic Box and Basic SLIM Box: The basic box, no design on the walls for easy remixing or customizing.
Print at 100% infill with a layer height of 0.2mm with a base layer of 0.2mm
Any color you want.
Note the model differences:
Basic Box has a wall thickness of the base at 2mm as all lids are designed to fit on a box that size.
Basic Slim box has a lip of 2mm for the lid and the rest of the walls are 1mm for your remixing or sticker needs, choose that one if you want to add some depth to your box.
All lids are 1mm thick in this set, as nothing requires them to be thicker.
Keep in mind how it bends when adding details to the 3d model.
Own a BL printer OR use Orcaslicer and want files with color swaps already set up? See my profile on Makerworld for everything already set up for printing with or without an AMS.
I may release more designs over time, so check back now and then!
Update log
2023/12/01 Release with 8 designs: Spiral pattern, Watercolor snowflake, Ornaments, Snowy trees, Snowflake pattern, Maze, Poinsettia pattern, Starry Night
2023/12/01 Update with 3 new designs and opened remixes: Basic Box + SLIM, Great Wave and Blue Marble
2024/2/11 Update with 1 new design: Hearts Pattern