Preassembled Secret Heart Box by emmett

Art Interactive Art

Preassembled Secret Heart Box

emmett

315

Likes

2841

Downloads

17760

Views

Published on January 26, 2013

This thing was Featured on March 5, 2013

Derived from

Secret Heart box

by EricYoung

Monogram

by emmett

This thing can be customized with MakerBot Customizer! Open in Customizer

Description

I really enjoyed Eric Young's design of his Secret Heart Box, but I didn't relish hunting down all the required parts to put it together. One thing I learned from designing the Blossoming Lamp is that it's entirely possible to 3D print complex, preassembled mechanisms without breaking the 45-degree rule. I took it as a challenge to show that it's possible even with something as seemingly complex as this locking heart box. See the video here: youtu.be/PPqLB-bv4gY

UPDATE: By popular demand, I've modified the customizer code so you can now add words to the top of the heart. Make sure your valentine knows it's just for them.

Instructions

Just print it: no assembly or extra parts required. The key to sliding mechanisms is the tolerance between the parts. I'm using 0.4mm, which on my Replicator 1 is just right to keep the parts from totally fusing together, but gives a light friction to keep them from moving too easily. When it first comes off the print bed, usually the corners are slightly fused together. Just use a putty knife or razor blade to separate them. Start by prying the lid open (the center is a strong area for prying against). Then close it again and twist the two halves (it only goes one way, see the video or pictures).

Don't be afraid to use force; the worst that happens is it breaks and you print a new one. I made this for the Customizer App, so you can easily tweak the tolerance if you're having trouble. 0.1mm makes a lot of difference. You can also change the overall dimensions. Just keep in mind, if you make H too small, there will be no room for the mechanism and it won't work. You may also have to change the distance between the hinges if you change the size, or they might end up outside of the heart. Check the bottom view to make sure.

Tags

This Thing has no tags.

Report as inappropriate

JeppeHeiniMikkelsen on April 20, 2013 said:

with or without support structure?

emmett on April 20, 2013 said:

Without. Just make sure your bot is tuned up for doing good bridges. A fan helps with PLA.

DivineShadow on March 6, 2013 said:

Pure Genius!!

profhankd on March 6, 2013 said:

An excellent test part for assembled build without support material, but it would take some tweaking for us to reliably print. We tried printing this twice on our straight-out-of-the-box MakerGear M2. 3 of the 4 hinges worked perfectly at .4 tolerance and all worked at .6; .5 is probably the right setting. However, the top spans give us a mess and the center pivot partially bonded. The top seems to really want more of a shelf at the (very thin wall) edges -- it's more about spans not catching the edge than sag. The pivot overhang bonds toward the open seam, but there really isn't a need for it to have so much overhang. I should mention that we're using cheap Chinese PLA and printing it fairly hot to get really great bonding -- all our prints are obviously watertight.

emmett on March 6, 2013 said:

Yeah, this is definitely a test of both printer calibration and slicing. In the comments below, someone mentioned that it helps to use zero extra shells in order to give the bridges something to stick to. Likewise some perimeter overlap can help too. I also found bugs when using Slic3r, so you might try Makerware, or something else. And always inspect the Gcode before you try printing it.

DrGlassDPM on March 5, 2013 said:

It's about time this got featured. They must have skipped over it.

Hulksmash on March 5, 2013 said:

i printed this max size its great!

Dynamic on March 5, 2013 said:

damn emmett, true talent !!

thecrazy on February 18, 2013 said:

The middle pivot point doesn't work so well for me. Its quite loose and wobbly. From what I see in your pictures the pivot "rod / rivet" takes about 240 degree of the hole but the one got from the customizer ends up taking about 45 degree.

emmett on March 5, 2013 said:

Yeah, that's what happens when the height is too small. Reducing nub will help a bit, but there is a limit to small scale.

thecrazy on February 15, 2013 said:

emmett have you ever tried to do an acetone surface treatment to one of those preassembled prints? Im wondering if its possible or if everything gets glued together.

blincoln on February 13, 2013 said:

Absolutely amazing - I still cannot believe that it works, even while holding the result in my hand! It prints beautifully in PLA on a Replicator 2, highest quality - no trouble whatsoever.

Now I just have to
* Figure out how the box locking mechanism works
* Accept that OpenSCAD may be useful even though the incredible slowness of rendering in GCAL
* Start making preassembled things!

Darrellandson on February 11, 2013 said:

Amazing!

wifibum on February 5, 2013 said:

Bridging = fail for me. Any tips or pointers? I'm on a rep 1 running Sailfish. Is faster or slower better? Thicker or thinner layer height? More or less shells? What about top and bottom layers? The hinge seems to work, so I just need to get the top to print right. FYI, this is just too cool! I'm simply too fascinated by capture prints like this.

emmett on February 6, 2013 said:

That's the same as what I run. I used Makerware at 120mm/s. The secret for me is PLA with a big fan pointing at the print. Also check the gcode to make sure it's bridging in the right direction.

rahotep on February 5, 2013 said:

Amazing as usual, Emmett. In the Customizer, would it be possible to add a text message embossed in the lid, like the custom ring thing?
I feel a bit like the guy that says to the magician, "Sure, you can juggle chain saws, but can you juggle flaming step ladders? "
Ignore if it's too much work.

emmett on February 7, 2013 said:

Good idea. How do you like the update? And besides, who wouldn't want to juggle flaming step ladders?

zer0thecrab on January 31, 2013 said:

hahaha. i approve of the initals you put in the printed file.

i went to check on the print and saw some rouge lines and thought NOOOO its messed up already!

gzumwalt on January 29, 2013 said:

Great piece. Works better on my Replicator 2 at .15 slice since, when bridging the top of the case, 1) the strands are thinner and thus lighter and 2) more layers are produced to hide the ones that fail.

Can't believe it. Pre-assembled. Amazing.

tbuser on January 28, 2013 said:

Are you a wizard?!

emmett on January 28, 2013 said:

:) Glad you like it, Tony. Have you printed one yet?

Framingr on January 28, 2013 said:

4 prints - 4 failures - every single one is fused beyond any ability to move the parts. I have tried varying tolerances. My printer is very well dialed in (printed Eric's very which has extremely low tolerance very well). I am printing in 0.2 mm - do I need to go finer?

emmett on January 28, 2013 said:

I printed with 0.27mm layers. Sometimes the slicer is the problem; slic3r tried to attach the pieces so I used makerbot's slicer instead. I recommend checking the gcode in a viewer. I also used PLA with a fan; warping could be part of the problem.

Framingr on January 27, 2013 said:

Slicing if slic3r gives me an error with an hole in an edge. Will try printing first before repairing it in netfab.

jessed on January 27, 2013 said:

Fabulous! I'm fascinated by printing mechanisms in place. My print only required a little scoring around the hinges. The central pivot is a bit loose, so I may try fiddling with the clearance.