Venus Box
by Prot0typ1cal, published
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Summary
Original design as a challenge to develop a unique opening box. When done, resembled one of Bender's eyes. A co-worker said it looked like a Venus Fly trap, so named it "Venus Box".
A cam actuates 4 doors by rotating the spherical cover (or base). Remains securely open or closed. 4 inch diameter, the whole thing snaps together, and prints without supports.
Print Cam at 0.3 or lower, with 2 shells and 20% infill, no raft.
Print Cover with raft at 0.3 or lower, 2 shells, 20% infill.
Print the doors with raft at 0.2 or lower, with 3 shells and 20% infill.
NOTE: Trim the triangular nuggets off the door hinges, they're only there to help the build.
Slide the doors together, posts go into the hooked holes, don't snap these together.
If you print the Cam at 0.3, use sand paper, file or soldering iron to smooth out the stair steps on the 4 lower race faces (cam tracks) before assembling.
Enjoy :)
EDIT 5/20/16: Added Parasolid files
EDIT 5/24/16: Added "NT" (no trim) door files, without the triangular build helper nuggets.
EDIT 6/13/16: Added COVER2.STL that has more snap, print only if your cover is loose.
EDIT 6/14/16: Thingiverse Featured. "elegant Venus Box" :)
EDIT 1/9/17: Added COVER3.STL for even a tighter fit for multiple material type prints.
Print Settings
Printer Brand:
MakerBot
Printer:
Supports:
No
Notes:
Trim the triangular nuggets off the door hinges, they're only there to help the build.
If you don't remove the triangular build helper nuggets the assembly will:
- Lock in the closed position
- Come apart when opening.
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I really wanted to make one of these because I thought it looked interesting. I was able to print out the cam and the cover, but I had a problem printing the indoor parts. I tried three times printing the indoor parts, but the little arch hinge part keeps getting pushed off the plate before reaching halfway through printing. Is there a way to fix this? I've already tried reveling the bed multiple times and the same problem keeps coming up. Please tell me if there's something I can do to fix this. Thanks
Try printing indoor and outdoor, the files with NT don't have the helper triangle build nuggets that need to be trimmed off before assembly. You can also try some Elmer's Extreme glue stick on your build plate.
I actually used the stl files without NT, but I'll try the glue thing. Thanks for the quick response!
I made one of these in a video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjv1FpyW58g Really awesome box thank you!
anyone else want to throw their time stone replica in this and pretend to manipulate time?
Just will be alittle rough in action. Though will smooth itself eventually as the .3 mm stair steps rub down.
finally assembeled.. guess I should have smooth it first :P
Hey, awesome design.
Im kinda new to printing and was wondering if the .3 you recommend to print the cam and cover at refers to the layer height or the extrusion width? and if it is layer height, what would you recommend setting the extrusion width to? (or vice versa)
Thanks!
0.3 Layer height, the lower the better. If you can do 0.1, it's worth the wait.
Cheers
Yea, look at the "makes". There's a couple that are HUGE !
The nt ones don't have the little triangular bits to help it stick to the platform.
I am new to 3d printing, and do not know what the "shell" is. Does that refer to the shell thickness?
Shell is the wall thickness.
It is multiplied by the nozzle size, so if your nozzle is 0.4 mm and you print with x1 shell, the wall thickness would be 0.4 mm.
That would not only make it brittle but you'll see lines where the wall is connected to the infill and most people would deem that as unfavorable.
Depend on the slicer program you use you may need to write actual thickness (aka 0.4 if that is how thick you want the wall to be) or write it as multiplier (aka 1 for example).
So I just looked it up lol and understand what it means, but don't know exactly what to pu. the default setting is 1 mm, so does that mean I do 2 for 2 shells? Again, I don't think my nozle is 1 mm wide, but the measurement is in mm not number of shells.
I know that this is probably getting annoying, but i want to make sure I get this beautiful design printed correctly. My nozzle is .4 mm like yours, so would I put .8mm as shell thickness? Or would I simply put 2 mm
.8 will give you 2 shells with a .4 nozzle. Increasing the number of shells (perimeter wall thickness) will give you a stronger, smoother exterior.
Thank you for clarifying I needed to know exactly that
Oops my mistake, no wonder I didnt see the triangle nuggets, I did Print the NT versions. Worked perfectly.
Thanks.
Where are those triangle pieces you said to remove? I don't see anything that looks triangular shaped.
The triangle "build helper nuggets" are on indoor.stl and outdoor.stl
The "NT" doors don't have them, as a few people didn't need them..
I didn't print the NT ones and I still do not see any triangular nuggets... I am confused.
The triangle nuggets are attached to the thin side of the open barrel hinge. One per door.
Without the nuggets, the curved section of the hinge has a tends to fall over before the arch is bridged.
You only want to trim off the nugget, not the arch way (open barrel hinge).
Should be easy to remove with dikes (diagonal cutters), as there's mostly a small gap where to cut.
There is "indoor" and "outdoor", you need two of each.
If you scale anything, you will need to scale all the parts the same amount for the assembly to work.
It's called "CAM", because technically, that's what it is.
I printed this today with a FlashForge Finder and it worked perfectly...that is, when I remembered to pop the supports off :). Thank you for this!
Just printed one on a PowerSpec Ultra, using the Cam, Cover3, and indoor-NT, outdoor-NT files. Works great even without cleaning it up. Takes a good day to print though, but worth it.
My cover is too tight, I printed the original one and when I snap it on, it won't turn at all.
Will it turn without the doors?
Did you trim the triangular nuggets off the doors?
Post your make, maybe can help after seeing some pics?
Great ingenuity!! I had no issues with getting anything to work on the venus box. I printed all the covers and took my chances with indoor_nt/outdoor_nt and cover 3 worked the best for me. This is actually the first print I made on my 3D printer. Everything came out great, I am a newbie, I didn't clean up my pieces, I was too excited to assemble this awesome creation. Thank you for sharing this, next is your chess pieces I want to make. I am currently printing with wood filament, making my second box.
latches on the doors didn't print; Had to workshop it with my 3D pen. The cover pops off. The door don't close all the way. I'm angry and feeling irrational so I'm blaming you. prints in the trash now
Print the doors that have the triangular nuggets that need to be trimmed off after printing, And try Cover2 next time round, tighter fit.
Best o'luck dialing it in. The make-or-not that this was prototyped on ate a kilo of filament before it poo'ed out a single good print.
I had to use the v2 Cover as the v1 didn't lock. However the v2 STL has it upside down in the file, so when i printed it, the top looks like crap as it was on the raft. I didn't notice when i sliced it. Not sure if the file was uploaded like that on purpose, or it's an oversight?
Either way, Happy with it. May flip the cover over and reprint eventually to get a better top layer.
Yea, Cover2 is "upsidedown". Most people print the cover directly on the bed, and get a smooth surface. Plus, geometry-wise, it's better for the snaps. Though it prints fine rightside-up as well.
You can always use some sand paper to dress up the top... thanks for the comment.
I'll just print a new one. The guide said to use rafts, guess it wasn't needed. Thanks for the reply and the design.
This is one of the best prints I've ever done, absolutely perfect in every way.
I'm thankful that it prints quickly as everyone around me wants me to make them one.
so should i print the cam and all the most recanlty updated files cuz you have like three indoor and out door files and i dont know if they work with each other or not
For the doors there's indoor and outdoor stl. These are the original files, you need 2 of each.
There's also a indoor_NT and outdoor_NT, these don't have the helper triangle nuggets that need to be trimmed off after 3d printing.
Some people don't need the helper nuggets, so added these if you have good bed adhesion and no problems bridging.
The indoor and outdoor x_t files are parasolid models for people to modify using their favorite CAM program, not aware any slicer that can print these directly without being converted/saved as stl, as are all the x_t (parasolid) files made available for download.
There's 3 covers. cover.stl is the original file, when I had a crappy hotend and needed to over-extrude and run really hot. This file "cover.stl" will be loose if you have a good 3d printer. Cover2.stl was added for a tighter fit for people with good hotends and better, more precise 3d printers. Cover3.stl is the same as Cover2, only longer snaps for more flexible materials or just a more secure fit.
Most of this information is in the Thing Details, or can be found in the comments. Hope that answers your question and you take the time to post your "made".
yes it does thank you i just got my 3d printer its a mod t from new matter but this is one of my first prints so i didnt know wich files would work the best but thank you again
Is there a way to put words on the outside ring without compromising the integrity. Either raised of inset. I'm looking for a gift and want to put some congratulatory words on the outside. Also, what is the build time?
You can use OpenScad to create text, or use a CAD program and edit the parasolid (x_t) file.
In addition, handyGoose made this remix: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1634387
Has anyone had any issues printing the INDOOR part? I get to the same point around 65% complete and the printer stops extruding. This has happened 4 times in exactly the same place?
Printed on Prusa i3 mk2 original
Nozzle - 210
Bed - 55
Layer Height - 0.2
Any advice would be appreciated.
Don't own a Prusa, however saw similar problems with a Makerbot Replicator usually failing after a set time.
One solution maybe to check the transition zone of your hotend. The transition zone is the length of the neck between the heater block and finned cooler, a range of 2-4mm plus any hex nuts works best for PLA. Too long and the filament will swell from heat and jam, too short and it won't have time to melt. Increasing the hotend temp will help minimize the short cold plug failure. Reducing retraction and increasing feedrate will help if transition zone is too long.
However, if you have been able to print the other parts, the slicer might be at fault. Increase the shells (perimeter outlines) to 3. Some fill patterns will cause the extruder to start and stop rapidly and cause a filament jam as the retract over comes the extrusion rate, or the fliment in the transition zone is allowed to heat swell because it isn't being passing through the hotend fast enough. Another option might be to just print two indoors at the same time.
Good luck.
Thanks for your informative post, it's appreciated!
I increased the shell to 3 and success! You are right, it is like there is too much retraction at certain fill patterns and sizes that causes a jam.
Ceers
Any recommendations for what to print things with the anet A8 and cura? Im almost done with the base "Cam" part and going to be ready to move on to other pieces but I read some of the comments below and some people had things fit too tight too lose etc.
Im pretty much a noob at 3d printing,But everything I printed from here basically came out flawlessly and I never really messed with the settings as far as print quality in cura. Everything I print I use the Prusa i3 and normal print quality at 0.1mm. Which file should I use to print the doors? I see there is a few options,any suggestions? Using PLA
Use Cover2.stl, and the indoor, outdoor stl. You'll need to trim off the triangle nuggets on the open barrel hinge before assembling. The triangle nuggets are there because the outside of the hinge is small and tends to come loose before the open loop bridges. Other than that, 0.1 will be great.
I started Cover3 and finished it already,,Should I re-do it,or should I print the other doors to match my cover 3?
All good. Cover3 just has longer snaps so requires more force to assemble than Cover2.
The original cover stl is for ppl that have to over extrude with .3 layers that have crappy hot ends , no worries. Rock on.
Finally got it all done and put together,,,I had a hell of a time printing out the outside door for some reason,,But I stuck with it and got it all done,Works great!
Just wanted to say Thanks for the help and advice and Thank you for putting up such a awesome File! Thanks Again!
I thing the OUTDOOR.STL file has something wrong because my printer cannot read it. I printed all the other files except this one. can you check it please. thanks :)
Try printing the OUTDOOR-NT for your printer, as verified from the number of makes all the files are good.
I printed one and it is not working, the doors on it are not opening or closing.
Trim the triangle bits off carefully with some snips and it will work a treat.
Did you trim the triangle nuggets off the open barrel hinge?
Above, to the right, Click on "Remixes". Currently 7 in there.
Love this one.
Made one today, it came out great.
gave it my little sister she is using it as a ring box :)
Very nice design - printed well and works like a charm. Thanks a lot!
There are two small things that came to my mind when looking at the part, so I'll ask whether you could tweak the design a little:
1.) Could you make an optional top that is a little higher and round it instead of just cutting it? The height could be so that the inner diameter of the new one corresponds to the inner diameter of the "compartment" inside the base - that way the mechanism would be more "hidden away" when opened and closed...
2.) Could you add another base without the bottom holes inside?
There are Parasolid (x_t) files in the downloads for anyone to modify the way they like. Please post your remix :)
I'd like to, but I only started in the world of 3d moddeling not too long ago (discounting sketchup) and FreeCAD doesn't import these kind of files. What tool would I have to use for it?
You can try for free, Fusion360 or OnShape. Both are great programs to learn for 3d modelling what you want, the way you want it.
May I ask what it means when you say "2 shells / 3 shells"? My shell size is specified in mm (in Cura 15.04.6). Thanks!
"Shells" refers to the profile passes.
If you were to trace the perimeter of the layer, that is the outer shell. Adding more profile paths inside the outer shell provides more strength and a better, accurate, outer shell.
Thanks! I didn't realize this was a setting I could adjust independently of the shell thickness (or maybe it needs to be adjusted in terms of shell thickness in Cura.) Thanks for the quick response!
edit: answering my own conjecture, the number of shells in Cura seems to be a simple function of shell thickness / nozzle size. So right now the setting for thickness is 0.8 and the nozzle size is 0.4 resulting in 2 shells. Hopefully bumping the thickness up to 1.2 will result in 3 shells!
This is how you respond to a challenge to make a "unique" opening box??? Please tell me you're and engineer, or similar... I'd hate to see talent like this go to waste.
This is how you respond to a challenge to make a "unique" opening box??? Please tell me you're and engineer, or similar... I'd hate to see talent like this go to waste.
Nice looking print, glad you posted your make :)
Model looks great and prints fine. Put together just fine. It seems to close ok, little stiff but it will loosen up with time but when it is closed you cant open it again. You have to take it apart to fix it. Has anyone encountered this problem and solved it?
If you printed the doors with the triangle build nuggets, they (the triangle nuggets) need to be trimmed off and discarded before assembly.
The only other issue that I'm aware of is if there is excessive "ringing" on the doors and cover, where the layers shift or get thick and get stuck on each other when closed.
If you downloaded everything, it will be in a zip file. You need unzip it (uncompress). Suggest using 7-zip. It should unzip into multiple STL and X_T (parasolids).
I don't use TinkerCAD, so have no idea what file formats it can import. Good luck.
What does "2 shells" or "3 shells" mean? Is that 2mm shell and 3m shell? use Cura, and that's the closest setting I can find.
In Cura, you can adjust what options are displayed for each setting; click on the gear when you mouse over a sections title. By default, Cura lets you define wall thickness by mm, but there's an option to just put in the number of shells, you just have to turn on the visibility of that option.
Shells are perimeter or outlines, opposed to fill which is the inside of each layer.
Fantastic design. All parts fit perfectly with Cover2. Works very smooth w/0.2mm layer height. No rafts or cleanup needed.
I used this as my ring box for when my son as the ring bearer gave us our rings at our wedding.
That's awesome. The girls at work thought that what the Venus Box was made for :)
Ill post to the I made one section. I cant believe it, but I didnt have a photo, so I took one just now. My son was so excited to present the rings to us with it! I love it too, as there is a bit of a twist when the rings are unveiled.
I showed your video to the gals at work, they almost peed their pants. Good job!
Lol, just the response I was hoping for! My wife loved it too.
Cheers!
20% infill, .3 mm layers.
Awesome, awesome creation. It was rough going initially as .3 layers isn't very smooth, but after closing and opening few times it starts to get smoother.
What's funny is that both inner and outer doors I broke off the rod holder, and it still works fine anyway. I'm pretty sure it wouldnt if both on same door layer would not work.
It is a very nice work and I will print it
But I don't find the VIS here. The file is missing ?
There's STL's for 3D printing in the Thing File folder. If you need VIS, open the Parasolid X_T files with your software and export them as VIS.
Amazing design ... but my MOD-t printer just can't seem to get the doors to print well enough to connect to each other. I'm guessing it's my printer or that I need to spend some time sanding/filing. The pieces seem like they should fit under the cover and move through the slots/teeth/gears.
Will keep trying :)
Finally got the pieces to fit, but still way too tight. I'm guessing my machine can't print the tolerances needed for this to work. Darn since it looks so cool when it works. Still awesome design!
I have a question, when I try to print the downloaded file on my Robo 3dR1 plus, the .stl file only shows 1 second, then it won't print, is there some sort of modification I need?
Try the smaller files first (Cover2). Your slicer may have a file size limit.
If the problem persists, download the parasolid X_T files and export with a CAD program as STLs at different degree resolutions until your slicer is happy. Start at 2 degrees and go up from there, I think my STLs are around 1 degree (more triangles).
Printed one and it actually reminds me of a Venus flytrap. I use it as a cookie jar.
Amazing design, I don't even know how you go about designing something like this, but i will definitely print one out!
Thanks for the design!
I printed a remix (with teeth), but couldn't publish as a Make of more than one thing. Thought you might enjoy seeing the result though:
http://www.thingiverse.com/make:236678
I printed one of these and gave it to my dad for Father's Day. Fantastic design and if you follow the tips it should work.
Mine came out great at the recommended settings.
Make sure you use the raft for the doors I tried without and it didn't work.
Printed this at 0.15mm layer height. Came out very high resolution and no artifacts, but it seems that the doors won't close. Also tried using both types of covers you provided, no luck. I think the reason is that the inside of the cover part has visible angles. In other words, it's a low polygon arch because I can see there's 2 steps (3 faces) on the inside of the part. Removed the triangles too that were used for support.
Tried sanding, but that didn't help. Whenever the cover is rotated to close the doors, the cover pops off, even if I keep it pushed against the gear. It feels like there's not enough room for something to move inside. Printed the remix with the teeth. Any ideas?
Please try the COVER2.STL, it has more snap.
Both covers have angles inside, they do not interfere with the doors. Even if the cover is loose, pushing it on while rotating will still actuate the doors. If it doesn't, make sure the doors hinge on each other freely before assembling.
Watch the video, after the doors are in the cover, they should fold open with minimal effort with the door hinge posts rotating in the 4 slots in the cover.
That's the first one I tried. Everything moves freely when not assembled and is clean. I'm not sure what's going on considering it seems a lot of others have had success. Trying to re-print the teeth remix right now at 0.12mm height instead of 0.15mm.
Doors don't move, or won't close all the way?
FWIW, there are 2 different doors for the teeth, you need to print only one of each of the szczeka 01 and 02.
Yes I printed only 1 of each type of the teeth so that the teeth match when closed.
It assembles fine, but when starting to turn it, it only closes 25% off the way I would say, then then if you try to keep turning it, the cover pops off. Even if I hold the cover and the gear together with all the force I can, the teeth/doors will not close. There is friction somewhere and I think it's either/and between the doors and the teeth or between the teeth and the cover.
Assemble it with just the inside doors to see if the teeth are the issue. It will work with only one set of doors, inside or outside.
I just tried to assemble it with only the inside doors, it works (they just leave a tiny gap when closed all the way). When assembling it only with the teeth, it doesn't work, it pops out and will only close 25% of the way.
There could be something something wrong with your teeth. Mirrored maybe? Print a set of the outside doors from the things file above, they worked for everyone else so far :)
Magnificent design! Printing one now to test. It could be an original way of the ring proposal =) Thinking on how to motorize it. Anyone dare to try? I'm not that good at 3d design yet =)
You should be able to add componets to the bottom that will mount a servo.
I am new to printing, and I was wondering if this would work with PLA and how easy it would be as one of my first prints. Thanks! Also this should work with most printers, correct?
Most of the 100+ makes posted here are done in PLA. A few with ABS and two with wood filled filament! Don't think it will work with flexible filament, though no one has tried AFAIK.
Venus Box is 3D printer friendly, no supports needed and the CAM prints best without a raft (brim). Suggest you print COVER2.STL and not COVER, as it has more snap. For a first print, use the NT door files, as you don't need to trim anything. Only use the non-NT files if your printer has problems spanning (bridging) the open hinge barrel.
Will work for any 3D printer, really depends on your slicer (generates the code for the printer), and your print settings, like temperature, layer height, infill, etc. Start with one of the inner doors to dial in your settings (you need 2 of each door). After that it is easy.
Good luck, and have fun :)
Thanks dude! You've really helped me understand all of this terminology and you clearing up exactly how i should print it and build it is super helpful! If everyone was as helpful as you, the world would be so much better! Thanks again!
(Your build is definitely one of the coolest ive seen so far)
Could you make a larger one for those of us who want to scale it up a bit? I tried to bring it to about 5 inches (150%), but the inner space was still under 3 inches wide due to the rest of it getting bigger than needed. Extra thick walls for example.
I'm working on other projects ATM.
Find a friend good at modelling, and use the parasolid X_T files available in the downloads to create exactly what you are looking for.
i printed it and it won't close... tried with and without triangles, used the settings you provided on replicator 1. any reason it should't work?
Triangle nuggets will keep it from opening after being closed.
No idea why it wouldn't work. Watch the video for assembling.
You can also try just assembling with just either the inner or outer doors, it should work with just 2 doors. Maybe that will let you know the issue.
thnx. managed to fix it. tried with only 2 doors and found out the issue was a line of filament that my machine accidentally printed and it stopped the doors from opening.thanks again
I personally found using a raft to be completely unnecessary. All it did was add to the build time and waste filament.
Given how thin some parts are (such as the doors), I can see how some people would want to consider using them to prevent warping or increase adhesion pending their printer, calibration and setup.
Can you do a version with an open bottom?
This would make a great cap for a camera lens, since the inside already is round it just needs to have an open bottom and could be scaled to fit.
I have tried to import the model, but my CAD software tells me it has too many faces to import as a solid, so can't cut away something.
Download the X_T parasoild files to use in your CAD program to modify, then export them as STLs to 3D print.
Amazing work... thank you for share!
Do you think that the triangular nuggets off the door hinges are 100% needed??? Thank you again.
You're welcome :)
For my MakerBot, the triangle nuggets were insurance that the hinge barrel would print reliably.
There are "NT" files for the doors with "No Triangles" if you dare.
Thank you again.... Ok, thank you for your explain, i printed one without triangle and one with triangle, i thinked that dont was the same, i need read correctly the descriptions... sorry!!!
Am I loosing my mind or are files missing? The cog base thing and the inner guide?
The file you're looking for is called CAM.STL. Look under "Thing Files"
OMG! This is awesome. I hope you don't mind if I combine it with my current project, I think I have a great use for this!!
If you do, please post it as a Remix, or at least give me some credit :)
Video is 1:1, 10cm or 4 inch diameter. Would like to see your make. No one else has scaled it up!
This was my first print (other than the Makerbot provided install samples) on my Replicator 2 and it went very well. I made absolutely no changes and this printed and assembled very well. Some parts could probably have used a little sanding, but as I operate the box it is becoming smoother every time. This is a really nice project and cool demo. Thanks!
Pimp my knife, LOL
Mora is Swedish, Sloyd is Finnish. Both Scandinavian for utility knife, more or less the same thing.
No, though I did file down the stair steps on the cam tracks because I printed the cam at 0.3
My thoughts exactly. Remove bottom of container, setup mounting flange, add gear in place of current base to motorize... pop up turrets or missile bay...
Congrats and thanks for an excellent model. Printed & assembled perfectly using RigidInk red PLA on Wanhao 4S
Congrats on making front page!
I made mine last week and for some reason the cover doesn't 'clip' into the base... any thoughts? I am a pretty experienced printer, any chance the tolerances pretty loose?
Awesome design!
Thanks!!!
James
Thanks for the quick response!!! I will try that soon!
Happens when the Cam shrinks more than the Cover during cooling, but not always. Some printers/materials don't do a good job on the overhangs, so they fail to snap. Active cooling will help, though is not a guarantee.
Download and print COVER2.STL
It has more snap engagement for these instances.
It would be cool when it opens something rotates up like a action figure, flower ect,..
It would be really cool if opens with a sound like a snap of finger or a clap. motorize to open.
I could see adding a part to the bottom to store the electronics and battery.
What do you think guys?
Feel free to remix.
There are X_T Parasolid files available in the downloads to make it easy.
One of my all time favorite prints! Even scaled it to 50% and it still works like a champ! Awesome use of simple machine tech to make the doors function!
Congrats for being top rated!! Glad I made one of these before that happened =Þ
That is a cool design!
How did you come up with the idea?
What did you use to design it with?
Thank You
Cheers Sid,
Simple, morph an Iris Mechanism inside out, and fuse with a Kickmaster waste bin. Only it didn't happen that way, and first saw a Kickmaster today and was like "OMG, I want one of those".
In reality, was just having fun with Solidworks :)
New to the whole 3D print thing. Very cool design you have here. Excellent job.
Question: Is there any way to add multiple parts (say both indoors and outdoors) into the same stl file? Like if I have 9.9"X7.8" worth of print space, could I somehow print different parts in different quadrants of that area? This way I can maximize the number of parts printed per print command?
If you are using Slic3r or Cura you can import several stl's.
I use MakerBot Desktop for a Replicator2. Can add as many STL files as I want per export: copy, move, scale and rotate them at will. As long as they stay inside the print volume...
These aren't very complex parts. Can you upload parts with less surfaces that are closer to 1MB in size?
You can download the X_T Parasolids (824k total for all 4 parts), then export them at any resolution you desire with almost any 3D CAD program as STLs.
FYI, typically export STLs of all my prototypes at 1 to 2 degree curvature tolerance to avoid faceting . Sometimes even tighter, as long as they're less than 100MB, regardless of scale. I know most free slicers have a limit of 50MB, so used that as my max limit for Thingiverse.
Not assembled, no.
The cam followers on the doors are spring loaded into the tracks, so it won't work printed as an assembly.
Thanks for asking.
If properly nested, a challenge to be sure, the parts could be printed all at once as an assembly in a Selective Laser Sintering printer, which uses powder melted by laser to create the model. The unprinted portion of the powder serves as supports for the construction as well. The tricky part would be positioning the individual components as an assembly, unless it exists in the creator's library.
It printed great on our TAZ 6 and LUlzBot Mini.
However once we got it all put together it closed and will not open back up.
We have printed it twice and it happened on both.
Did you remove the triangular nuggets on hinges?
If not, they will lock into the cut outs on the bottom of the cam.
Gently pry the cover loose with a knife, don't completely remove it. Then spin the assembly apart.
Trim and assemble again.
I'm having a terrible time keeping this together. The cover wants to fall off all the time. Anyone else have that issue? Would printing the cover slightly smaller help?
The cover snaps over the lip ring on the cam. After assembly, they will be almost flush against each other.
Printing it "slightly smaller" would help, say at 98 or even 99%.
If your resolution (facet or curvature deviation, not layer height) is set too low, there will not be enough engagement.
Also, different materials, even brands, have different shrink rates during cooling. So if the cover does not shrink as much as the cam, it will be loose and unfortunately will need to print another scaled down as you suggested.
In addition: One thing I learned about 3D printing is as layers are deposited, if you don't have enough shells (or print too fast), the final outline will not be very accurate. Make sure the cam has a good lip on it, and the 3 snaps in the cover are well defined. Try snapping these together without any doors as a dry test, then measure them to determine if you need to scale anything.
3D printing is still more of an art than a science. About half of my filament ends up in the trash, no matter what I'm trying to print. My printer is a 2012 Makerbot Rep2, and has several thousand hours on it without mods, except the factory replacement extruder upgrade.
I would like to know if anyone else had this problem?. Good luck as well!!
My issue was that the tabs on the cover did not have a small enough ID to engage and snap onto the base. Printing the cover at 99% solved that problem and I could assemble a working print, but the friction between the cover and the doors was very high. A cover scaled to 99.5% would probably fit OK. If anyone else has the same issue, I would suggest reprinting the cover VERY slightly smaller- somewhere between 99.3% and 100% size.
Interesting model.
Printing the Cam over might resolve the issue.
Sounds like the circular snap lip is under-sized, or is not well defined.
It should have a ring diameter of about 3.16", while the I.D. of the cover is 3.18"
On the other hand, the overlap of the snaps is not that much, only .01"
I'll upload a "COVER2.STL" with an additional .01" lap.
I had the same issue where it wouldn't stay in place. (cheap filament that shrinks a lot) My work around was to crimp the 3 tabs with some pliers, this tiny amount was enough to make both 100% and 50% size prints stay in place. The fixed STL files are a good permanent fix.
I printed all the parts in 2 "plates" on my stock Rostock Max V2 with 0.2mm layers at a relatively slow speed. I usually do not have to adjust sizing to make parts fit unless the tolerance is very tight. I will try to adjust the size and see if that helps any.
Cool. And thanks for not giving up :)
Make sure the cover is snapped all the way down.
The pics show the doors on first, and is difficult to get the cover over the doors.
I discovered it was easy to snap together if the doors were assembled in the cover before hand, like in the video.
Are the doors meant to be printed one at a time? I tried two at a time and one of them was pushed along the bed by the nozzle. When the nozzle returned it just made some spaghetti..
Also, I'm supposed to print two of each door right?
Yes, two of each door. Depending on how reliable your printer is, in theory you could print everything at once if your print area is large enough.
Rafts will help keep the doors and cover in place, otherwise the contact patch is dangerously small unless you have a heated bed, or is leveled to perfection. Any make that breaks loose during a print, will make spaghetti, that's a global 3D printing hazard. If your print head is too close to the bed, it will drag your print around on the first layer, every time. Too far away, and your print won't stick. Don't print the cam with raft (pain to clean), there's more than enough contact patch if you get past the first layer.
Running too hot, or uneven cooling, will cause the print to curl off the bed and break loose, or first layer too high off the bed (out of level). Printing too fast will also dislodge the print as the head strikes over hangs that warp up before being bridged. Which is why the original files have the added triangular build helper nuggets, as my printer kept busting the small legs of the loops off way into the build.
G'luck. Hope you have another go at it :)
Hi Prot0typ1cal,
Thanks for the response! The cam printed fine, although I had some difficulty removing it from the bed. I printed the cam in ABS and tried to print the doors in PLA. I've only done that because I've only got two filaments at the moment so it's strictly a colour thing for me.
I'll try again. My heated bed was set at 70degC and the Nozzle was 208degC.
The cover was doing well last night but I stopped it as we were going to sleep. Shame really, it looked good!
Bed temp for PLA is recommended at 60c. I run PLA way too hot at 240c because my nozzle is old and sticky (I know, personal problem), with fill & bridges at 90mm/s, shells at 60, and outlines & first layer at 40.
Looking forward to seeing your make.
I'm just generating the Gcode now. I'm going to go for all four doors at once. I'm trying Blue tape for this one. Am I supposed to use glue with the blue tape, or just on its own? Also - do I heat the bed if using blue tape & glue?
I'll try your settings, except the nozzle of course, and see how it comes out.
I'm looking forward to finally finishing it! We're going out at 7pm so I don't think I can get a print tonight, gutted really. I don't fancy leaving a new machine running unattended in case of fire.
No heat or glue with blue tape. I use the green Frog tape as I don't have a heated bed, seems to release and hold the parts better than the cheaper generic blue stuff in my experience.
Unattended 3d printing shouldn't be a issue, do it almost all the time. Never heard of one catching fire, you'd be the first :p
EDIT: Okay I google 3d printer fires. Does happen, though very rare. Typically poorly constructed units (home built, or cheap Chinese) with inexpensive components that are under-rated, have bad thermistors or incorrect wiring. Placing your printer on a metal cookie sheet and away from flammable objects will greatly reduce the risk of the fire spreading if it does spontaneously self-combust. I have smoke alarms and fire sprinklers in the ceiling so never thought about it before.
Haha well I ended up running it while I was out for a couple of hours. It's on now and we're off to sleep but it's 50% through the cover for the Venus Box.
The printer isn't in its final station, it's currently just plonked in the office, on the carpet, right next to the couch and my guitar... Maybe a fire hazard... I'll be rectifying the situation soon though :)
Very cool design!
Made one per original design, and have another underway that will have "teeth". Everyone who sees it is really intrigued and impressed with the design.
THANKS!!
Ok i printed 2 of these out and people are just plain speechless when i tell them its 3D printed. Two of my friends had ideas i wanted to pass on to you since it is your design after all.
- making it a little smaller and having some way to mount in a vehicle (loose change etc).
- it this is made out of PLA (or possible dissolvable filament) put som ehols in the bottom pack it with dirt and seed and instant planter.
Every one woul love to know the story behind it if you are willing to share.
again thank you for this super design and it should getput on the thingvirse home page. i am not knocking the others but this can really show what you someone can do when they put thsie mind to it.
Currently making the variation with teeth. going all black and only the inner doors will be bright yellow. will post pictures.
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Clearances and assembly fit were established for the final version through repeated prototyping. Going up or down in scale may make assembled parts too loose or too tight. I wouldn't recommend less than 75%, or larger than 150% of the published files.
- Grab a cordless drill, LOL.
Story? The popular Iris box was my inspiration, and asked myself "could I make a box with fewer parts?".
Took a kilo of PLA and a waste basket of various prototypes under a week to dial it in. Quoting Marc LeBlanc "Fail faster, follow the fun". Solidworks and 3d Printing allows me to do that. Just kept telling myself "Keep it simple".
Really was trying for minimal material use, not optimal capacity. Size? a 4 inch diameter was what I was comfortable wrapping my hand around. All things considered, the "Venus" is not an efficient box. The Iris box requires less material for the same capicity. On the happy side, the "Venus" turned out to be very robust.
Eventually got to a point I didn't want to fix or change anything, or at least didn't need to. I did want to make a version with teeth?, SHAZAM! jedynak did it already http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1564731
Gotta love Thingiverse :)
This design is awsome. It is things like this that showcase what can be designed and then 3D printed. Again great design.
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