12 Leaf Aperture Iris Box

myminifactory

This is an improved version of my '12 leaf Aperture Box' design featuring a convenient twist collar opening mechanism. This allows me to keep the top clear of handles, enabling decorative tops on the box. The box has 12 leaves similar to a camera iris, but with added structural rigidity for everyday functionality. It measures 80mm tall and 80mm in diameter, opening by twisting the collar clockwise. There are many other iris boxes available on my profile page, including themed decorative tops like the Gear Lid. This design requires M2x6 countersunk screws to assemble (just like all my other designs), totaling 36 screws per box. You can use larger or smaller screws depending on your print scale, for example, M3x8 at 150% part scale. Buying in bulk from a specialist supplier is often cheaper. Two versions of the container are included: the standard yellow one and the shortened green/black version, which reduces the overall height to 48mm. The pattern on some containers was created using the velocity painting technique; you can find many excellent guides online for this method. The line pattern on the yellow container was designed by Freepik, while the triangular pattern was remixed from a rawpixel.com/Freepik design and the floral pattern was remixed from GarryKillian's work. There are three door designs: the simple 'door' is plain and flat, used on the blue/green example; the 'star' door creates a pointed star embellishment; and 'door hyp' creates a hypnotic spiral when opened. For both the 'star' and 'hyp' doors, I've included multi-material printing versions denoted with 'MM' in the object file name. It's not necessary to have a multimaterial printer for these prints; all examples shown were printed on my single nozzle 3D printer using Devin Montes' excellent tutorial as reference. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of this method in highlighting patterns. You can choose between 'Collar1' and 'Collar2', with the main difference being six dimples for gripping and twisting the collar (used on the green/blue example) versus twelve (used on other examples). Part testing If you've successfully printed one of my other 'aperture' designs, such as the 'Aperture Box' or '12 Leaf Aperture Box,' you can make this design. Before printing all parts, ensure that the screw joints and sliding dovetail joints work correctly with your print settings. Print two 'Door' parts (with some support on the dovetails) and test the sliding dovetail. They should be loose enough to slide easily under their own weight for the design to function effectively. Try to avoid 'elephants foot' on the base of the doors, as this can reduce tolerances and cause excess friction. If they are too tight, try reducing the layer height or using outer contour XY compensation in your slicer (Ideamaker is a free slicer that does this). Lower friction materials also play a significant role; I used PLA with great results. Also check that your screws fit tightly into the holes on the base of the door parts. You may need to scale the parts or use hole XY compensation (Ideamaker also does this) to get a good fit. Print off one link and check that the screws turn freely in the holes, and the head is flush with the part surface. Assembly Instructions Also see pictures for visual instructions. To make the box, you'll need to print: 1x 'Container' or 'Short Container,' 1x 'Collar 1' or 'Collar 2,' 12x 'Link 1,' 6x 'Link 2,' and 12x 'Door' of any type. Place the container on a flat surface, then attach the collar to it. Screw the narrower ends of the six larger links (Link 2) into the holes in the container. The collar should now be held securely onto the box but also able to twist freely. Screw the non-pointed ends of the smaller links (Link 1) to the collar. For attaching the links to the doors, it's easiest if you roughly assemble the doors in the open position upside down and place the container and collar assembly on top of them. Now screw the other end of the larger links to the inside holes on the doors. Now screw the smaller links to the holes on the outside edge of the box doors. You should now have a working Aperture Iris box! The mechanism may be a little stiff at first but should loosen up over time. A little bit of silicon lubricant could also be used on the dovetail joints to make it work more smoothly. If you have any questions or problems with this design, I will be happy to help.