Parametric Project Box

thingiverse

We had to create enclosures to house the thermostats for my friend's Keezer and fermenting fridge. It seemed like an easy job for OpenSCAD and my 3D printer, but there were two major problems. I print with ABS, my printer is unenclosed, and it has been growing colder in my home office. The long, thin walls of the single-piece project box I designed buckled during the print and came apart quite severely. If that was the only problem, I would have rigged up a canopy and printed it again. Unfortunately, I had also made a mistake when measuring for the holes. The power receptacles snap in, so I had to estimate how much smaller the holes needed to be. I quickly realized that a box made from 6 individual pieces, like common laser cut boxes, would have several advantages over a one-piece box. None of the pieces are tall enough for delaminated ABS to be an issue, and I only need to reprint a single side if the holes for the power cables and thermostat aren't the correct size. This box does not require any fasteners. The top and bottom lock into the front, back, and sides with dovetail joints. The sides are held in place by the tabs on the front and back. When the front and back are pushed into place, they snap into ridges on the sides and are locked firmly in place. The project box is sturdier than I expected. We were able to play a gentle game of catch with the thermostat without it being damaged. You just have to be careful around those corners, as they are more pointed than they appear.