Preassembled Secret Heart Box

thingiverse

An updated version of this design can be found at http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1221494. The Secret Heart Box by Eric Young was an enjoyable design, but finding all the necessary parts was a hassle. Through creating the Blossoming Lamp, I learned that complex, preassembled mechanisms can be 3D printed without breaking the 45-degree rule. As a challenge, I aimed to prove this was possible with a locking heart box. Watch the video here: http://youtu.be/PPqLB-bv4gY. By request, the customizer code has been modified to allow adding words on top of the heart for personalization. A big thanks to Makerbot and the bot farm for printing 100 of these as wedding favors. To print and use this heart box, no assembly or extra parts are required. The key is maintaining correct tolerance between the printed parts - I suggest using 0.4mm on a Replicator 1 printer. When removing the heart box from the print bed, gently separate fused corners with a putty knife or razor blade. Open the lid by prying at the center, close and twist the halves (it only twists one way). The Customizer App allows tweaking of tolerance and overall dimensions, but be cautious not to make H too small or it won't work. Adjust hinge distance if changing size for proper functioning.