Slide Top Rabbet Box (Customizer for 3D Printers and CNC)

thingiverse

I created this box generator because I wanted a design suitable for both 3D printers and CNC machines. This generator produces boxes with rabbet joints at the edges which provide precise alignment during glue up. This box design also features a sliding lid that makes assembly easy. For CNC users, this box can be fabricated by cutting from one side and requires minimal finishing work. To get started, you need to know these tips for using the generator effectively: The box dimensions are in millimeters and define the outside measurements of the box. If you have specific size requirements for the inside, remember to account for the wall thickness to ensure a proper fit. The tolerance slider controls how loose or tight the lid fits. It's a numeric value representing a percentage of the material thickness. For example, if your box has 8mm thick walls and a default tolerance of 4 percent, you'll get a lid tolerance of 0.32mm. You can slide the tolerance down to zero, but it might require some sanding to fit the lid flange in the slot. The bit value controls the spacing between pieces in the layout. If using a CNC machine, make sure the bit value is larger than the diameter of your cutting tool to avoid any issues. I usually stick with the default layout as it works well for most box configurations. However, feel free to experiment with other layouts as they might fit better into your build area in certain cases. When working with CNC machines, I recommend using a 3mm flat endmill as your cutting tool. It's essential that the tool be smaller than half the material thickness so you can cut slots for the lid properly. This box generator produces .STL output which needs further processing through a CAM program to produce the CNC cut paths. I use Vectric products, but other CNC CAM programs will work just as well.