Spring-Loaded Glasses Case

prusaprinters

This sleek obelisk of a case has virtually no discernable features on the outside - no visible buttons or latches. But just squeeze the sides together at the business end, and Sproing!, out pop your glasses. Then just push the case back closed with a click. There is one small graphic on either end of the case indicating which side is up, so that you don't dump your glasses on the floor.You will need one small rubber band (1.5mm wide x ~35mm long) to spring the case open. (You can omit the rubber band and pull it open manually, but where's the fun in that?) As shown in the 3rd photo, one end of the rubber band clips over the small hook at the end of the drawer, and the other clips over the little hook at the opening of the outer case.The latching mechanism consists of a small latch nub that sticks up from the bottom surface of the case on the inside. It fits into a little notch in the bottom of the drawer. There is also a long a slot in the bottom of the drawer just past the notch. When you squeeze the end of the case together, the bottom bows downward slightly, releasing the notch from the latch. As the drawer opens the latch can settle back into the long slot, finally stopping the drawer when it is all the way open.PrintingBoth parts print in the orientation shown without supports. I'd suggest using PLA, but other filaments may work too. Prusa Slicer standard profiles should work fine.Pro printing tip: I printed both parts in PLA with 0.20mm layer thickness. However, when is slides open or closed, the layer ridges, which all line up for both pieces, rub against each other creating quite a racket. Printing the outer case with 0.22mm layers will keep all the layer ridges from lining up and should make it much quieter.