Light Box Frame

Background:

I’ve done a few different light boxes and found the images to be somewhat seasonal. So, I had the idea the make the front face of the light box easily interchangeable while keeping the frame/guts of the light box intact rather than make new light boxes for every occasion. No glue required!

This model includes a square light box frame and a generic face plate. Combined they are roughly 8” x 8” x 2”.
 

I plan to upload additional models with the more seasonal face plates in separate uploads to Maker World. (Note that the wildcat image is included to show an example face plate for the light box and is not included in this model.)

Easily swap face plates for new images to light up!

Use the Light Box Frame with these Face Plates:

Neon Halloween: https://makerworld.com/en/models/633093

Detroit Tigers D: https://makerworld.com/en/models/659869

Halloween Light Box: https://makerworld.com/en/models/659873

Files/Profile Description:

This model includes three .3mf files/profiles.
 

Light Box Frame – With Holes – This file is my generic light box frame with holes to utilize the panel mount power jack and switch that I have listed in my parts list below.
 

Light Box Frame – No Holes – This file is my generic light box frame with no holes. Simply add any holes/cutouts you need for your particular application.
 

Face Plate – This file is the face plate that snap in to the front of the light box frame. Add whatever image you want to make a light box out of and extrude it through the front face. Give the face plate time to cool before removing it from the build plate. If you remove it too soon, you run the risk of warping the part and creating gaps for light to shine through when it’s snapped on to the light box frame. Some important info/tips when modifying the face plate:

• The front face is 1.5mm thick.
• Keeping the image within an 188mm x 188mm box centered on the face plate will avoid any shadows being cast on the back of the face plate because of the tabs that allow it to snap into place.
• I’ve had good results with keeping color changes at a 0.4mm depth and then using white filament for the remaining depth/thickness of the front face. I found that this effectively creates a backing layer to prevent the different colored sections from breaking apart and helps darker colors from appearing black when back-lit.
• Customize the filament sequence to print in order from light to dark filament. (Click the nut icon next to the build plate on the Prepare screen in Bambu Slicer to find this.)

Parts:

To illuminate the light box, I use 8mm wide COB LED strips. I found the pattern shown in the images works well. The short sections are ~58mm and the long sections are ~180mm. I used 6 L-shaped LED Strip Connectors from Bambu Lab Maker’s Supply. All other parts are noted below.

NO GLUE REQUIRED!!!