A Packing Puzzle of Distinction

Designed by Laszlo Molnar, this puzzle was his 2024 Design Competition entry. The goal of this puzzle is to pack six pieces into a 3x3x3 box through a restricted opening, but there is a surprising twist.  Each of the six pieces contains joint which allows 360 degree rotation enabling each piece to transform into four possible configurations! This makes the puzzle very interesting and extremely fun to play with.  Your first challenge is to find a way to configure the six pieces into a 3x3 cube, your second challenge is to fill the box.

This puzzle uses the same box as the Karakuri puzzle, so if you've printed that, you can just print the pieces and the lid. https://www.printables.com/model/1618929-karakuri-nice-packing-puzzle

I designed the hinges on the pieces with magnets, initially, which worked great; but the magnetic force interfered with adjacent pieces. A simple screw was the best solution. Each piece requires an M4 x 12-16mm screw. I used hex, socket heads, but many others will be fine. Screw it down until it feels snug, allowing the part to rotate with some resistance. 

This puzzle is not trivial and you'll need to take some time to try various configurations. The lid will just press on, glue on, or you can use some M3 screws to make it more permanent. I would use glue as the last alternative as you can use the box with no lid to test various assemblies.

I have provided a large hint which is a zip file with how all 6 pieces are shaped for final entry. This will greatly simplify the puzzle and is very much NOT recommended unless you have already spent much time and are ready to pull your hair out.

The box and pieces can be printed at 0.3 mm layer height (or 0.2 for nicer surface). If you want the pieces to have some "heft" to them you can go with 3 walls and about 30-50% infill. 

The lid can be printed with a color change by layer to have a nice contrast on the text.