Puzzle Presents #7

Gift Box #7

This is the seventh gift box in a series that may all look the same on the outside but each have a secret way of opening. 

This one uses a planetary gear stage! Turning the bow rotates the sun gear which results in the ring gear turning at a 3:1 ratio. There are external threads on the ring gear which engage with female threads on the box. The planetary gears are aesthetically pleasing but they actually work against you as it takes three more turns to unthread. It’s easy to cross thread, make sure the top is on flat before tightening.

Printing Instructions

Its roughly 100mm x 100m x 80mm tall. The top prints in place as one part, none of the parts require supports.  The bow and ribbons are printed separately and are glued on. I printed all the parts in the orientation provided. I prefer the vertical orientation for the ribbons for a smoother surface finish, and they are much stronger printed in this orientation. I added helper pads to them to keep them stable during printing. For best results, use a .4mm nozzle. 

I used Gorilla Glue (aff.) for gluing on the ribbons.  Put the glue in the middle and let it naturally spread out. 

If you don’t already own as set of these clamps (aff.) you should pick them up, they really help with gluing the ribbons on. 

Printed on the Muldex rep-rap IDEX printer.