3D Printed Complaint Boxcutter
A compact, hardware-free box cutter designed for rapid printing and assembly. Accepts standard utility blades and prints in under an hour on most FDM machines. Snaps together securely without tools or fasteners.
Skills:
Tolerence Optimization, Compliant Mechanism Design, Safety & Ergonomic Considerations
Design Considerations & Decisions
Initially created as a challenge to myself to make a compliant mechanical system, the original criteria were as follows:
- Must be entirely 3d printed
- 3 parts maximum (excluding blade)
- Must accept standard utility blades
In order to achieve this, each part had to not only fulfill multiple functions but also have tight enough tolerances to effectively interact while still remaining printable. Tolerances dialed in by evaluating one at a time until the desired fit was achieved. While this resulted in a large number of iterations (roughly 12 sets) each tolerance could be developed without disrupting other fits, as compared to if tolerances were verified in parallel.
Once all tolerances and main features were created and dialed in, additional ergonomic considerations such as finger grooves, extensions, and fillets on components were added in different areas to fit the hand better and prevent slipage while operating the knife.