Making a laser-cut box/case with elastic clips
Downloadable plans for any size of box/case in SVG format, ready for laser cutting
| Box width | or | |
| Box depth | ||
| Box height | ||
| Measured | ||
| Thickness | mm (0.118") | |
Each colour is for a different pass of the laser: the green lines should be cut first to make insertion holes for the clips, pink are extra cuts to make it easier to separate delicate parts, orange are letters that are etched (not cut) to make it clear which panels are joined together, and finally blue cuts the outside of each panel. (If the blue lines were cut first, then that panel might move about inside the cutter before its holes get cut out.)
Case clipping system
There are various solutions for joining case panels together (glue, screws, etc) but I particularly like Laser-Cut Elastic-Clips designed by Patrick Fenner. They enable a remarkably strong case to be built (and opened again) without needing any extra parts.I used these elastic clips for making the acrylic case of my 5 Node Cluster of Raspberry Pi 3s.
If you want to make a case joined in other ways: flat sides (glue), finger joints (glue) or T-slots (screws), then the MakerCase page by Jon Hollander is excellent.
Case measurements
This page can currently only design for 3mm (0.118") thickness. e.g., in MDF or acrylic (Perspex). Please let me know if you’d like this page to support other thicknesses. Extruded (rather than cast) acrylic has a fine thickness tolerance, which is required for the elastic clips to work.SVG format
SVG is a standardised format for vector (line) designs, which can be read by most 2D graphics packages (if you want to edit the box design before sending it to your laser cutter). I use the free Inkscape application.Future improvements/ideas
- Add extra clips for larger cases: have a maximum span of 180mm before automatically adding support? (alternate between clip/tab) (no need to label)
- WebGL rendering of finished 3D box, using three.js library
- Curve/angled case edges around green slots to increase strength?
- Change clip distance from edges based on size of case? automatic/smart mode (default) and manual mode (writable field)
- Support material thicknesses other than 3mm?
Bugs to fix
- Broken output for cases narrower than 95mm
- Return keypress in form should trigger update (IE)
- Improved horizontal spacing in form
- Trap javascript errors on IEv6-9 upon loading
- Flash fallback for client-side file save IEv9?
- Trap error on old Safari v5 browsers
- Trap error on old Opera v12 browsers
Changelog
- Minor positioning fixes to etched letters, flipped
G&Ton front panel - Switchable case dimensions between external size (default) to internal space
- Increased size of casing around green slots by 1mm for greater strength
- Uses fewer clips for very small cases
- Removed need to click the ‘Update’ button, have design change instantly
- Enforced a minimum width/depth (72mm), height (45mm), replaces non-numeric input
- Annotated design with etched connector letters
A...T
Nick Smith, May 2016. Last updated September 2019.
