Advanced Options
- Approximate Tab Width
-
If you specify a value in this field, it will be used as a guideline, not an exact value. The layout of the tabs on each side of the box contributes to the overall aesthetics of the final product.
One of the key differences of Makeabox and other tools, is that Makeabox goes out of its way to create a symmetric tab layout. To accomplish this, we always choose an odd number of outward tabs per side, ie. 3, 5, 7, etc. The value you provide in this field helps the algorithm determine how many tabs per side to generate.
- Kerf
- Kerf is defined as the cut width: the amount of material that laser removes while cutting. By adding a non-zero kerf you can compensate for the material removed, and make your box fit very snug. But be careful: too much kerf and the sides will not fit together. Default value is conservative at 0.007in.
- Margin
- is the spacing around the entire box layout
- Padding
- is the spacing between sides of the box as they are laid out.
- Stroke
-
is the thickness of the line.
For example, Epilog laser cutter requires stroke width of 0.001 inches in order to make a cut.
Welcome to Makeabox.io!
Are you ready to make some boxes?! Let's go!
Thanks for using Makeabox.io! This site has been running since 2015, helping thousands of people generate PDF blueprints that can be used to laser-cut 3D enclosures.
How does it work?
You provide the A) internal box dimensions of your enclosure (the size of the empty box inside), B) thickness of the desired material, and then you simply click on the "Download PDF" button, and after working for a few seconds on the backend, we will send you the generated PDF document containing the template. You load up the template into Corel Draw, or Adobe Illustrator, tweak what you need, and then spool it to your laser cutter as per specifications of your laser cutter hardware. The downloaded file name will reflect some of the main dimensions you provided.
What about these "teeth" I see on each side?
Yes, indeed. You can see them in the picture below. They are called teeth, tabs or notches, but they all mean the same thing. They help each side snap in place when assembled, making the overall design much sturdier and easier to put together.
Makeabox automatically generates "snap-on tabs", and does it in a very specific way to ensure complete symmetry for each side of the enclosure. To achieve that requires dividing each side into an odd number of equidistant sections. Symmetric designs generated by this tool are distinguished by being super easy to assemble, as there should ever only be 3 variations.
If you are interested in the back-story of this project, please check out the blog post announcing its release. And the following Github Repo for Laser-Cutter contains the source of the laser-cut design generation logic. Help is always wanted.
Typical Acrylic Thickness Values
0.060 1.5
0.080 2.0
0.098 2.5
0.100 2.5
0.118 3.0
0.125 3.2
0.150 3.8
0.177 4.3
0.177 4.5
0.187 4.7
0.197 5.0
0.220 5.6
0.236 6.0
0.250 6.4
0.295 7.5
0.312 7.9
0.354 9.0
0.375 9.5
0.472 12.0
0.500 12.7
0.591 15.0
0.625 15.9
0.708 18.0
0.750 19.1
0.944 24.0
1.000 25.4
1.125 28.6
1.500 38.1
1.750 44.5
2.000 50.8
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Fellow Makers,
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As I am sure you realize, it costs money to run this site, and therefore we are asking you to please consider donating literally any amount, as it's very much appreciated. Alternatively, click on the Refine Packaging links to help our our sponsor.