Hi all,

You know that I like when a box can be closed by a lid that is identical to the box itself (see this topic).
So for the Maryland Plastics injection molding contest, I propose a container that follows this rule, the Dod Box
The basic shape is half a dodecahedron: take a dodecahedron standing on a flat surface and keep only the 6 lowest faces.
All the difficulty has been first to allow this container to be closed with exactly the same shape (with a tab system), and second to make these boxes stackable.
This the result:

The diameter of the dodecahedron is 25 cm, the thickness of the walls is 3 mm, the clearances are 0.5 mm (+/- 0.25 mm to be exact).
When it is closed, you get back the regular dodecahedron shape.
You can maintained the box closed thanks to a large rubber band (to carry food for a picnic, for instance).
In this last rendering you can see how you can stack them, in closed or opened position.
Sorry for the poor rendering, it is not easy to render transparent plastic. I used colors so that you can distinguish the different parts.

As usual, your feedback is welcomed!

• Attachment: inj.jpg
  (Size: 64.58KB, Downloaded 819 time(s))

[Updated on: Sun, 24 January 2010 08:41 UTC]

I really appreciate your kind words Whystler.
This being said, I confess I would have much happier if I had discovered the Dodechedron itself, but I guess I was born too late for that!

To answer your question, I planned in effect to upload a scaled down version that could be ordered in Strong and Flexible. Unfortunately, the scale 1:2 lead to a price still too expensive, so I uploaded a 1:3 version.
It is only 1 mm thick, but it should be OK for Strong and Flexible.

That's a pity it is so expensive, it could have been very cool to have it in metal with some pentacles engraved on each face. Perhaps, I could do a version of this size (1:3) but with a larger thickness (3 or perhaps 2 mm) to print it in Full Color Sandstone, so that the pentacles could be in the texture...

[Updated on: Sun, 14 February 2010 11:10 UTC]