Gift Box #7
Gift Box #7
This is the seventh version in a series gift boxes that may look the same on the outside but they 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.
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 glued on. I printed all the parts in the orientation the stl’s are provided in. I prefer the vertical orientation for the ribbons for a smoother surface finish. I added helper pads to them to keep them stable during printing. I printed everything at .2 layer heights but the box could definitely be printed at a larger layer height without issue.
I used Gorilla Glue(aff.) for gluing on the ribbons and the bow.
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.
Note: Assembly model for reference only.
Other Gift Boxes You can find ALL the other gift boxes in the Puzzle Present Collection.
Support and Licensing If you would like to help support more free models please consider joining my Thangs Membership. Get permission to sell physical copies of my models by joining The Collapsing Arsenal










Hi, a general question. Why couldn't the bow and top be printed as 1 piece?
It can, there is a another version where it does.
I LOVE this!!! What infill % did you use on the top?
Not to important, probably 15%.
"The center shaft is keyed so it will only fit on the bow in one orientation."... I don't see the center shaft in the files list and the bow has no hole to accept it. Should the lid's center gear be keyed as well?
So sorry, the description was taken from another box and I forgot to delete that part. Please disregard it, nothing needs to be keyed.
Has anyone had trouble fitting the gears to the Lid of the box? Should I have just printed the "Print in place version"?
Hello, I'm not sure I understand what you mean. The print and place and this version are the same except you have to glue on the ribbons and bow with this version.