TinkerCad

Small Box

This tutorial will show you how to create a simple cylindrical box in two parts. The top of the box is designed to fit in the box.
  1. Open Google chrome, or another webGL enabled browser.
  2. Navigate to Tinkercad.com.
  3. Sign in using your username and password or sign up.
  4. Click on the Create new design button:
    create_new_design.png
  5. The first part to design is the cap. Make a cylinder 30 x 30 x 20.

    There are 2 ways to do this:

    Option 1

    1. Drag a cylinder from the left on to the workplane:
      _01drag_cylinder.png
    2. Drag the node out to adjust the x and y dimensions:
      _02_pull_out_node_to_adjust_dimensions.png


    Option 2

    1. Drag the ruler on to the workplane and adjust the x value first. Press tab to make the next adjustment _02a_alternatively_drag_out_ruler.png
    2. Press tab to make the next adjustment:
      _02a2_alternatively_drag_out_ruler.png
    3. Press tab to make the next adjustment:
      cyl_1_z
  6. Drag another cylinder on to the work plane. This will become the hole:
    drag-cyl_2
  7. You want a wall thickness of the box to be 1.6mm. So 2 x 1.6=3.2 and 30-3.2=26.8.
    Set the x to 26.8, the y to 26.8 and the z to 20:
    cylinder 2
  8. Click and drag the black cone so that the cylinder raises 2mm off the workplane:
    Raise 2mm
  9. Click on hole icon to turn the cylinder into a hole:
    convert cyl to hole
  10. Select both cylinders:
    select_both
  11. Click on Adjust and select Align:
    select_align
  12. Click on the center nodes to align the objects:
    align
  13. Make sure both cylinders are selected then click on group to make the hole:
    bottom_group
  14. Drag another cylinder on to the workplane:
    drag_new_cyl
  15. Set the x to 30, the y to 30 and the z to 2. This will be the base of the top:
    base
  16. Drag another cylinder and set the x to 26, the y to 26 and the z to 16. This will be part of the top.
  17. Drag another cylinder onto the workplane. This will become a hole in the top. Set the x to 22.8, the y to 22.8 and the z to 18:
    hole for top
  18. You need to create a rim on the top for friction. Drag another cylinder out and set the x to 26.8, the y to 26.8 and the z to 2:
    Friction
  19. Click on the black cone and drag up until this disc is 14mm off the workplane:
    up 14
  20. Select the last four cylinders by Shift+left clicking each of them:
    select cap parts
  21. Align the cylinders:
    align_parts_of_cap
  22. Drag a cube onto the workplane and set the x to 30, the y to 2 and the z to 14:
    wall
  23. Make a duplicate of the cube by pressing Command+D.
  24. Rotate the duplicate 90° (hold the SHIFT key while you rotate to confine the move to 45° increments):
    rotated
  25. Convert the two cubes into a group and then into a hole. Raise the hole up 2.3mm:
    Raise up
  26. Align the cross with the cylinders:
    align_base
  27. Raise the central cylinder (the hole) up 2.2mm:
    Raise cyl
  28. Select and group all the pieces of the cap to convert the cross and central cylinder to holes:
    group
  29. Use the align tool to align the top and the bottom parts of the box. Then move them closer to each other:
    align
  30. Select Properties from the Design Menu:
    properties
  31. Rename the model something that is more meaningful to you then the randomly generated name:
    name
  32. Select Design→Download for 3D Printing
    download
  33. Select STL
    stl
  34. Print!

Next steps

Use the ideas that you learned in the walk through to create a box of different dimensions.