Cryptex

DESCRIPTION The cryptex is a customizable puzzle box. Give it as a gift, use it for storage, or simply put it up as decoration. You can customize the colors, passcode, and lid graphics based on your printing choices. The code can be adjusted to any four-number combination through the rings that are printed and the order in which they are placed. There are three options for the graphics on the lid: a robot face, a rose, or plain. Since each piece can be printed individually, you’re free to get creative with color combinations. To open the cryptex, line up the numbers of your passcode with the nub on the edge of the lid. Pull up on the lid, and your cryptex will slide open to reveal its internal compartment! 3.4" L x 3.45" W x 2.74" H 86.36 mm L x 87.51 mm W x 69.71 mm H DESIGN PROCESS The cryptex was created in 2017. I redesigned it in 2019 and then again in 2020. It was first made as a gift for the graduating members of my high school robotics team (see image 8). The team wrote thank-you notes on pieces of paper and packed them into the cryptex to be given to the seniors at our end-of-the-year banquet. The robot lid design is our team mascot/logo, and the rings originally only spelled 1-3-5-1 (our team number) as the code. I redesigned it in 2019 to be compatible with both FDM and MJF printing. In the original FDM version from 2017, the lid and the bottom had to be printed in two separate pieces. The separation of the pieces was to avoid supports, which would waste time and filament and increase the chance for error. The print time was still almost eight hours and required multiple runs to produce all the parts. In the 2019 redesign, the lid and the bottom are printed as one piece. Since SLA/SLS/MJF/PolyJet methods rely on powder/resin to support the structures, the concern over supports is gone. In my 2020 redesign, I created the rest of the ring numbers, encompassing 0-9 for total customizability of the passcode. I added the plain and rose lid options to give peop