Free Enclosure & Project Box Generator
Free parametric project box generator in your browser. Set the cavity, walls, lid style and PCB standoffs, then order it printed in NZ, or buy the file.
What It Does
Every electronics project eventually needs a box, and the off-the-shelf ones are always the wrong size. This generator builds a project enclosure around the space you actually need: type the inner cavity dimensions, choose how the lid closes, add standoffs for the board, and both the box and its lid are rebuilt live in the 3D viewport and laid out on one plate ready to print. It runs entirely in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Designing here is free and there is no sign-up. Keeping the file is not: order the part printed by us and the download comes with it, or buy a licence for the file on its own.
Sizing the Cavity
The dimensions you enter are the inside of the box, which is the measurement that matters: outer size follows from the wall thickness you choose. Measure the tallest thing in the assembly, not the board, and allow a couple of millimetres of headroom above it for wiring. Leave two to three millimetres of clearance around the board footprint so connectors and solder joints are not fighting the wall, and remember that a right-angle connector needs its plug depth as well as its body depth.
Walls, Floor and Lid Thickness
Wall, floor and lid thickness are set independently. Pick multiples of your nozzle width so the slicer fills the wall with whole extrusions: with a 0.4 mm nozzle, 1.6 mm gives four solid passes and is the sweet spot for a hand-held box, 2.0 to 2.4 mm suits something that gets knocked around or mounted in a workshop, and anything under 1.2 mm flexes enough that a friction lid will pop open. A thicker floor is worth having if the box is screwed down or carries a heavy transformer.
Lid Styles
A friction-lip lid drops into a recess and is held by the interference of the lip against the cavity wall. It is the quickest to use and the easiest to reopen, and it is the right choice for prototypes you will be getting back into. A flat lid is a plain plate the outer size of the box, for taping, gluing or screwing down later, and the lightest lid to print. The open tray option skips the lid entirely for parts trays, drawer inserts and drop-in liners.
PCB Standoffs and Pilot Holes
Four corner standoffs can be placed to your board's mounting-hole spacing, each with a pilot hole sized for a self-tapping screw. Plastic threads best when the pilot hole is roughly 0.2 mm under the screw's thread diameter, so an M3 self-tapper wants about 2.5 mm; drive it in slowly and stop as soon as it seats, because the second insertion into the same hole is always weaker than the first. If the box will be opened repeatedly, heat-set brass inserts are far more durable than threading into the plastic.
Rounded Corners and Printing Both Parts Together
A corner radius on the outside is not just cosmetic. It removes the sharp vertical seam where the printer changes direction, gives the part a better feel in the hand, and takes away the stress riser that boxes crack from when dropped. Box and lid are tiled onto one plate so the pair prints in a single job. A live readout shows total volume, estimated mass for each material and the facet count of the generated mesh.
Cutouts, Materials and Post-processing
The generator deliberately does not attempt connector cutouts, because a USB or barrel-jack aperture needs to match a specific part number to be any use. Drill or file the openings after printing, which is quick in PLA and PETG, or send us the brief and our design service will model them properly. For material choice, PETG is the general-purpose answer: tough, slightly flexible and dimensionally stable enough for a snap lid. PLA is cheaper and crisper for a desk-bound prototype but softens in a hot car or a sunlit window. ASA and ABS handle heat and UV for outdoor or engine-bay use, and PAHT-CF gives a rigid box that does not bow when bolted down. Note that no FDM enclosure is inherently IP-rated or flame retardant, so treat it as mechanical protection, not certified electrical protection.
Order It Printed or Buy the File
Send it to our instant quote page and have the box and lid printed in the material you need and shipped anywhere in New Zealand, with the file included in the order. Or buy a licence for the file on its own and print it yourself in whatever you already have on the shelf. The materials page covers temperature and UV behaviour, and the FDM design guide explains the wall thickness and clearance rules the friction lid relies on.