A 12 leaf version of my aperture box design, producing a sliding 12 sided aperture much like a camera iris. It is opened by twisting the handles on the doors in a clockwise direction.

I also have many more Iris box designs which you can find on my profile page including an improved version of this design '12 Leaf Aperture Iris Box'. I have also produced a general Instructable guide on how to print my iris boxes to a high quality.

The part files are designed for M2x6 countersunk/flathead screws such as these (as with all my other designs); 24 screws are required in total for the box. The parts can be scaled to use larger or smaller screws e.g. M3x8 screws at 150% scale.

The box is approximately 80mm wide, 80mm tall (using the standard container) and has a 64mm container opening. Two versions of the container are included: the standard container which makes the box 80mm tall and a shortened container which makes it about 40mm tall (used for the printed example).

Part testing

Before printing off all the parts you should make sure the sliding dovetail and screw joints work correctly with your print settings.

Supports are required for the overhanging section of the dovetail on the door parts. Be careful when adding supports to only support the outer part. The inner part can be bridged easily, and adding unecessary supports here will likely make it hard to remove them from the parts and add friction to the dovetails. The pictures show support setup and removal from the 'Aperture Iris Box' but the process is much the same here.

I recommend printing just one 'link' and two 'Door' parts to test the joints. The sliding dovetail joints may be a little stiff to begin with but should slide smoothly with very little effort for the box to work well. Materials with low friction are ideal (the standard PLA I use works fine) plus a little lubricant can help significantly. If the joints are too stiff, consider using a lower layer height or contour xy compensation (ideamaker is a free slicer which does this).

Also check that your screws fit securely in the holes on the base of the doors, but are free to spin in the link holes and the head is flush with the part surface. You may need to use hole xy compensation (ideamaker also does this) to get a good fit.

Printing and Assembly

For the box you will need to print: 12x 'Door' parts, 12x 'Link' and 1x 'Container'.

There are two types of 'door' part: the 'Door handle' which has a ridge to grip and open the box (two are used on the printed example) and the simple flat 'door' part. I recommend printing at least two 'door handle' parts and positioning them on opposite sides of the box for ease of opening.

Assembly is straightforward and firstly requires sliding all the door parts together. Then screw the non-pointed end of the links to the container and finally screw the links to the base of the doors.

It is easiest to open the box using your right thumb and fingers near the centre of the box on an opposing pair of door handles.

Let me know if you have any questions or problems with the design.