Chuah Kwai Pin / 0348376
Packaging and Merchandising Design / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University
Project 1: Box Making
INSTRUCTIONS
LECTURES
All lectures have been completed in
Exercises: Case Study
TASKS
1) Exercise
In class, we were given a lecture about the different types of boxes and how they can be folded. As a simple exercise, we were given a massage ball that looks like the picture below, and we were tasked to measure the dimensions of the ball and create a box for it. We were given a website that had dieline templates called Packhelp.
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| Fig. 1.1 Massage Ball |
For my first attempt, I measured the length and width of the ball and it was around 7cmeach. To leave a bit of space for the ball, I had to change the measurements to 8cm on the dieline. I wanted to try using a cakebox dieline template for the ball since it would look quite unique, but when I laid it out on an A3 paper, I realise that it doesn't fit. Unfortunately, the printer in class could only print A3 papers, so I couldn't proceed with the cakebox template.
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| Fig. 1.2 Cakebox dieline |
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| Fig. 1.3 Reverse Tuck End dieline |
I printed it out on a sheet of A3 paper, but because it was quite thin, I assumed that it was not going to hold the ball well. Nevertheless, I cut the dieline out with a blade and folded it accordingly. I tried placing the ball inside as well, and then realised that the folding flaps were too big and it can be seen through the window. The ball also was not holding very well because of the window, and the sides were too thin and fragile.
In the end, I tried sticking back half a circle onto the box so that there's only a semi-circular window to see the ball. It worked better as the folding flaps are covered, but it still wasn't sturdy enough. Overall, this window idea didn't really work, and I was advised by my lecturer that the window would work best if it was in the middle. It was a great attempt though, and I got a better idea on how to make an accurate dieline.
2) Choosing 2 items
For our 2 items, we were required to pick items that has the length of around 15-20cm. I initially chose a Metronome and a cool sunglasses. After much consideration, I've decided to switch out the Metronome to a handheld fan. The reason is because the Metronome has quite a bit of weight, and the material that we are going to use for laser cut is an art card around 200gsm.
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| Fig. 2.1 Cool Sunglasses |
(Width: 15.5cm)
Reason for choosing this item:
Came in a flimsy ziplock bag that does not protect the glasses
Not used everyday, needs proper storage to avoid collecting dust
A cool item needs a cool packaging too 😎
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| Fig. 2.2 Handheld Fan |
(Length: 15 cm)
Reason for choosing this item:
The original packaging did not have proper support, prone to damage if crushed.
Not used everyday, needs proper storage to avoid collecting dust.
Original product comes with various colours, which can be shown if there's a window on the box for consumers to choose.
3) Prototype
i) Sunglasses Box
To start off with the sunglasses box, I first measured the sunglasses and added around 0.5cm to 1cm extra space for the box. Then I drew out a sample dieline with the measurements.
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| Fig. 3.1 Sunglasses Measurements and Prototype Sketch |
As I worked on the first sketch prototype, I drew it out on an A4 art block and cut it out with my blade. I folded it and tried to put my sunglasses inside to check the measurements. I find that the box is too small to store my sunglasses as it did not fit properly and was protruding out. Hence, I had to go back to my measurements and make some adjustments.
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| Fig. 3.2 Sunglasses New Prototype Sketch |
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| Fig. 3.3 Sunglasses Box Prototype |
Surprisingly, after folding it into the box, it stored the sunglasses well and there is just enough space for it to sit in the box without moving around. However, I had to be very careful with the window as it might be a little fragile when folding the box.
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| Fig. 3.4 Sunglasses Open Box Prototype |
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ii) Fan Box
As for the fan, I also took down measurements and sketched out a dieline to test as prototype.
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After taking down the measurements, I then sketched out my idea for the box. At first, I wanted to make a container with support to store the fan, and then have a separate sliding cover to close the box. But then, I thought that it might not be very safe, because the sleeve cover may be a struggle to take out, and if it is too loose, the whole box may just slide right out and the fan is at risk.
Hence, I changed to a safer version for the box which uses the tuck top snap lock bottom mechanism. I also decided to add a circular circle that shows the radial lines of the fan so that people can choose what colours they want when they purchase in-store.
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After sketching out the rough look of the box, I then sketched out the dieline for the protoype. I could not get the measurements right for the tuck top snap lock bottom, so for prototype I had to rely on trial and error.
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| Fig. 4.3 Fan Box Prototype Sketch |
I then drew out the dieline on an A3 paper and cut it out and folded it into the box to see if the measurements are correct. The box and inner support didn't seem to have any problems and the fan fitted in very well.
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| Fig. 4.4 Fan Box Prototype |
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After consultation with my lecturer, I was suggested to try and include the inner support together with the main box as I have made them separately at first. I tried to make adjustments on Illustrator and it seemed to work. Then I proceeded to lay it out on an A3 document and exported it as .dxf and transferred to thumbdrive.
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| Fig. 4.7 Fan Box Dieline - Adobe Illustrator |
3) Laser Cut & Box Making
We then transferred the file into a pendrive, and plugged it into the computer in the studio and adjusted the power and speed for the laser cut. Once adjusted and downloaded, we then place our paper on the machine and adjusted the nozzle to determine the cutting area.
Fig. 5.1 Adjusting Nozzle on Laser Cut Machine
Once satisfied, we then close the door and start to laser cut! The machine does the folding lines in red first before laser cutting the cut lines in black. The video below was when I was filming my friend's turn to laser cut her dieline.
Fig. 5.2 Laser Cutting Process
The laser cut outcome turned out great, but there were a bit of burnt edges probably due to the power and heat. Nevertheless, it was definitely more sturdy than the prototypes made at home.
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| Fig. 5.3 Final Sunglasses Box - Angle Compilations |
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FINAL OUTCOMES
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| Fig. 6.2 Fan Box Dieline - Adobe Illustrator |
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| Fig. 6.3 Fan and Sunglasses Box |
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| Fig. 6.5 Sunglasses Box Open Dieline |
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FEEDBACK
Week 15
- Try to join the inner support to the main box
- Make sure to check for overlapping lines before exporting it
- The folding lines should be facing inside when folding the box
REFLECTION
Experience
This project has been a fun hands-on work dealing with a lot of measuring, cutting and folding. Although there were a lot of trial and errors involved, I think it was a good learning process as I got to see what went wrong with my prototype and how to improve it. Overall, making the box using laser cut machine was a very new experience, and seeing how it worked was so cool.
Observation
I observe that initial stages of measuring the items is a crucial step in making the box. It is important to know how much extra space to leave for the measurements so that the item can fit well in the box without being too tight. In my first attempt, I made a mistake of making the length almost exactly same as the item, so it was difficult to fit the item into the box.
Findings
While watching how to laser cut works, I find that the type and thickness of material used is also an important factor to keep in mind when adjusting the power and speed. As I was monitoring the the laser cut machine a few times, cutting at different power and speed, it produced really different results. At a slower speed, the cuts are more sharp and with a lower power, the burnt marks are less obvious. Another important step to remember as well is to tape down the paper so that it does not get stuck or pushed by the nozzle.
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