Voilà, a scalable box with dovetail joints for linking in a row! At its original size, the box measures 100mm on all axes, excluding protruding dovetails and ribs. Time and mass estimates are per box, at original size.

Tolerance in the joints is provided by XY size compensation in your slicer rather than in the models themselves, so that it's unaffected by scaling. As long as boxes are printed at the same scale, whatever it may be, they'll mate together perfectly. A small test model is also provided for tolerance calibration.

The ribs in this design keep the walls from bowing as flat walls otherwise would in a large vase-mode print. The photographs are of boxes scaled to 125% on their X and Y axes, printed with a 0.8mm nozzle.

Setup

• XY size compensation (aka “horizontal expansion”): -0.1mm or so, whatever produces the best fit on your printer
• Elephant-foot compensation: 0.2mm
• Layer height: 90% of nozzle size, for fast printing
• Solid top layers: 0
• Solid bottom layers: At least 2 layers, giving a total bottom thickness of at least 0.9mm
• Infill: 0%
• Infill-perimeter overlap: 35% – for a well-attached bottom
• Extrusion widths:
  • External perimeters: 150% to 300% of nozzle size; ideally 1.2mm
  • All other extrusions: 225% to 300% of of nozzle size; ideally 1.8mm
• Perimeters:
  • Quantity: Enough for walls 1.2mm thick
  • Spiral vase mode, if only one perimeter – to eliminate all seams except in the bottom layers
  • Seam position: Nearest – to minimize unsightly retraction flaws
  • External perimeters first – to hide retraction flaws when possible
• Supports: None

Variants

• Dual-axis Interlocking Boxes – in case just one row of boxes won't do
• Simple Ribbed Box – a single box with no joints