Bento Box
A project for 24-672: DIY Design and Fabrication course at Carnegie Mellon: The assignment was to make any thing out of paper that had at least two uses separated by some sort of transformation. In addition, no glue or tape or other adhesives could be used. The result: a bento box that can be used to pack a lunch, but then also used as a serving platter when its time to eat.
Early sketching
There were a few different layouts tested, but ultimately the design was simplified to five compartments. Who is eating more than a five course meal for lunch anyways? Must be nice.
Final flat patterns
After much fidgeting with the Solidworks sheet metal tools, here is what I ended up with for the flat patterns. These are then laser cut and folded to create the boxes. In total, cut time ran around ten minutes, and the folding process took another five. You can turn these around pretty quickly!
Bento, Boxed.
The final bento box, shown here with a standard nutritional meal consisting of all major food groups: purple, yellow, orange, 2nd yellow, and even greens!
