LaserBoxTools

A FreeCAD workbench for designing laser-cut boxes and enclosures. Create parametric tabs, slots, and living hinges on your 3D models for easy laser cutting and assembly.

Video tutorial: How to use basic features

Features

• Basic Box — Create rectangular box pieces with configurable dimensions and optional tabs/slots. These are a collection of separate parts or separate bodies which are grouped together to make a box.
• Tabs — Add parametric finger tabs along edges for joining panels. Supports tab count, width, depth, taper, margins, and optional hook profiles
• Slots — Generate slots along edges to receive tabs from other panels. Configurable slot count, length, depth, and gap width
• Living Hinge — Create flexible hinge patterns (e.g. straight elements) along edges for foldable designs

All features work on selected faces and edges of your Part or PartDesign bodies, with optional auto-update when parameters change.

Requirements

• FreeCAD (tested with FreeCAD 1.x)
• PySide (included with FreeCAD)

Installation

Option 1: Addon Manager (recommended)

1. Open FreeCAD
2. Go to Tools → Addon Manager
3. Search for "LaserBoxTools"
4. Click Install

If this workbench is not yet in the Addon Manager repository, use manual installation below.

Option 2: Manual installation

From Github directly:

1. Open preferences and navigate to "Addon Manager" -> "Addon Manager Options"
2. Under Custom Repositories, click + and enter: Repository URL: https://github.com/Eskibrew/LaserBoxTools Branch: main
3. Under "Tools" "Addon Manager" you should now be able to find and install LaserBoxTools.
4. Restart FreeCAD
5. Select the Laser Box Tools workbench from the workbench dropdown

From Github download:

1. Clone or download the Github repository
2. Copy the entire LaserBoxTools folder into your FreeCAD Mod directory:
   • Linux: ~/.local/share/FreeCAD/Mod/ (or ~/.local/share/FreeCAD/v1-2/Mod/ for FreeCAD 1.2)
   • Windows: %APPDATA%\FreeCAD\Mod\
   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/FreeCAD/Mod/
3. Note, if downloading the ZIP file, you'll need to rename the extracted directory "LaserBoxTools"
4. Restart FreeCAD
5. Select the Laser Box Tools workbench from the workbench dropdown

Usage

1. Create a new file or open a Part or PartDesign model
2. Switch to the Laser Box Tools workbench
3. Select a face or edge on your model
4. Create a new box using:
   • LBBasicBox — Create a new box or;
5. Use one of the tools:
   • LBTabs — Add tabs to the selected edge
   • LBSlots — Add slots to the selected edge
   • LBLivingHinge — Add a living hinge along the selected edge

Adjust parameters in the property panel or task panel. Enable Auto Update to refresh the geometry when you change values.

Project Structure

LaserBoxTools/
├── Init.py              # Module initialization
├── InitGui.py           # Workbench registration
├── laser_box_tools_locator.py
├── src/
│   ├── lasermakebox.py  # Basic box creation
│   ├── lasertabs.py     # Tab generation
│   ├── laserslots.py    # Slot generation
│   ├── laserlivinghinge.py
│   └── laserhelper.py   # Shared utilities
├── dialogs/             # Qt UI files
├── Resources/icons/     # Tool icons
├── README.md            # This file
├── small_icon.svg       # Project icon
├── package.xml          # Manifest for Addon Manager
└── LICENSE

License

This project is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License v2.1 (LGPL-2.1). See the LICENSE file for details.

Credits

• Copyright (c) 2022 EskiBrew