A robust and pocket sized lockbox 

For this project I was asked to design a lockbox that can hold a metal cigarette and tobacco. The client had strict size constraints and needed the compartment to be fully secure.

The client came to me with a very clear idea of what he wanted it to look like. He showed me a sample product that already existed but he wanted to implement some key differences. First he wanted to add a hole for the metal cigarette and second he wanted a loop at the top to allow for keychain/lanyard attachments.

The main design challenge was integrating the locking mechanism. I purchased some simple locks online and took them apart to figure out how they worked. After figuring out the mechanism I integrated it into the design. It took around 20 itterations of slightly tweaking the mechanism to finally get the locking part right. I also integrated a spring mechanism so the metal cigarette would pop out when the lid swings off.

After iterations I ended up with a fully 3D printed lockbox. I designed this such that it could be manufactured fully out of metal. During this process I learned a lot about how locks work. My client is currently doing user testing and seeing if their is a market for a product like this.