Skip to navigation
Learn Blog

3D Print this Holiday Gift: Lithophane Light Box

A stocking stuffer for your digital inventory. 3D print this lithophane light box with your own choice of images — it makes a great gift with a personal touch!

Happy holidays! As 2022 nears its close, we have something to say: we’re grateful for another year of reinventing manufacturing together.


As a small token of our appreciation, here is a gift from us to you: a stocking stuffer for your digital inventory. Austin Vojta, Print Systems Engineer at Markforged, designed this decorative lithophane light box.


A lithophane is a type of 3D image that renders shapes and details through different levels of thickness, which allow varying amounts of light to shine through when placed in front of a source of light.


With access to a composite 3D printer, this lithophane light box can make a thoughtful holiday gift for family and friends.

Download the STL files here
A lithophane panel printed in Markforged Precise PLA. This panel features an image of MF employees at the Snowport holiday market, at Boston's Seaport neighborhood.

What you need

  • Markforged composite printer
  • Onyx filament
  • Nylon White filament, or Precise PLA (white)
  • ~5 feet LED strip tape
  • 4x magnets (6x3mm)
  • A USB cable you're willing to snip the end off of
  • Tools
  • Tiny bit of solder
  • Super glue
  • Wire stripper

Printing the light box components

  • Light box frame
    • 1x base, 1x lid printed in Onyx

  • Lithophanes (lithophane image panels can be made here from custom pictures)
    • 4x panels printed in Precise PLA or Nylon White
    • Panels should be printed with solid infill. Do not select tri-fill or gyroid.
    • See below configurations:

Assembly

  • Gather 3D printed base and lid
  • Gather four white lithophane panels
  • Cut the end off a USB cable
  • Solder the red+black (power) lines to the 5V LED strip.
  • Wrap the adhesive LED strip around the cylinder in the base
  • Glue magnets into the base and lid
  • Slide lithophane images into base and snap lid on top
  • Plug into any USB port to power

The completed lithophane light box makes a great home decoration.
Learn Blog Customer Success Stories
Example

Q&A: Pipeline Design & Engineering

Hear one engineer’s story about starting his own company, how 3D printing has evolved, how his customers went from cautious to loving 3D-printed end-use parts, and more.
Learn Blog
Example

What Can You Do With a Professional 3D Printer, and Why?

What can you do with just one professional 3D printer, and what technology powers these uses?
<p>All of the blogs and the information contained within those blogs are copyright by Markforged, Inc. and may not be copied, modified, or adopted in any way without our written permission. Our blogs may contain our service marks or trademarks, as well as of those our affiliates. Your use of our blogs does not constitute any right or license for you to use our service marks or trademarks without our prior permission. Markforged Information provided in our blogs should not be considered professional advice. We are under no obligation to update or revise blogs based on new information, subsequent events, or otherwise.</p>

Never miss an article

Subscribe to get new Markforged content in your inbox

Subscribe