Pocket Pill Popper

I recently developed tendonitis in my forearm and to cope with it I needed to take ibuprofen regularly. I needed to keep a few pills with me throughout the day and I wanted to keep them in my pocket but not loose. My solution is this snap-together pill box. Small, compact, and works super well.

The pill box will accommodate pills up to 12mm in diameter and up to 7mm in height. Smaller pills and tablets also seem to work fine. But you might have to shake the case slightly to get just one pill if they are small.

It is designed for one-handed operation. And, does not use any springs or fasteners.

I have tried to make the “trigger” and slide to deliver the pill “child-proof” to some extent. To slide open the delivery tray you must first push it inward slightly and then slide it sideways to deliver a pill.

To close it just push the tray back until it locks into place.

My first design iteration used a spring but I found that less convenient and obviously it is nice to design something that does not require additional hardware.

The lid simply snaps on and off for refilling the pills.

Once the lid is on, you can pry it off with your finger starting at the opening for the sliding pill try (as illustrated in the image). And, I added a key ring hole in case it made sense to attach it to something and that key ring loop protects the slide tray a little.

I printed the top (lid) in clear PETG and that allows me to see into the case. The base and the pill slide are both in white PETG which seems appropriately clinical. But those can be printed in any colour and perhaps different colours to colour code whatever is in the case.

Printing

Prints very well and easily. There is only one small bridge and it should not require support.

Material – I choose to use PETG for its durability and flexibility. I suspect you could make these parts with PLA as well but they may not last too many winters.

My Setup:
Nozzle = 0.4mm

My Settings:
Layer height = 0.2mm
Line width = 0.45mm
Wall count = 4 (1.6mm)
Infill = 40%, but it is irrelevant as max wall thickness is 2mm.
Support = Designed to print without supports.

Orientation: As shown in the screenshot.