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Hingesmith
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Graduation Cap living-hinge box

A mortarboard with a tassel. Graduation gifts, a diploma-day keepsake.

Mortarboard and tassel. The wall is one strip of plywood with a living hinge cut into it, so the whole outline wraps from a flat sheet. Set the size in millimetres, pick a hinge pattern and a lid, watch it fold in 3D, then export the cut file for your laser.

Open the Graduation Cap in the Studio See Pro pricing

Pro shape: preview and fold it free, export from $9 a month or $149 once.

Graduation Cap box: a 3D render of the laser-cut living-hinge box in Baltic birch with its scored lid drawing

At the suggested size

189 × 120 × 80 mm on 3 mm plywood

These numbers come from the same engine that makes your file, built at the size the Studio suggests with the Straight Lattice hinge. Change the size, stock or pattern and they update live.

parts
6
on 2 sheets of 420 × 297 mm
of cutting
20.9 m
599 hinge cuts
wall length
521 mm
in 2 strips that butt-joint
tightest bend
R9 mm
rounded to suit 3 mm stock
hinge load
91%
of the safe twist limit
lid art
Scored
a matching line drawing on the lid
Graduation Cap lid as the laser sees it: red cut outline and blue scored lid art
The lid, as the laser sees it. Red is the cut, blue is the scored lid art. Turn lid art off in the Assembly tab for a plain lid.
Three lids

Drop-in, Snap-lock, Magnetic Lip. Every lid works with every shape.

Three stocks

3 mm, 4 mm, 6 mm. Hinge spacing and corner radii follow the thickness.

Kerf-compensated

Tabs grow and slots shrink by half your kerf, so parts press-fit without sanding.

Hinge patterns

Hinges that suit a graduation cap

Any of the 21 patterns works on this shape; the cut spacing adapts to each curve of the wall. These four suit the Birthdays, babies and graduations collection. Each link opens the Graduation Cap with that hinge.

Zipper cut layout: red cut lines and blue score lines
ZipperPro
Interlocking square teeth
Chevron cut layout: red cut lines and blue score lines
ChevronPro
Nested V stripes
Heartbeat cut layout: red cut lines and blue score lines
HeartbeatPro
Pulse line with a spike
Ripple cut layout: red cut lines and blue score lines
RipplePro
Waves that roll diagonally

Zipper: Interlocking square teeth. Sewing and fashion gifts, toolboxes, a playful look on kids’ boxes.

Before you cut

From file to finished box

Import the SVG at 1:1, give the blue layer a light score pass and the red layer a full cut, score first, then cut. The guides cover settings by machine and material, assembly, and selling what you make.

More like this

Birthdays, babies and graduations, and neighbours

Birthday Cake lid: red cut line with its scored lid art in blue
Birthday CakePro
Two tiers and a candle
Balloon lid: red cut line with its scored lid art in blue
BalloonPro
Oval with a knot
Baby Onesie lid: red cut line with its scored lid art in blue
Baby OnesiePro
Baby bodysuit
Crown lid: red cut line with its scored lid art in blue
CrownPro
Three points with jewels
Cat lid: red cut line with its scored lid art in blue
CatPro
Head with pointed ears
Bear lid: red cut line with its scored lid art in blue
BearPro
Head with round ears
Owl lid: red cut line with its scored lid art in blue
OwlPro
Round body, ear tufts
Fox lid: red cut line with its scored lid art in blue
FoxPro
Big ears, fluffy cheeks
All shapes in Birthdays, babies and graduations Browse all 100 shapes

Questions about the graduation cap box

Is the Graduation Cap box free to export?

You can design it, change every setting and fold it in 3D for free. Exporting its cut file needs Pro: $9 per month, $59 per year, $149 one-time. The Rounded Box, Curved Cylinder and Hexagon export free, so you can test your laser settings before you buy.

What size can a graduation cap box be?

Anything from 60 to 400 mm across and 30 to 250 mm tall; the suggested size is 189 × 120 mm. Picking the shape keeps your current scale and applies its proportions, then you can set the width and length to the millimetre. Curves need a minimum radius for the hinge to bend (8 mm on 3 mm stock, 10 mm on 4 mm, 15 mm on 6 mm), and the studio warns you if a size is too small for your stock.

Which lasers and software can cut it?

Any laser whose software imports SVG or DXF at 1:1 in millimetres: LightBurn (Omtech, Monport, Ortur, Atomstack, Creality, K40 and most CO₂ and diode machines), xTool Creative Space, Glowforge (SVG), LaserGRBL and Inkscape. The file has a red cut layer, a blue score layer for the lid art and fold marks, and a black sheet boundary.

What material should I cut it from?

3, 4 or 6 mm flat sheet stock. Baltic birch plywood bends best; poplar plywood and MDF work for gentler curves. The hinge spacing is sized for the thickness you pick, and the free bend test strip tells you how far your particular sheet will go.

Can I sell graduation cap boxes I make with it?

Yes. Boxes you cut from your exports are yours to sell, on Etsy, at fairs or anywhere else. What you may not do is resell or share the cut files themselves as a template.

Fold a graduation cap box in your browser

No account, no download to install. The design opens ready to size.

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