I made this pillbox (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2500113)

for my wife 5 years ago. It has worked OK. It is an annoyance to unscrew it to remove the lid for refilling, and get the screw tension just right so the lid will rotate properly.

I really liked the magnet idea by Kinzite (https://www.printables.com/model/602481-pill-box-weekly-organizer).

But all of these pill boxes have one glaring problem – the day of the week is printed on the side and in the same color as the base, making it hard to read.

I decided to try showing the day of week on a flat surface where 2 color printing could give it some visible contrast. I saw one design that put it on the bottom of the pill compartment – OK, but not readable with pills installed.

So, I experimented with fonts and font sizes until I found a combination that doesn’t add an excessive amount to the outer rim. This is the result.

 Printing

I printed it in PLA (no special requirements). The included 3MF file is setup for a 2 color print. I used highly contrasting colors to make the text pop. Since it has no need for mechanical strength, I reduced the infill to 5% gyroid (also shortened the print time).

Assembly

I used 16 magnets of 3x1 size. The design uses a 0.1mm clearance so the holes don’t need any cleanup.

Like Kinzite suggests, start with super gluing all 8 in the base, then install opposing pairs in the lid until you are satisfied with the gripping power. {Don’t forget to turn the lid magnets over so they attract instead of repel. 😉}

Using

Here’s a trick to getting the lid off for filling – rotate half way between days (where the magnetic attraction is weakest) and it lifts right off! Obvious, right? But I learned it by accident and 2 people I showed it to both tried to lift it off against the magnet power until I showed them.

The Design

I designed it in Fusion 360 (included). If you want to modify it there are parameters for the dimensions most likely to be changed. It should be able to take other magnet sizes, although bigger than 4mm diameter was not tested.