Octagon Bento Box

I made an octagon bento box with a traditional look and a Japanese flag under the lid as a design. The typical lunch box does not have dividers or compartments in them. Most bento boxes, however, do. A lot of bento boxes are too big to carry but this box is made to be suitable for lunch.

1. Fusion 360

All I used for this project was fusion 360.

I looked at many bento boxes and was inspired to do a Japanese-styled octagon bento box. I was originally going to make it a hexagon but I decided that an octagon looked better.

I made a couple of different sketches and decided to put the lid flipped and on the bottom box. I used the circumcised polygon tool to get my octagons and made some extrusions for the dividers. I sketched a circle for the Japanese flag and made a shell under the lid so it could look like a cover.

I considered multiple materials and design choices and concluded that the bento should be made out of stainless steel, which has a balance of being lightweight and durable for the user since this is going to be for lunch. The design was something I chose because I liked the traditional look coated onto a polygon with more sides hence why I used an octagon.

I first thought that wood would be a good look for the bento box, especially mahogany wood, but realized that if someone were to create this for school, from carrying it around for 7 hours, the box could lose its precious look and delicacy, plus it's heavy.

I was very close to uploading a silver bento but it seemed too dull, I considered mixing colors with an aluminum bento box but did not like the results. I should also mention that the appearance is a red, black, and white rough coating.

Here are my final renders, I have no opinion on the coating but I did think it needed a good setting. I do not know how to add CAD models into fusion 360 so I made my own objects. I added a roll of mini onigiri and a round table for some comparison on the size of the bento box. The onigiri is really tiny by the way.

Creating this was an alright experience. I had the image of the bento in my mind as soon as I saw pictures of bento boxes. I did loaf around a....lot, but I am satisfied with my end result. Also, this is what the bento box looks like when it is covered. On the off chance that I would make this bento box myself, I think I would be satisfied with my result. It would be light and strong while looking traditional and graceful.