🔧 FrameForge — Beginner's Guide

A printable walkthrough: from a blank screen to a ready factory order. Step by step, in plain words.

📑 Contents — click to jump

Mini-dictionary (30 seconds)
Your first box in 15 minutes
Coming back tomorrow
Holes and cutouts (Panel-by-panel)
The loupe — precision to 0.01mm
Reference point and the Corner/Point toggle
Export: factory files
If something went wrong
Checklist before ordering

👋 What does this program do? You want a nice aluminium enclosure (box) for an amplifier or another device. Normally that means months of learning complex CAD software. FrameForge does it for you: you tell it the box dimensions, click where the holes should be — and the program produces ready-made files the factory loads straight into its machine. No programming is required from you.

1. Mini-dictionary (30 seconds)

When you open the site, you'll see three buttons — these are three ways to start, not three different programs. Pick whichever fits:

⚡ Quick Start — one window, three numbers (width/height/depth) and fasteners. For anyone who already knows the exact size and wants a box right now, no explanations.
🧭 Step Wizard — the same thing, but one question at a time, with hints under every field. The best choice for a first try — the rest of this chapter follows this path.
⚙️ PRO Mode — the full set of settings on one screen at once, no step-by-step hints. For anyone who's already built a box before and knows where things are.

All three ways build exactly the same, fully working box — the only difference is how convenient it is to set up. You can switch to PRO mode at any time, even after starting through the wizard.

Five words you will see everywhere:

Panel — one flat wall of the box. A full enclosure has 6: front, rear, two sides, bottom and top.
Cube — a small aluminium block with threaded holes. It sits in a corner inside the box and bolts the panels together. It is the "skeleton" of the enclosure.
Clamp plate — a strap inside the box that presses a transistor or a board against a wall (e.g. a heatsink bottom).
Project (ID) and PIN — the name of your work and its secret code. Without them your drawings cannot be opened.
Export — downloading the finished files for the factory.

2. Your first box in 15 minutes (step by step)

Take a pen and a sheet of paper. Follow the steps in order and tick them off. Do not skip steps 8–10 — without them your work will be lost!

Write down the dimensions of your future box Measure with a ruler what will live inside (the board, the transformer). You need three numbers in millimetres: width (X), height (Y), depth (Z). Add 5–10 mm of air on each side. These are the internal dimensions.

Open the site and press "➕ New project" The Project ID field already starts with your username (e.g. IVAN_) — just add a name for your enclosure, e.g. IVAN_MY_AMP_01. This way your projects can never collide with anyone else's.

IMMEDIATELY write the name and PIN on paper This is the most important step. The PIN field is a plain text field — nothing gets filled in automatically. Make up any digits and type them in yourself — this is your own secret code for this project. The PIN is not stored anywhere in readable form and cannot be recovered. Lost PIN = lost access to the drawings. Write: "Project: IVAN_MY_AMP_01, PIN: ……" and put the note in a drawer.

Switch to the "3. Auto-box" tab This is the main mode. Always start here — it builds all 6 panels and places the cubes by itself.

Enter the dimensions from your note Fields X (Width), Y (Height), Z (Depth) — your internal dimensions. Below — wall thickness: for a normal box, 2 mm everywhere. If a heavy transformer or heatsink will sit on the bottom — make the Bottom 5 mm.

Choose the fastener and the hole type Fastener: for home equipment take M3 (10) — the standard. M4/M5 are for large, heavy boxes.
Holes — how the bolts will look from outside:

Plain — a through hole, the bolt head sticks out. The simplest and most reliable option.
Countersink (flush) — for flat-head (countersunk) bolts: the head sinks into the panel, the surface is flush. Looks great on a front panel.
Counterbore (hex) — for hex-head bolts: the head sits inside a cylindrical recess.

Press "⚙️ GENERATE 6 PANELS" A question appears asking which box style you want:

[ OK ] — the front and rear walls are long, they cover the side walls. Looks good for home equipment (clean edges at the front).
[ Cancel ] — the side walls are long, they cover the front. Standard for car audio and industrial enclosures.

Both versions are fully functional — it is only about appearance.

Press "📦 SAVE 6 PANELS" The purple button right below the blue one. Until you press it, the box exists only on your screen. Pressed — it is written to the server.

Check the box in 3D At the bottom of the screen press 👁️ Overview (3D). Rotate the box with the mouse (hold the left button). Press "🧊 Exploded view" — the panels fly apart and you can see the cubes inside. Make sure everything looks like a box, not like chaos.

Congratulations! The box is ready Now you can add holes for connectors (chapter 4) or download the factory files straight away (chapter 6).

💾 The golden rule of saving Everything you draw lives only in the browser's memory until you press "Save". Closed the tab without saving — the work is gone. Save after every change. Like in Word: Ctrl+S is your friend.

Extra safety net: if you try to close the tab or reload the page with unsaved changes, the browser will ask you to confirm. This is not a replacement for saving regularly — just a last line of defence in case you click the wrong thing by accident.

➕ Optional: internal partition If you need to shield one part from another inside the box (e.g. the power supply from the amplifier, to avoid interference) — you don't need to cut a slot, that's expensive at the factory. In the same "3. Auto-Box" mode there's a button "➕ Add partition": choose the orientation (transverse — splits the box into front/rear sections, longitudinal — into left/right sections) and the distance in mm from the relevant edge. The partition sits on its own corner cubes, no slot needed, and shows up in the 3D view together with the rest of the box. For example, you often need to run a cable between two compartments — you can cut a hole for it right on the partition itself. Under the "Add partition" button, a list called "Edit an individual panel" appears — it lists every real side of the box, including each partition by name. Click the one you need — the normal tools (hole, vent, text) open right on top of that panel, with a "← Back to auto-box" button to return to the overview.

If the distance you enter turns out too close to the edge (there simply isn't room there for the mounting cubes), the program will move the partition to a safe distance automatically and tell you honestly, with the exact new number. That's not a bug — you just can't mount a fastener where there's no metal for it.

3. Coming back to your project tomorrow

Open the site → "📂 Load from DB".
Enter the project name and PIN from your note.
The program opens all panels exactly as you left them.

In the top right corner there is a theme switch ☀️/🌙 (light/dark). Choose whatever is easier on your eyes.

4. Adding holes and cutouts ("Panel-by-panel" mode)

The box is ready; now you need holes for RCA connectors, buttons, displays, LEDs. Switch to the "2. Panel-by-panel" tab.

How it works

At the top, choose a panel from the list (e.g. "Front").
In the left panel press the tool you need — a new element appears on the drawing.
Drag it with the mouse to the right place.
Press the green 💾 Save. The program automatically switches you to the next panel — this way you go through every side (including any partitions) in a circle without getting lost.

Tools (left panel)

🕳 Hole — a round hole (screws, RCA, buttons, LEDs). Size is set in its properties.
🟦 Window — a rectangular cutout (displays, USB, toggle switches).
⏸ Vent — a group of ventilation slots. In properties: count, spacing, direction.
✍️ Text — engraved labels (can be rotated to any angle).
🗜 Clamp — a clamp plate (see below).
📦 Cube — an extra mounting cube inside the box.

Mouse — three moves

Move: hold the element by its middle with the left button and drag. The element "snaps" to an invisible 0.5 mm grid — no fractional errors on the machine.
Resize: drag the edge of the element (for windows, vents, clamps).
Delete: select the element and press DEL — or simply throw it with the mouse beyond the edge of the grey canvas.

⌨️ Keyboard — precision and a safety net

Fine adjustment: select an element and press the arrow keys ← ↑ → ↓ — 0.1 mm per press. Hold Shift with an arrow key for a bigger 1 mm step.
Deselect: Esc key.
Undo: Ctrl+Z — undoes the last move, deletion or added element, one step at a time.
Redo: Ctrl+Shift+Z (or Ctrl+Y) — if you undid too much.

🔗 Grouping several elements Hold Shift and click several elements — a lock 🔗 appears next to them. Now they move together. Handy when a row of buttons must shift 2 mm left without falling apart.

The clamp plate (transistor strap)

When added, the plate automatically punches 3 holes under itself in the panel.
Any of these holes can be grabbed with the mouse and shifted left/right — to match the legs of your specific transistor.
If you drag the plate itself, the holes travel with it, keeping your adjustment.
The "⚓ Align holes" button in the plate's properties is an emergency reset: it lines all 3 holes back up on the ruler. Press it only if you scattered them by accident.
The "Thickness, mm" field in the plate's properties — 3mm by default, adjustable up to 20mm. A thicker plate is stiffer, bows less under the bolts, and presses more evenly (especially important for soft aluminum).

5. The loupe — precision to hundredths of a millimetre

When a hole must land in an exact spot (e.g. right between two connectors), you cannot aim on a full-screen view. That is what the loupe is for.

In the left panel press the orange button "ENABLE ENG. LOUPE".
Hover the round sight over the spot on the drawing — the floating window shows a big magnification with a millimetre grid.
Click directly inside the loupe window — the hole is punched on the main drawing with precision to hundredths of a millimetre.

Tip: when the mouse cursor lands exactly on the loupe's crosshair centre, the crosshair itself turns bright red with a glow — confirming a click right now will land exactly on the tracked point.

6. Reference point: transferring dimensions from a real PCB

A common task is fitting a ready-made PCB into the enclosure and drilling holes for it exactly in place. The problem is that with calipers in hand you measure distances from the CORNER OF THE BOARD, while coordinates on the panel are counted from the corner of the PANEL — doing that conversion in your head is almost guaranteed to cause a mistake. The "Reference point" button in the left panel solves this directly:

Add a reference point and drag it to where the board's corner will physically sit inside the enclosure. On the panel it shows as a yellow crosshair labelled "0,0" — the point itself never goes into a cutout, it is purely a reference marker.
Every added hole/cutout, besides the usual X/Y, gets extra "ΔX / ΔY" fields — enter here exactly the number measured with calipers from the board's corner. The program converts it to panel coordinates itself.
Only one reference point is allowed on a panel at a time.

The "Corner / Point" toggle — under the loupe and under the canvas itself there is a small button showing live coordinates while dragging. It is one shared setting for both buttons: switch it in one place and the other switches too. In "Point" mode the coordinates and the button itself turn amber — the same colour as the reference point on the canvas.

How this works: this is not a separate mode or a new file — the same holes, the same saving and export as always. The reference point is only a convenient way to enter numbers; the real coordinates on the panel are still counted as usual.

7. Export: downloading the factory files

In the top panel press the green 📤 EXPORT button. A window with eight options opens:

6 Panels / 1 Panel	Downloads a Python script (.py). Open Autodesk Fusion 360, press Shift+S (Scripts), run the file — Fusion builds 3D models of the panels with all your holes in a few seconds, ready to send to the milling machine.
STEP without Fusion	A ready set of STEP files, built right on the server -- no Fusion 360 needed at all. The ZIP contains a separate file for each panel, each clamp, and each unique corner/support cube type (identical cubes -- one file plus a quantity, never duplicated per piece), plus a PNG picture next to every file and a manifest.json listing everything. Each file is its own order line for a manufacturer.
Laser: contour	A DXF drawing of the panel for contour cutting -- the actual outline a laser cuts along the edge of the part and its holes.
Laser: fill	A DXF with real hatching of the ventilation slots (not just a duplicated outline) -- for grilles that need to be partly hatched, not just cut through.
Laser: marking	A DXF for surface engraving -- lettering, and marking where a countersink/counterbore needs to be drilled by hand after cutting.
Fastener cubes	A Python script for Fusion 360 -- builds only the cubes (not the clamps). The same set of cubes is already available as ready .step files in the STEP button above -- use this one only if you specifically want to build them inside Fusion itself.
Specification	A printable/copyable document: dimensions, thicknesses, fasteners, bolt and cube counts -- the full list for one shopping trip, instead of a second order if something runs short.

🏭 What to tell the factory (important!)

Do not model or look for threads in the cubes' 3D model. The holes in the cubes are made "for tapping": for M3 fasteners the hole is Ø2.5 mm — the factory drills and taps the M3 thread itself. This is written in the README_CUBES file inside the cubes archive. Do not ask the factory to "draw the thread into the model" — the machine needs smooth holes, not relief.
Bolt engagement: the bolt passes through the panel and screws into the cube no deeper than 7 mm.
Cube assembly: all cubes of one type are identical. When assembling, rotate each cube so the vertical hole (seen from above; it is offset from centre) is closer to the corner/wall where the cube sits. That is the only orientation rule.

8. If something went wrong

Symptom	What to do
"My changes are gone!"	You did not press "Save" before closing/switching. Unsaved work cannot be recovered, unfortunately. Rule: changed → saved.
"I cannot log into my project"	Check your note: the project name must be typed exactly (Latin letters, case matters), the PIN exactly the same. If the PIN is lost, it cannot be recovered — the project must be started over.
"Holes on the 2D drawing are off-centre"	That is not an error! The cube holes are deliberately offset from centre — otherwise long bolts would collide inside the cube. Check the assembly in the 3D view, not by eye on 2D.
"A field won't accept my size"	The program protects against typos: every field has an allowed range. Check that you are entering millimetres, not centimetres (150 mm, not 150 cm).
"I scattered the clamp holes"	Click the clamp plate → the "⚓ Align holes" button in its properties → they line back up on the ruler.
"I want to start a panel over"	The red ❌ Clear button wipes the canvas. Do not forget to press "Save" afterwards — otherwise the old version stays on the server.
"A cube is red in the 3D view"	That's not decoration, it's a check: the program verifies whether the cube's bolt hole actually matches a hole on the panel. Red means it doesn't line up, green means it's exact. Check whether you moved the panel with the mouse after generating the box — usually pressing "Generate 6 panels" again turns the cube green.

9. Checklist before ordering from the factory

Go through the list and tick every item:

Project name and PIN are written on paper.
Every panel is saved -- all 6 standard sides, plus any partitions you added (pressed "Save" after the last change).
Viewed the box in 3D, including the exploded view — holes match, cubes in place.
Checked with a ruler against the drawing that the cutouts fit my device's connectors.
Downloaded "6 PANELS" and "MOUNTING CUBES".
The README_CUBES file from the cubes archive goes to the factory with the models.
For the first order — one small test enclosure, not a big one.

🎓 The main things to remember 1. Always start with "Auto-box". 2. PIN — on paper. 3. Changed → saved. 4. Before ordering — a 3D check. The program does everything else by itself.

🤝 Who worked on this project This program is the joint work of a mechanic and several AI assistants over several months, without a single line of ready-made code copied from elsewhere.

Andrey Pasunko (mechanic-electronics engineer) — idea, architecture, all the real-world dimensions and tolerances, testing on actual parts and at the factory.
Gemini, DeepSeek — code and logic at various stages of development.
Claude (Anthropic) — code and logic, finding and fixing bugs, STEP export without Fusion 360, the cutout library, the reference point tool.

Everyone contributed their own part — some more, some less, but without any one of them the program would look different.

FrameForge · Guide updated 2026-09-12 (added table of contents and copy button; countersink/counterbore, factory notes and the "If something went wrong" section — since August 28).