16 replies to this topic

[drtrmiller]

Example 4x4x4 AMAC Box with fancy ant lid, without side holes

Description:
 
I'm manufacturing a number of AMAC boxes with byFormica's signature ant lids and pre-drilled holes in the side with fancy plugs. Make and decorate your own foraging area, and keep ants easily contained with a coat of Fluon (included with purchase!) on the removable under-lid, while using the spacious 2.75 inch opening for adding food and performing other maintenance inside the foraging area. With Fluon or another barrier along the bottom of the lid, ants will not escape when you open the lid!

Final Design Pending:
 
The design will be standardized (holes will be drilled in the exact same spots for every box), with additional details described here prior to the first pre-orders shipping.

Compatible with some Tar Heel Ants foraging areas:
 
AMAC boxes are clear polystyrene boxes, and are also used by Tar Heel Ants for some of their Fortress, Piece of Haven (2016), and Casita (Original) formicaries (per website photos), which means the ant lid may be a direct replacement and upgrade for your existing Tar Heel Ants foraging area. The completely removable lid system can replace the lid on any AMAC 4x4 inch square box. For compatibility questions, post a photo of your setup here, and we'll tell you whether or not our lid upgrade is compatible with your current foraging area.

Ordering Information:
 
As with all byFormica Ant Lids, these are shipped pre-assembled and ready-to-use. Since byFormica does not manufacture the AMAC box container, keep in mind that AMAC boxes are fairly mediocre quality, and some hazing or slight blemishes may be observed if viewed in certain lighting. We will package the boxes with the best possible protection to completely eliminate any damage that may otherwise occur during shipping.

We carefully manufacture and assemble the custom ant lid, drill very clean holes at the appropriate level for substrate to be added, manufacture special plugs and other complementary accessories, and meticulously package and ship the completed assembly to your door.


The inset lid may be easily lifted off without disturbing the ants, which are kept contained
by applying Fluon (included with purchase!) to underside of the removable under-lid.
By applying Fluon to the upside-down surface, ants can not obtain footing on the lid,
and will fall back down rather than crawl out when the inset lid is lifted off.
The inset lid adds another layer of protection against escapees.

Edited by drtrmiller, December 20 2016 - 1:53 PM.

[CallMeCraven]

The boxes look like pretty good outworlds. I have a question about the buy x, get y free offers. If I buy three boxes, do I get the sunburst nectar and all of the other free offers included in the preceding offers? Not trying to sound greedy . I appreciate anything free with your products.

[drtrmiller]

The boxes look like pretty good outworlds. I have a question about the buy x, get y free offers. If I buy three boxes, do I get the sunburst nectar and all of the other free offers included in the preceding offers? Not trying to sound greedy . I appreciate anything free with your products.

 

Yes, I changed the wording to make it more clear.  The free gifts are cumulative.

 

An order for 3 boxes would include the foraging area boxes, tubing, Fluon, 3 Galileo Liquid Feeders, 3 Bug Boxes, and a generous 120 ml bottle of Sunburst Ant Nectar.

Edited by drtrmiller, November 28 2016 - 12:59 PM.

[Del]

Clicking the link takes me to a paypal purchase page, but shipping has not been included. Was hoping to get three, do you know approximately how much that would be to ship to Aus?

[drtrmiller]

Clicking the link takes me to a paypal purchase page, but shipping has not been included. Was hoping to get three, do you know approximately how much that would be to ship to Aus?

 

I have added an economy international shipping option to the PayPal checkout flow.

 

Three boxes constitutes a 1 kg parcel, and would cost $33.75 according to the United States Postal Service website.

Edited by drtrmiller, November 28 2016 - 2:58 PM.

[noebl1]

Couple of comments...  I've tried to drill the larger holes in the AMAC container lids, and if not done right, it can be a PITA, so this is worth it alone.

 

Tubing Access Gate; Brilliant idea!

[drtrmiller]

Couple of comments... I've tried to drill the larger holes in the AMAC container lids, and if not done right, it can be a PITA, so this is worth it alone.

Correct. The amorphous structure of polystyrene plastic means that it is not a good candidate for machining, as it tends to melt and gum up the cutting equipment. Similarly, the laser cutter does not vaporize the material, it only melts and burns it, and air assist is needed to blow away the molten plastic in order to get a cut out of polystyrene.

It is necessary to use the proper tools and cutting speeds to achieve a clean cut, and also to remove the "boogers" that naturally accumulate, either with a file, or by rubbing them off with one's fingers if they're not too bad. I do all this, and promise nice, clean holes with these boxes.

 

NEW STRETCH GOALS!


If you didn't already notice, I'm developing two improvements that will be included with the boxes, provided I meet pre-order goals:

One improvement is an external liquid feeder that allows changing of water from the outside, while also keeping the ants from escaping during changing. The other improvement is a flexible rubber test tube and vinyl tubing adapter that will have an integrated gate mechanism, so access between the nest and foraging area may be restricted without having to disconnect any tubing! Please ORDER NOW so we can include these improvements in the first batch of boxes at no additional charge!

Help us exceed our goals, and we'll develop improvements to the design.

External Liquid Feeders:


We'll develop a liquid feeder assembly that plugs into side of foraging area. Lifts up to block access to hole, and then the feeder pulls out so the threaded glass reservoir may be serviced without ants streaming out of the foraging area. Will incorporate the same technology and improvements as our existing Galileo liquid feeder designs to prevent ants from entering the feeder. Will be included in place of an internal liquid feeder if we meet our goal of 20 boxes sold during the promotional period.

Tubing Access Gate:


We'll develop a special tubing adapter with a built-in gate that slides along a track to open or close off access to the foraging area without having to disconnect the tubing! Will be included in place of a standard hole and stopper if we meet our goal of 40 boxes sold during the promotional period.

Edited by drtrmiller, December 20 2016 - 1:54 PM.

[CallMeCraven]

Wife put the brakes on me ordering three  . Something about only having 1 queen and not needing all that . However, I still talked her into letting me get one! I look forward to getting it and hope you meet your goals. The box looks great in the pics!

[drtrmiller]

Wife put the brakes on me ordering three  . Something about only having 1 queen and not needing all that . However, I still talked her into letting me get one! I look forward to getting it and hope you meet your goals. The box looks great in the pics!

 

I really appreciate your support.

Not sure if I'll meet the goals, since forums are generally terrible for advertising/selling things, but I do hope to implement a lot of new improvements I've mentioned here as soon as I can.

[FSTP]

Really cool design! After seeing how great a company you are after your voters giveaway I've been looking for a reason to buy something from you. I'll be needing some small containers like these so I got three of them. 

 

Thanks!

[drtrmiller]

Really cool design! After seeing how great a company you are after your voters giveaway I've been looking for a reason to buy something from you. I'll be needing some small containers like these so I got three of them. 

 

Thanks!

 

I greatly appreciate your support.  I'm making excellent progress on the first batch of these, and should be finalizing development of value-added features soon.

 

If there's any improvement that anyone can think of that I haven't thought of already (easy access ant-proof lid, external liquid feeder, in-line access gate), please comment below, and I'll consider a feasibility study.

[drtrmiller]

I'm preparing these for shipment tomorrow, and so today is the last day for users to pre-order and receive the promotional price and item bundles.

I will incorporate external liquid feeders and tubing gates, though the implementation will be simplified from the original concept while development continues for an optimal design.

Edited by drtrmiller, December 18 2016 - 7:59 AM.

[FSTP]

Awesome Excited to get them thanks Byformica!

[FSTP]

Couple of comments...  I've tried to drill the larger holes in the AMAC container lids, and if not done right, it can be a PITA, so this is worth it alone.

 

Tubing Access Gate; Brilliant idea!

When drilling this type of plastic I've learned that the best way to do it to prevent cracking is to use a stepped drill bit and go slowly.

[Kevin]

 

Couple of comments...  I've tried to drill the larger holes in the AMAC container lids, and if not done right, it can be a PITA, so this is worth it alone.

 

Tubing Access Gate; Brilliant idea!

When drilling this type of plastic I've learned that the best way to do it to prevent cracking is to use a stepped drill bit and go slowly.

 

I find that any drill bit that takes a diameter of material at once, slowly scraping it off also works such as a wood bit. Stepper bits also work because they are slowly scraping material off the sides. I've noticed stepper bits create a cleaner and clearer cut, but wood bits are far easier to line up and cut.

Edited by Kevin, December 20 2016 - 4:11 PM.

[dspdrew]

 

Couple of comments...  I've tried to drill the larger holes in the AMAC container lids, and if not done right, it can be a PITA, so this is worth it alone.

 

Tubing Access Gate; Brilliant idea!

When drilling this type of plastic I've learned that the best way to do it to prevent cracking is to use a stepped drill bit and go slowly.

 

 

I find that sometimes when using very large stepper bits, going at the fastest drill speed possible keeps from breaking the plastic. It's all about inertia. But yes, on smaller sizes, going slow can make much more precise and clean holes.

[drtrmiller]

The problem with these boxes is that they are made of inexpensive, brittle polystyrene material.

While I certainly haven't tried every tool every different way, I can say that no matter what you do, you'll have a 100% chance of either melting or cracking the material. I agree with Drew that high speed is better, because the friction softens the normally brittle plastic due to the low heat deflection temperature, making it less likely to crack. To be honest, I was surprised that THA uses these boxes at all.

To be honest, the cleanest holes I achieved were with a diamond saw on a drill press, but you'll need loads of water cooling or you'll wreck the saw. You'll also need a custom jig to precisely position holes.

I will post photos of the completed boxes soon, showing off the external liquid feeders, tubing access gates, and suggested decorations.

Edited by drtrmiller, December 20 2016 - 6:30 PM.