3D Printed Furniture Bed: Version Two

 

Challenge: For a student to create a unique and original piece of furniture suitable for the Dolls House Project.

Background: We have detailed this project many times this term, these are the updated version of the bed as developed by the students in our classroom.

This student had originally designed one of the beds that was produced in the first wave of designs and we spoke to them about how the design could be improved and developed.  We spoke in a previous post about the need to ensure that the legs are robust enough to ensure that they will not break.

The student then designed pillows to show form and details at the head of the bed and developed a shape of a headboard to further enhance the design.   All of these features and the entire design was created using Tinkercad and an iPad.

Size: This was designed to work in conjunction with the 'lego-esque' figure.     The length of the base of the bed is 90mm long, 60mm wide.  The legs were 20mm high.   The headboard is 40mm high from the base of the design.   The design works perfectly in conjunction with the figure and it looks 'right'.

Timeframe: Four and a half hours.   There was an amount of rafting that was located underneath the bed that could have potentially been removed to reduce the printing time (and then perhaps superglued the bottom in place).    The issue of course with this is the potential to weaken the support so the juniors can use the furniture with the Dolls House.

What we would do differently/Next Steps for the students: The design is completed and the projects at present appears successful.   The testing for the project will come in the form of the junior students from our school playing and working with the furniture.   If it proves to be not robust enough - and in particular the headboard is potentially something to monitor.

We have previously stated it is our intention to use a variety of other machines to produce additional material to work in conjunction with the 3D Prints - we are looking at using the sticker machine to complete the sheets.

3D Printed Furniture: Shower Stall

 

Challenge: To produce a furniture feature for a Dolls House.

Background: It ended up being our major design project from out class in New Zealand during term one, as the students and the tasked developed during the course of the term.

The final phase is the printing of the furniture which we are using to place inside of the Dolls House.  You can view the details of the project here.

This design was one of the first designs that was created in the second (completed) phase of prints.  These prints were large and intended to be a one off print that would be permanently featured in the Dolls House and as a bathroom a key feature.

This bathroom shower stall was designed to work in conjunction with the figure shown left - this is not the same as the other in the series that featured the 'lego esq. figure'.    However there were a few issues created by this - the miniature barbie like figure shown left is an excellent fit for the shower head, however not the mirror on the wall or the shampoo bottle that is in the top right hand corner.

Size:    The stall was 120mm across and was 110mm deep.   The print at the back was 170mm high.   This was needed for the dimensions as shown however if the other figure was used the stall would need to be considerably smaller.

Once the student is back from the holidays a decision will be made to reduce the dimensions for the other figure although as a feature of the bathroom this piece of furniture will feature significantly.

Timeframe: Eighteen hours.   This was a significant print, with a large base and design.   The potential reduce the print time could have come from printing the shower head separately and the other issue would be the size of the stall as required by the figure.

What we would do differently/next steps for the students: The student  was able to design this complicated and detailed print independently and as it stands at the moment there will be no further adjustments to the print.   

3D Printed Keyring: Seven Years Later

 

In 2018 we produced a series of key rings for various purposes, as shown for a tractor and also several that were for local businesses.

We also used this to resolve a specific problem that we had at our school - we have a student operated PE equipment shed, where students distribute the equipment for the school for general use by the students at lunchtime and return and check off the gear at the end of the break.

This room is accessed by a key but a long term issue has been to ensure that the key is returned each day to the location that is kept at.   When the key was small it was able to be placed in a pocket etc and wasn't necessarily recognisable.

This was the design created by students in 2018.   It is a standard design, that has been produced a number of times.   The print was designed to be oversized as we were having versions of this key be replaced as the key went missing.

The design at the time also had the lettering above the print line, which is something that we have tended to move away from in recent years as the lettering with handling can break off.   The (rugby) football shown in the design is indeed sunk slightly into the base of the design - and this provides it with strength.

Seven years later the print looks like this.    The lettering has survived with some evidence of some loss of structure but this needs to be put in the context of how much the print has been handled.  It has been used by students at the school everyday for seven years, daily.   

At some point someone has taken a pen or marker and shaded in the ball, and there is visible evidence of the fading of the colour (which originally was orange but has now faded to red).   We have seen similar evidence of this with another long term print that we have been monitoring, for years,  which is the numbers that are on display outside for the evacuation assembly area.    These have been in place for a similar level of time in an outside environment.

We have seen a similar level of aging from the outside print - the colour has faded (and been resprayed) but the integrity of the print itself has remained.

We have actually printed a replacement print for the PE shed key, however this has not been in use as it is a backup when the key itself is lost or needs replacing.

3D Printing Projects: Further Utilising AR/VR and Tinkercad

 

We have spent the last week of school looking at a range of options to produce the furniture series for our students related to the 2025 Dolls House Project.

In yesterdays post we explored how students were using Tinkercad with more originality and detail to customise the furniture that it going to fill the house.

These designs are the next step in that process.  Each of the designs has been created by the seven and eight year old students using Tinkercad and then the design has been AR/VR into the Dolls House so we can see it before it is printed in its final state.

This has a number of affects on the project.  Firstly it allows students to see their design before it is printed, for the students to look at balance and form and to have an idea what their creation might need to have adjustments with.

Secondly the volume of work coming from the students means the practicality of printing all of the designs (which are typically four hours or so) allows them to finish the project rather than wait for the printing - we have previously identified that sometimes Tinkercad can be used to create a project that does not mean that the project at the end of the process can require, or is indeed suitable for printing.

Throughout the process we wanted to scale designs for the students in a simple way - hence the repeated featuring on of the plastic figure.   

The students require an iPad to complete the task as the Tinkercad App with an updated version has a AR/VR option built into its main options screen.

We still want to continue to refine the designs next term as they are pleasing but in some cases could clearly benefit from some placement and details to show exactly where they could go.

3D Design: Junior Extension

 

We challenged our students at the end of this term to create some detailed designs for the Dolls House project, we have the intention of printing these during the ongoing school holidays in New Zealand.

An example shown left from a student who created an original bed design for the Dolls House.   This student wanted to make something themed from the Bathroom portion of the house.    The student is using Tinkercad to create the design from scratch.  All of the elements that were placed into the design came independently from the student from the main design page.   The student was also able to use features like the wagon wheel to create the drain hole.

The bunk bed was an early stand out design which featured more detail than a single level bed.   As a result a number of students used this as an example that they could build on.   The ladder itself came from basic shapes.   This was completed by a student who was working on their first year of using Tinkercad to create designs.

Further refinements of design can be seen in the detail around the pillow on the mattress base.

This student is going to use the sticker machine to create a decal to put onto the bed to show the blankets and the details.

As a basis for students to design something from the start, who were perhaps not as confident as others we tasked them with looking at objects that were in the classroom and potentially making a version of this.

In our classroom the furniture includes a bookcase - which we used as an example for students to see in front of them and work out the dimensions.

Typically we had to ensure that the design was based and shaped correctly, and we insisted that students carry out an animation task to ensure that the design was balanced.

This ensure that everyone of the twenty seven students in the class could complete a design.

The biggest challenge for the students that was present with their designs is shown by the example left, the legs underneath the design in the picture above.

The students independently sized each of the legs, instead of copying one of the legs and duplicating it four times to make a perfect copy.  

The one part of the design that needed the most attention is the feet and we also need to consider the use of the design.  We found many designs online of model dolls houses - this is not something that we want, we are building a dolls house that we want to be constantly used, moved and shifted and have the students interacting and playing with.   As the target is a group of five year old students we cannot have any parts that might break or not stand up to the pressure of being moved, dropped or have pressure put on them. 

3D Prints and Laser Cuts: Where to Next

 

As we are celebrating the end of the school term we have a number of events that are occurring, one of which is our Easter Holidays.   As per the New Zealand tradition of the 'Easter Bunny' there is a large number of media and resources pre-made.  A basic example of this is the laser cut shown left.   It is not student designed and the files can readily be found online and the image took just over ten minutes to print. 

Additional decoration was possible however it was not deemed something that was carried out.

Our AR/VR designs, to apply the Tinkercad designs to the Dolls House are now needing to be 'a model'.  We have discussed how our model images will need to be 'to scale', to have the 'other features in the photograph' and also feature the 'model' figure.   An example of all of these is the photograph shown left, it needs to be repeated as the flooring is not in the correct location, the model was not present (it was just out of shot)

We have the school holidays for the term coming up very soon in New Zealand.  We want to use the two week break to ensure that we can complete as many of the outstanding projects as possible.   We have three printers in our school, two of which are typically able for our classroom, depending on demand.   We will be able to print during the break a number of the larger projects which will be the furniture for the dolls house.   The project has been so successful that we are building a second dolls house which will be made around the dimensions of the first, so we are intending to complete two copies of each object.

3D Printed Dolls House Accessories: Thinking Outside

 

Challenge: To create something that could be placed inside or outside of the Dolls House - 'thinking outside of the box'.

Background: As we continue with work on our Dolls House Project we wanted to ask the students what could be placed outside the house? What would you not expect inside the dolls house?   Some students created a play on words with this - one student has designed a miniature play house to go within the Dolls House.   The student who designed this decided to look at creating a dog kennel that would be placed nominally outside of the house but also could fit inside realistically.

The student is a Y4 student designing for the second consecutive year and have proven to have strong ideas and creativity.

In this instance they wanted to have a name or a clue to the purpose of the box as shown by the paw that is placed on the entrance to the kennel.

Other further ideas were discussed such as producing a dog bowl or even a bowl itself.    The student has opted not to complete this at this time but wants to see if they can locate a toy of relative size.

Size: The kennel presently measures 65mm across at the front, is 55m deep and has a height measured from the base of the design to the apex of the kennel of 70mm.   If the student locates a dog or puppy figure they might look again at these dimensions to ensure that the animal is able to fit in conjunction with the housing.

Timeframe: Six hours.   This took longer than anticipated however the design featured a roof design that required it to be filled in.   The overhang of the roof meant that the outside of the print required rafting.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students:   As with a lot of student created ideas we are hoping that this design will lead to others from the students and to think of new ideas for details.

We have also placed a temporary flooring in place, as shown left in the photo.   The house has four rooms and has been split into four zones as shown - kitchen, lounge, bathroom and bedroom.   The students have to choose one each which will then direct them with their designs and creations relative to a theme.   Students who have created a design that already fits the brief for their area will be asked to improve or alter their design and look for other examples.