3D Printed Furniture Challenge: What Needs to be Addressed

 

Challenge: To produce a realistic workable piece of furniture for a Dolls House.

Background: As detailed previously this has been an excellent project to develop our students design skills.  Having the physical location for the objects in the classroom and having object's that students have a first hand knowledge of.

We also started the process of using some of the Tinkercad design templates and having some students combine these objects with objects that they have created themselves.

Shown top left is the original design, the TV taken from the main interface (searched) with a cabinet that was then designed by a Y3 student.    The student was working for the first time and used the basic shapes which then had shapes removed.   

The design was then printed - however a significant flaw in the design was detected.    The join between the TV and the cabinet did not survive some basic stress testing.

As we have been identifying for some time the purpose of this project is to produce workable pieces that will be high use items for creative play in the junior school.   This was then an opportunity to show something to the students that looks correct but would work only in the context of being static and not feasible for the brief, as we have discovered with some of the initial furniture design which needed to have the legs addressed.

Technology Projects from Auroa School - April 2025

 

Later in the year we have a major Auroa School Event - our Market Day for 2025.   Our students, including our Year 3/4 students from this classroom are running a business focussed on innovation, creativity and making something for our event.

We have detailed that last two previous events on this blog as the technology at our school is used extensively for the creation of the products.   You can see examples throughout the blog and you can use the 'search' option on the right to see some of the many market day projects that our students have created.

We also are holding one of our major streamed school events this term - our annual Dance Machine competition.   We have a series of events that we livestream from our school - this event is when we use the student created Dance Machine (which also includes music videos made by the students for the machine).  You can view details of the competition here on the blog as the competition approaches.

3D Printed Furniture: Micro Edition

 

Challenge: For a student to produce an original and functional piece of furniture.

Background: Regular readers of this blog who have been following our project work for 2025 will be familiar with the overall project of producing Dolls House furniture.

Some of the biggest prints in this project have come out at over fifteen hours.   The couch that was shown left was designed to be micro scale and as a result was about to be printed in ninety minutes.

This was designed with the figures in mind that we had been using to scale the designs, but while one figure fits rather snugly in this couch it works perfectly with another range of micro characters.

The student also wanted to add additional features into the design, so it wasn't simply a block of shapes.  He added in cup holders in the arm rests, smaller cushions in the corner, created the illusion of seats and placed two shapes in the base of the design.

The entire project was completed from start to finish by an eight year old student using his iPad, Tinkercad and designing for the second consecutive year.

Size: As a lego scale print the couch measures 90mm across was 40mm and was 30mm high at the back - while this scale doesn't fit the figure first shown left it does more than perfectly fit the smaller scale figures mentioned.   To scale it up for the figure shown above the dimensions would need to double or potentially triple which would lead to increased dimensions and print time.

Timeframe: Ninety minutes in present form.

What we would do differently/next steps for the students:

This couch needs to be adapted to complete the task for the larger figure, although there is potential to produce them for a smaller figure as identified.   The student has opted to create the cushions by shaping the base of the couch, a discussion will be held about modifying the base or introducing something similar to the lines of a cushion, although if this was going to be placed into a junior classroom we would want to ensure that it would be robust enough to last, which would lean towards it being printed as a single piece.

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.

3D Printed Ear Rings - Refinement and Adaptions

While we are continuing to work on the various projects that are running at school as we head into the last week of term for term one, 2025, we also have a number of students revisiting some of our previous projects to ensure that they have mastery of the task or in some cases have further refined their designs.

In the case of the ear ring task that was detailed previously as the students have been using Tinkercad we have a classroom space set up via the website.  This allows students to have multiple projects running up also allows us to think about the events that are coming up later in the year - specifically our school market day.  

Realistically this type of project would allow us to print a range of individual designs for the market day and allow each student to have their own creation that could be used to showcase their creativity.

There has been no input from the teacher with these students designs they are creating them independently and identifying for the teacher when they can be printed.   As the size of prints tends to be in the 30mm to 40mm range the print time for a pair of ear rings tends to be under one hour.   They are an ideal task for students to be creative but also have a realistic about printing, including designs that do not work or need to be reworked.

We also have allowed students to use the search bar from #tinkercad to alter and adapt the pre-made designs.   Usually this is something that we restrict with the students ideas having more of an emphasis placed on them, but in this instance as the designs are relatively small we want to be able to allow the students to create something, have it successful and be able to celebrate this.

A good example of this line of thinking is the monster feet design shown left, this has been accessed via the search bar, the student was required to just connect a ring to the shape, group it and the design was finished.

We have in our classroom on display the Dolls House which is the actual rebuild that we are attempting.  We have been completing prints, adding them on and then discussing with the students how they look and what else we can make.   In the photograph left you can see early examples and attempts at flooring, currently just created by laminating basic screenshots however the intention is decals and vinyl coverings of the wall and the floors using the Versa Sign Maker.

We also have encouraged the students to think about their designs during the upcoming New Zealand School Holidays.    It will allow us to print a volume of material and projects and do to also consider some larger scale projects that students have worked on that will potentially involve a longer span of time.   It is too early for students Market Day projects at this stage although we want them considering and thinking about the possibilities coming up.

3D Printed Dolls Bunk Bed - Exemplar

Challenge: To create a piece of furniture for a Dolls House.

Background: This task has been detailed from a number of perspectives and the process has been repeatedly highlighted on this blog.   You can see an overview slideshow of the process if you click here.

This task was completed by a seven year old who has been using Tinkercad for two months.  The student was able to work independently to complete the task, and has completed several designs in the sequence.   After completing a basic bed shape the student wanted to extend themselves further - the initial design was functional but lacked detail that the student was able to add.    The idea for the bunk bed and the scale came from the companion figure.

We have been encouraging the students to think outside the box with the project and to look at how we might able to be use some of our other technology and some of our other resources at school.  For instance we offer sewing as an elective for our senior school and this is something which would potentially work well with hand sewing (for blankets for instance and pillows perhaps with some stuffing).

You can also see the direction we are intending to move towards to cover the floor and the walls of the dolls house in the photograph on the left.

Size: The design measures 90mm long, is 50mm high and 60mm wide.   It has the exaggerated steps and pillows, with the intention of it working with the plastic figure shown in the photograph.   There was a significant amount of 'rafting' with this design as the student printed it in one design, instead of splitting it into two seperate pieces.   This is potentially something that we could guide the student with in the future, the dimensions as they stand need to be this size for the figure to work.  We also want it to be robust it needs to work for junior students who are going to handle it repeatedly and interact with it.

Timeframe: Four and a half hours on the regular default settings.  As noted this could be improved by the removal of the middle section and then the joining of the two pieces together.   

What we would do differently/next steps for the student: There really is little more that could be expected from this design all things considered.   The location and the use, which is by five year old children, needs to make sure that its robust enough for a heavy use item potentially.

The student it goes without saying is extremely impressed with how the project has gone, and how the overall result has been produced.  This is currently the near end run of a roll of 'rainbow' print.   We will be looking at ways to create the bedding (as noted above) and how we might use technology to help with it.

3D Printed Dolls House - Furniture Exemplars

 

We have reached the point wth the examples that the student are producing following a period of reworking and refinement that they would now be described as exemplars.

Students have been continually bouncing ideas of each other to ensure that they refine, improve and rework their designs.

They have started to consider applying scale to them to ensure that they are able to work in conjunction with a figure or model to ensure that they are viable.

Early designs featured the basic shapes the new versions that are currently coming from students features designs that are had additional details that were not previously included with the designs.

Another example of this would be the comparison between the desk shown left and the bed in the top right.   The bed has been scaled perfectly to fit the figure, the desk in its current configuration is slightly too large as it comes in at nearly should height for the figure.

The other discussion that is being had with the students is what happens next? What else can we work on to complete?   The next direction where we want to start working on is how can we combine the furniture with the house and the rooms.

We have started to look at commercially available examples of decals or stickers again while this is in the early stages with some basic designs, which at the 

moment the scale is not quite right but we are wanting to inspire the students with the direction that we can go.

We can already determine that the floors and the walls could both be decorated this way, by focussing on decals for the floor and wallpaper for the walls.   It might also be possible to include additional details in the images that are not present as physical aspects of the house for instance other details that would be reflective of a kitchen background.  These early flooring examples (shown left) have been printed with a. standard colour printer and then laminated to put in place to ensure that the idea can be demonstrated.   As the Roland Versa sign maker pints .png files our junior students could complete the task on pic collage.

3D Printed Furniture: Advanced Details

Challenge: To push students design ideas and abilities in creating more detailed furniture that could fit into a dolls house.

Background: This has been the focus with the classroom for the last week or so.  We have had to take the time to print a number of examples of the students work, as they have been refining, reworking and altering their design.   An overview of the entire project is located here.

In this example a student has wanted to push themselves to design a realistic and detailed kitchen unit.   This idea was created first by another student who came up with a detailed idea of a kitchen unit, which was featuring a sink built into the design.   This is located on our blog here.    Once the design had been shared with the class and then tested for viability and AR/VR into place.

The student wanted to create a number of features in this design, a sink with a hot/cold tap, a cutting board (which has an apple attached to it) various cupboards and a working fridge.

Size: The side featuring the cutting board which is shown in bottom right.   The first side measures 10mm long is 20mm high and 20mm across.  From the following side has similar dimensions and a length of 110mm.    The sink side was 70mm in length.   The fridge which is shown next to the sink was created to be an independent piece.   The height of the fridge was 70mm high and 20mm across and 40mm long.

Timeframe: The total time for the print took four and a half hours.   This was reflected by what needed to be created to make the print fit with the context of what was required.  Any smaller and the design would not have worked with the figure.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: The intention has always been to use as much of the schools technology as possible.   The 3D Printer are a significant part of it but the exciting part for some of the students will be the use of the sticker machine to produce decals to work in conjunction with the print.    The student who created this is now going to work out the area of the bench, measure the size of the fridge and use technology available to consider how they can create the decals.     Although this student does not have specific experience with the use of the machine before they will be using their iPad and Pic collage.

Dolls House Project: 2025 Summary

 

3D Printed Furniture: Oven

 

Challenge: To produce an individuals student own unique piece of furniture.

Background: This is part of the Dolls House 2025 student project, where we have been creating individualised pieces for the house that we are rebuilding.

This student had already completed the first task when they used the pre-made items from the main Tinkercad interface to produce 

This students next step was to consider what she could then replicate using a basic block pattern and sequence which resulted in the design shown left.  The student was then able to have the design printed to compare it to the various figures that we are using

for scale to ensure that it fits into the Dolls House.

Size: The print measures 50mm wide was 40mm deep and the main base was 40mm high.   The back plate or splash back was an additional 15mm high at the back.  

Timeframe: Two hours

What we would do differently/next steps for the students: The door at the front was a blank piece that could potentially have a handle.   The gas rings on the stovetop are placed in a formation that appears a bit random, the student could potentially include alterations here that would not significantly alter the print.   Their was no fan extractor present at the top of the design.

3D Printed Furniture Designs: VR/AR Progressions

We are continuing to refine, improve and redesign the furniture that we are printing for the Dolls House project that has been featured on this blog.

We have seniors laser cutting the wood and are now redesigning our furniture.  As we have explained on this blog, the first designs have been AR/VR using the iPad App for Tinkercard.    We allowed students to design basic shapes using the main interface and also use pre-made shapes such as the television which is mounted on the chest of draws shown left.   This photograph includes a 3D Printed bed from the first run of prints, but the other details in the room, as taken via the window of the Dolls House are projected.

We have pushed our seven and eight year olds to look out how they can use Tinkercad to improve their designs.   We have asked them to add features to the furniture that they are planning and using their details and creations to inspire the other students in the classroom.    Instead of getting somewhat basic designs 

An example of this is shown left - you can see the progression from the initial bed design from a Y4 student, they have added the head board to the bed, the design on the bed spread, etc - then wanting to add something else an original bedside table with the oversized clock.

The student has been able to produce this and make it independently.  They have AR/VR the design to check its viability and we will then move forward with the 3D Printing of the prototype.   Of course as we are producing a scale model for a dolls house we would anticipate the design will be in the two hour or so range for printing time.

You can see another example of the progression here.  This is another idea for a design, a couch based around three basic Tinkercad shapes.   The seven year old student has manipulated the designs and then used Tinkercad on the iPad to AR/VR the design into place - the dolls house to ensure that the size is correct.   You can see one of the 3D Printed designs in the background.

The next stage is the challenge of how to extend students who have completed the initial designs? The answer has come from the students themselves.   One of the students had the idea to create a counter where they could have a sink and a series of typical counter

features.

The design shown next is the second stage.  A student has built a kitchen top and used the features of removing a sink from part of the design.   They have also started to consider the cabinets that might be present and the kitchen space and the bench space.

This has been printed and measures 70mm long to the join and is a further 50mm across.  It is 20mm across and took just over two hours to print.   This will undergo significant changing and development moving forward as students work out how to create different aspects of the design.

3D Printed Furniture - First Student Examples

Challenge: To make furniture for a Dolls House.

Background: We have been posting about the process of using our technology to combine juniors and seniors looking at the process of re-establishing a dolls house, including all the furniture.

There are a number of reasons that this task is proving popular.   Firstly the students are basing the furniture on their own knowledge and designs, including those who have had experiences with toy furniture.

Secondly the size of the designs as we are building for a smaller size dolls house has meant that the prints shown, including the chest of draws and the bed are both under two hours to complete which is achievable if we are intending to complete a number of prints.

The junior school students have completed the design for this independently using Tinkercad, they have then in turn conducted tests on the viability of the designs by using the Tinkercad 

The design shown left has come from a seven year old student, and was modelled on working in conjunction with the figure above, the bedside table was created by another student.

Size: The bed shown left measured 40mm across and was 60mm long.   The legs were 10mm from the floor and the entire bed was an additional 15mm.  The chest of drawers measures 30mm high was 40mm across and had feet of 10mm.

These were designed to work in conjunction with the figure shown in the first photograph.  The student will need to scale them when the two are put together (ie can the figure realistically lie down in the bed or would that be unrealistic - is the pillow the right size etc.

Timeframe: the bed took slight under two hours and the chest of draws was ninety minutes, the student needs to have the objects to work in conjunction with both the dolls house and the dolls themselves to ensure that they are to some kind of scale (although as has been pointed out sometimes dolls houses are not). 

What we would do differently/next steps for the students: 

When you place the figure with the bed as shown left it doesn't look to scale, but it also has to be considered that the figure itself is not to scale.

The chest of draw has a top draw, however the second draw was too close to the design and therefore the detail there did not print, the student needs to ensure that it is able to be recognised and printed.