October 2024 - Project Updates

 We are currently at the half way point for the school holidays between term three and our final school year in New Zealand (term four).   We have a number of design projects that are looking for completion this term, before the end of the school year including finally completing the Dolls House Project, which you can see the overview here.

Our biggest school event coming up is the 2025 School Market Day.   You can see the amazing video from Mr Bloor, our AV teacher above.   We have detailed the process for our students which has been featured on this blog through the year - you can use the search bar, top right and undertake searches using the tags 'market day 2025'.   You can also view the view from our 2019 here below:

Our School Market Day in 2025 will take place afterschool on Friday 31st October 2025 at Auroa School.   Preorders can be picked up on the day and there are going to be a selection of goods that are available for purchase.  If you want to make any additional orders you can email the admin for this blog.

We are going to make selected projects from this blog available during the Market Day, this includes projects shared here such as the 'cyclops' challenge 

This is one of the ideas which has been developed from a brief for the students, which based on the results of the project including how it progressed with the work of the students, has become a viable Market Day item.   At the same time we are going to attempt to look at producing unique earrings for the event developed and created by students in the design process for the classroom.  You can see a teacher directed version of this project and a slideshow describing the entire process by clicking here.

We are also going to complete the process of designing the labelled, authentic and detailed geometric shapes that tie in as part of our Mathematics program at school (specifically for Geometry).

While we started the process for these objects the complete set was not printed prior to the end of term and we require adaption for this prints to ensure that they are viable for long term use.     In the example shown left you can see for instances that '5 faces' has been put too close to the edge of the object meaning that the 5 will not be sustainable in the future.

You can click on the link here to look at details about the original project.

We are continuing to explore examples of ideas, concepts and physical examples for the students moving forward.  An example of this is shown left with the iPhone stand turtle that a student had located.   We realised the print time (completed on the Bambu) made the print more than viable (as it was just over one hour) and while the student concerned had no input into the creation of this as with the other major one off prints that we build the idea is to get the students thinking about ways that they can take an idea such as this and then apply it to other projects and designs.

DDR - Dance Dance Revoultion Machine

 

We are always very excited to offer amazing opportunities for the students at Auroa Primary School.   One of the greatest resources at our school is our amazing DDR 'Step Master' Machine.   This machine was built by students at our school in 2020 - Mr Bloor our amazing technology teacher produced this incredible video about the process here.   We continue to have regular competitions using this machine and the media that the students have created - such as our 'K Pop' inspired Dance Competition at the end of last term, you can view the video of this event here.

We also detailed how we used other technology at our school for this event.

The video above is the overview of the machine for a promotional video if you want any additional information about the machine, the process or the creation please contact us and we can put you in contact with Mr Bloor.

Market day 2025 - Final Print Runs

 

It is currently the school holidays in New Zealand between term three and term four, we will be back to our regular schedule of printing at that time.   In the meantime we are preparing for the major school event for the year as regular visitors to this site will be aware - our School Market Day for 2025 is taking place on Friday 31st October.

Challenge: To produce a unique product featuring personalisation, innovation and creation using the technology available to our students.

Background: Every student in the senior school at Auroa Primary School as well as the middle school classrooms.   As we have explained before we have seven groups that are operating, one of which is the 'Bath Toys' themed group.  These designs have been previously detailed and adapted and these versions are now the personalised versions that are available to customers.   These prints and the process to create them has been detailed on posts on this blog such as here.

Level of Difficulty: Medium - the design that is shown here has undergone several revisions, however all of the key features of the design have come from the main Tinkercad interface, and the students concerned have been able to revise the design several times.   An example of this is the adaption to remove several additional features to ensure that the design is as plain as possible.   Given that there are children who could be handling the designs (although we have also looked into age appropriate toys for the group as well for instance no under two year olds) the students removed earlier features like eyebrows and details on the hat or anything that could be interpreted as sharp.

Size: 80mm across, 80mm wide/long and 60mm high.  This was the dimensions of one of four designs that had similar dimensions that were printed simultaneously on the Bambu H2D.   The students have always intended to have a group of designs, three in total, and this is intended as the biggest of the three.

Cost: The machine indicated that to print the four designs on standard default settings that 200g of filament would be used and the cost would be $5.00 (USD) to complete the print (of four).

Timeframe: The completion of the print took eight hours in total on the Bambu H2D.   The project would not have been undertaken on the Snapmaker for the reasons that the duration would have been in the range of 16 hours and that would have also called into question the ability of the machine to print all four designs without any problems.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: There is a couple of issues that are still needing to be identified with the range of print.   The biggest issue which is not clearly visible is under.

As can be seen in the picture shown left, the base of the design has a small hole in it, which has occurred as a result of the printing process.   This is visible in the top left had corner of the print.   The student will be needing to problem solve this issue when they return next term.    By not water proofing the design at this point the design when tested has shown to fill with water and while it does not damage the integrity of the print, the students need to seal it.

The teacher has in mind using a hot glue gun or using a water sealant on this part of the design but the students are going to undertake the research and testing when they return from the school holidays.

Updated Teacher Explanation Basic 101

 

This slideshow is intended to be a series of suggestions and ideas for a teacher who might run a 3D Printing project in their classroom.   The teacher who created it has Y3/4 student although it would be a suitable introductory task for someone wanting to explore starting.   This was previously published and has now had additional material put onto it and also I have included an explanation video at its conclusion which is a project overview.

The purpose of this site when it was initially set up was to share ideas and projects for potential 3D Printing the classroom, and the first few years were exclusively about this.   Overtime as we expanded our technology at our school to include resources such as the laser cutter and sticker machine we have added material around the use of these machines.

It was never a site to have the .stl files for projects (although we have supplied them via email at time) and while it has always been teacher and student focussed we are aware of general interest in some of the projects.  As always I would like to point out that the material that is published here is very much the collective efforts of a number of staff and of course the students from our school and I would like to make sure that they get the proper credit when it is due.

Market Day 2025: Mini Music Box

 

We have a number of projects for our 2025 Market Day, when our school will be holding a huge event for our local community.

As we have demonstrated and mentioned every student is part of a business group and each group has a product produced by the students using some of the technology and design available to our students.

We cannot showcase all of the individual businesses (although we will of course be producing significant media from the event that we will be posting here).

In this example shown in the photograph the students

have a wind up musical box, which has been housed inside a laser cut box.   Following the construction of the box it has been stained with a wood stain.   As with most of the boxes once they have been flat printed on the laser cutter they are then glued together using wood glue.

Of note with this design there is a handle which actions as a mini crank to work the music box and this can be clearly seen in the photo on the right hand side.

This box took fifteen minutes to print.

3D Printing Development - Beads to Learning Resources

 

We've spoken at length about various 2025 Market Day Projects as we move and develop ideas for our school event.

One of the best things about the event is the development of the skills in the process and also the accidental developments that have occurred as a result of the process.   One example is the group who have developed a business around having a se of individualised letter beads.

One of the staff member at the school has seen this progress and identified that they would show potential as a resource to help with the school junior spelling program.   The design is being held but the cube will be converted into a tile, removing the hole, and significantly reducing the height of the print, however balancing this is the extending of the print to increase its size and its usability.

The challenge for the students is to meet the brief that has been suggested by he staff member.   The print run (shown left) includes all of the letters of the alphabet as well as a number of picture beads.

At this stage the plan is to use the multi nozzle function of the Bambu H2D to include two different colours, one for the base of the tile and the second for the lettering.   This will produce a clear affect and also allow students to develop their design skills in using multi-colours printing.

Junior Design Challenge: Dolphin Theme

 

Challenge: For (junior School) students to produce a unique design that had a 'Dolphin' theme.

Background: The challenge came from our week task that was linked around Dolphins.    Some students as detailed previously opted to design and link in via Minecraft in a post that you can read here.

In this instance the student wanted to create a storage option for themselves.    They chose to create a draw on the opposite side of the design from the name, which was on this side.

The print was completed in two intended stages.  The first was completed on the Snapmaker.   With this print the student produced a design that they were happy with, however they wanted to reshape the design, and then opted to print it with the Bambu printer, which the student felt would provide a better finish.

The area of particular that was the most noticeable in this regard was the letter.   In the Snapmaker version there was waste PLA that needed to be removed and this compromised the lettering, in the case of the Bambu no adjustments were made and the lettering had minimal adjustments were required. 

The next stage of the process is to develop a working draw into the side of the design.   The student is going to work on a draw and then investigate the engineering required to have a working draw.

Level of Difficulty: Medium.  The students is wanting to engineer a working draw into this design, this is going to prove to be a interesting project for an eight year old.   The Dolphin design as shown was original and created by the student using the main interface.

Size: There are two distinct prints here.   The first was 100mm long 50mm wide and 40mm high.   When the student adjusted the print for the Bambu printer the new design was 120mm long, 80mm wide and was 50mm high.   This was reflected in the desire to create a bigger design.   The student is still working on the dimensions for the draw which they have adjusted as a result of the project upgrade.

Cost: The software to print this design is suggesting that it was be in the five dollar range.

Timeframe: The original print (Snapmaker) was eight hours on the Bambu it was reduced to under four.   This was printed with regular settings which in this case is an infill of twenty percent.

What we would do different/Next Steps for the students:   This project is going to involve a detailed engineering challenge which is the drawer that will operate as the storage for this.

We have also looked at using other 'wow' additions to a significant print such as this, we would like the student to consider LED lights for instance or another range of shapes or details that could be added to this project.

Dolls House - 2025 Project nearing completion.

 

In March of this year we started a school based project, in conjunction with a senior classroom (Year 7/8) where we attempted to rebuild a Dolls House as a special gift for our junior school.

We have written extensively about the project including the role that our students played, which was creating the furniture which will ultimately go into it for the students to play with - this is detailed in the slideshow at the end of this post.

Since August the Dolls House has undergone the final layering of details.   There are now two balconies on one side of the house above the two doors.   The upper layer has been created with windows and additional strength has been provided by a beam that is running the length of the design.

An internal staircase has also been introduced.   The entire design is now awaiting roofing with hinges that can provide easy access and some finishing touches.   A clear coat will be applied to the final design to seal and protect it.

We are also going to use the Versa Sign Maker to produce a protective coat for the wood.

While this has been a significant long term project it will end up producing something that will receive considerable use in the junior school.

The slideshow below details the entire project and our students involvement in the furniture making.

3D Printed Flexi-Animals Update

 

Challenge: To create a range of original flexi-animals

Background: During the year this challenge has been given to several students to use their design skills and create original flexi-animals or flexible 'fidget' like designs.   While these are available online and the Bambu online portal now has a click and drag tutorial to create these we have used it as an advanced design technique for students to work through to master the process.

We have previously posted about the start of the process in May with previous medium that was created by former students (that is students who were current at the time, but have now left the school)

This was when students went through the process of following ball and hinge creation tutorials to work flexibility into the designs.   The students continue to work on designs and continued to refine what they had made.   By the end of June the first original linking animals had been created and tested, although the linking was requiring further development.   You can view the June update by clicking on the link to the post here.   Recently the students identified for the School 2025 Market Day that a viable business could be run by making original designs and creations for this.    

The version in blue shown left, and above left is the final Snapmaker version of the print.   The finish shown left (on the right) is the latest Bambu version (as we have detailed regularly there is a difference in quality and time from the two printers such as demonstrated here).    As we are looking at flexibility of the print we have determined the Bambu as the most suitable for this project.

The student is now going to apply the flexible linking to the silhouette of an animal as was the intention in the first place.   By using the linking which has shown to be robust and working the student can apply this to a multitude of designs and shapes by following the same format.   This was how we produced a range of original flexi-animals in 2022.

Level of Difficulty: Hard - this has been a long term project and while there are potential short cuts the student has developed the skill to do it, which has taken several months to get to the final design.  The student is eight years old and has been working independently, aided only by previous videos created by a twelve year old student of our school.

Size: As it stands now the design is currently measuring 120mm long 100mm wide at the base of the tree and is 10mm thick.

Cost: According to estimates now available for printing that are clearly there this print cost for regular filament is 80c and 90c for glow-in-the-dark filament.

Timeframe: Two hours and ten minutes (Snapmaker) - as noted the preference is for using the Bambu H2D to produce the final version due to finish and the completion time.

What we would do differently/next steps for the students:  As noted there is develop coming from this linking this project to others and a range of designs, which the student can now easily master.    The finish for the fidget toy is also to be determined.

3D Printed 'Cyclops' Print - Completed Design

This project was started by the use of 'eyes' for as a provocation for the students, where they were challenged to design an original and unique creation on the basis of this.

This was detailed in a previous post on this blog.

The sheet of eyes that is shown left had a variety of sizes and also had a variety of details.  It was purchased from a local craft store for $5.00 although there are online versions listed significantly cheaper.

The design was completed in Tinkercad.  It was designed by a seven year old student.

We will be producing a teaching directed and targeted video explaining the process and the details of this project.

The final print, when printed with rainbow filament is show left.   The eye as detailed has been held in place by the space that was designed to house it, it did not need to be glued as it was forced in, and it expanded and then locked in place.

The print was successful and has got us thinking what else might we be able to present to the students to provide them a provocation to design and create?

We can print one of these designs on the Bambu in just over an hour for a single print, although we have put four of them on a plate and successfully printed all of them with an adjusted timeframe.

Special Event: DDR Dance Machine K-Pop Special

 

Having just held another school event - our DDR/Step Master Machine Livestream of K-Pop Demon Hunters we wanted to share the details and explain how the tech that we have at our school is used for this event.

The livestream and the videos are located at Mr Bloors Youtube Channel, this has everything including his amazing video that details the building of the Step Master Machine.

This video is located here and his Youtube page is located here.     The school laser cutter and Roland Versa sign maker were both used extensively in the creation of this machine.    For the purposes of the broadcast you can also see the filming rig.

As explained in a previous post on this blog we used the school laser cutter to create these MDF blocks which were 130mm square.

The blocks then had applied to them a sticker from the Versa studio sign maker.   This was made up of the poster that had been produced for the event which then in turn created a puzzle for the students to solve which became one of the challenges in the video.

You can click on this link to see the portion of the video that first used the blocks in the form of the puzzle.   The second challenge involving the blocks was the tower stacking challenge that can be viewed by clicking on the link here.

To produce something special for the students who won the competition these clickers were produced.   The clickers were sourced from a commercial location and are equivalent of a fidget toy.

The unique aspect of the design was the fact that the Bambu H2D Printer was used to produce the top that made something unique to celebrate the event for the students.

The template for this was provided online and was personalised for this event.

Student who won the competition were rewarded by receiving the clicker as shown above and also given a sheet of stickers from the event that were themed around the 'K-Pop Demon Hunters Show/Movie.

These designs were located online and were made available for the students.

The stickers were printed on the Roland Studios Versa Signmaker.

The paddles that were given to each of competitors to wave and support their team.   These were produced by using the school laser cutter and the labels for each of the paddle was produced by using the Roland Versa sign maker.

Credit for the design and work on this post needs to be given for the amazing Mr Jason Bloor (Sonic Vision Studios).   You can click on the link to his amazing Youtube page here.

DDR Machine - K Pop Demon Hunters Special

 

Market Day Preparation VR/AR

 

As we are approaching our 2025 School Market Day our students have started the processing of their business orders.

Each group made a 'Kickstarter' video to promote their product and from their the potential customers were able to make and order and request a personalisation for their potential order.

We posted about the videos for our school previously on this blog.   You can watch videos here which include iPad stands, key rings, or here to see videos featuring bath toys and flexi animals.     

One of the challenges for the students is preparing for this school event and to keep the students challenging and designing.    This is another way in which Tinkercad can come to the fore.   With its design aspect the students are able to process the orders which they have pending - that is the students have designed the personalised potential projects and then are able to AR/VR the designs into place (so in the case of the iPad stands onto a desk) allowing the people who have ordered them to view them prior to the designs being printed.

We have posted about this aspect of Tinkercad numerous times, which is a feature available when using the Tinkercad App on an iPad.  We have used it extensively to test designs viability before we print, to ensure that everyone can create (ie while we are waiting for the printers to become available)

This has allowed the students to gain feedback on their design but also to allow a heavy degree of personalisation from the purchasers who are going to be able to on the day of the Market Day come and collect (and purchase) products which have been highly personalised for them.

Laser Cutting: Resource Cube

 

Laser Cut Resource Cube: This cube has been created as a resource for the Step Master Competition that is taking place in School on Monday morning.   Its purpose will be revealed during the livestream.

Initially the idea was to locate this locally but finding a set of them, with the dimensions that were required seemed a bit of a challenge.

The answer was the school laser cutter which was used to custom make these MDF boxes.  They have then been assembled and glued (with a wood glue).  Our Roland Versa Sign Maker will then be utilised to produce a sticker which will then be applied to the box.

The boxes each took approximately ten minutes to cut the six side on the laser cutter.   The dimensions of the boxes are 130mm wide, long and high.    The MDF used to cut the boxes is 3mm thick.    These could be used for a variety of tasks and tools in the classroom from everything from a dice to a resource.   While there would be the option to paint or glue something on the sides of the box a much superior finish would be provided by using the sticker machine.

We have used it extensively for producing media for our students examples of which include the market day labels from 2023 or the decals and finishing on our school pinball and dance revolution machine.

3D Printing: Replicating Minecraft Creations in TInkercad

 

Challenge: To replicate a Dolphin from Minecraft using Tinkercad as a creation tool.

Background: Minecraft is a particular strong favourite of our students who like aspects of the game and the design potential of it.   We have one of our groups for our 2025 Market Day that is basing its theme and design on Minecraft and some of the characters from the game.    We also have our structured literacy running with a theme each week - in this case the theme was Dolphins.   We combined the two for a 'ten minute challenge' which is we allowed student creation and design based around a theme and time to do so.    We reported back to the class with ideas after ten minutes - highlighting designs that students were happy with or felt were showing creativity.

We have mentioned before that the geometric shapes that are freely available on the main Tinkercad design page lend themselves to certain shapes and creations - and this is clearly the case with Minecraft and this Dolphin.

As with nearly every project that we are currently making with students the criteria was for the print to be original and have a purpose if possible.   Both these criteria were clearly ticked by the seven year old student that designed this creation.

We are always asking the consideration for students as to 'what is the purpose of the print?' or 'what could it be used for?' - in this instance the student inserted a hole into the back right fin, suggesting that it could be viable as a key ring.     Given how the print has turned out there is the likelihood that this will be incorporated into our upcoming school market day.

Level of Difficulty: Medium.   The student is using the key geometric shapes which are available to replicate the design but the student has shown a consistent use of composition and balance to get elements of the design 'right' so it easily recognised as the original.

The student completing this design (independently) is a seven year old.

Size: The print measures 140mm long is between 10mm and 30mm wide (at the head) and is between 20mm and 10mm deep or thick for the various portions/parts of the Dolphin.

As shown left, in addition to being 3D Printed using the Schools Snapmaker printers the design was also AR/VR and tested using the Tinkercad App on an iPad.

This allowed us to see how the design would like print and adjustments that might potentially be made.  Although it was printed with glow in the dark PLA (pink) we were also to alter the colour of the design using Tinkercad to match the original Minecraft figure.   In this instance the student projected it onto the floor of the classroom but we did discuss being able to repeat the process in different locations.

Timeframe: Two and a half hours on the Snapmaker.  We would anticipate the Bambu H2D would deliver the same print, with slightly improved finishing in under half of the time.

What we would do differently/Next step for the students: The Dolphin in Minecraft has the eyes on the side of the head, in this instance the student placed the eyes at the front as they felt it better suited the design.   Other students pointed out to him that the fin on the back of the dolphin is longer than the Minecraft example on which the design is based, however the student was more than happy with the print.

Sonic Vision Studios: Livestream of StepMaster 2025

 

Heat Press - Mug Transfers

 

The students at Auroa Primary School who are senior Y7/Y8 students have the opportunity on Friday to complete projects during our school DPE program (which in other schools is known as manual or technology/tech).

We have detailed the opportunities for students on Fridays which includes cooking, laser cutting, art, sewing and digital design.   

For digital design one of the projects involves the students using a heat press (for mugs) in conjunction with digital design.

We have previously posting on this blog about using the heat press and the versa sign maker for the students to create unique and individual t-shirts - which you can read by clicking on the link here.

In this example students sourced images that they were passionate about from online sources and then arranged them in a way that appealed to them.   The stickers were then applied to the mug using a heat press and transfer machine.  The stickers were processed by an external provider to ensure that they met the standard to be reuseable.

Each of the students who creates this project is able to personalise it.    The final product gives an excellent finish that looks detailed and professional.

It is able to be used as a regular mug once the process has been completed and is 'heat' and 'dishwasher' safe.

You can read the details of the schools DPE program by using the search box in the top right hand corner and using the initials DPE (Design Production Engineering).

3D Printed 'Cyclops' Challenge: Masterclass

 

Challenge: Given a toy eye the students in the classroom were told to create a build/project around it.

Background: This is the finished version of the first initial print.  The process behind the design for this print was detailed in a previous print on this blog.

This design is now shown with the eye firmly in place - without glue as the student was able to force it into the eye socket when it then expanded into place, held there by the design.    The design is used to hold a USB flash drive.

At the same time that this was being produced one of the other students wanted to create something on a more significant scale.   This student is a eight year old student who has shown creativity and aptitude with her designing work and skills.  She wanted to use a 'cyclops' theme to produce a unique storage location.   Tinkercad was used as the main design tool.

The design is shown left on the Tinkercad design page.    The student opted for a single eyeball which as shown was on a stalk, with two pods of storage either side of the main body.

Level of Difficulty: Medium - the design has a number of aspects and details in it.   For instance the spikes on the body and the boils have been created by adding small cones and circles at different locations and then flattened out or added.     The balance with the design was required and it also needed to work with the scale.

Size: This was a significant print in terms of size.    The print measured 170mm across and was 90mm wide.    The main height of the body of the print was 120mm.   The Pods were 70mm long etc.    This was intended as a significant print.    The stalk with the eye in the middle was a further 70mm high.

Timeframe: This print took four and a half hours and took place on the Bambu H2D Printer.   This made sense with the dimensions and also the details that we wanted to bring to the print.   There was absolutely minimal rafting that was produced with this print - if we had used our other primary machines, the Snapmaker then we would have expected significant rafting with this projects.

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

The student has shown the ability to be able to produce prints such as this.   When the initial challenge was set to the students they were asked to incorporate an eyeball into it this student opted to move in another direction.    The student could have looked to use this with the design, as they could have opted to use the printer to change it colour.

The student could have looked for additional features and develop the design further.   While they put a considerable amount of additional features onto the design but they could have added further details.

We have used the 'monster' theme numerous times in the classroom as a design focus because it allows the students to not follow particular rules or details (such as when a cat is designed) 

School Event: Dance Machine Student Challenge

 

Next Monday here at Auroa Primary School we have our next major technology event - another Dance Machine Challenge this one as shown on the poster left.   We will be live streaming this event (via Youtube) and broadcasting it to the school and community.

This involves using our Step Master Dance Machine which was a significant school project when it was built - you can view the construction, behind the scenes video here.

In addition to the machine we add media to the machine each year in the form of music videos which are created by the students which are then used in the competitions, such as examples like 'The Golf Guys - The Golf Masters'

We hold yearly competitions for the students using the machine you can click on the link to view this years live stream or click on this link to see last years competition.

We will post additional details about this competition (including the link) as we get closer to the event.   If you would like to view the media associated with our school from our amazing Mr Bloor you can click on the link to his Youtube page here.

3D Printed Junior 'Cyclops' Challenge

Challenge: To use a large single eye in conjunction with a print design (aka the cyclops challenge).

Background: We are nearly three quarters of the year through the school year in New Zealand and the students have been using Tinkercad as a design tool for nearly all of this time (as we started projects in the first week) there is also a number of students who were in the classroom last year with nearly two years design experience.   As a teacher I tend to be looking for examples and ideas that I can present to the students, the classroom and challenge them to come up with ideas and creations with a loose direction.

This project idea came from something that developed with a previous print project on this blog.    We were using a 'cat' theme for our literacy tasks and so a natural fit was 3D design - the students finished several of these designs with stick on eyes - as can be seen in these posts on this blog.    While we now have the potential to use the Bambu H2D to change filaments mid print and produce a eyeball we also wanted to look at a physical 'eye' as a starting point for a design.

By purchasing a packet of large oversized eyes from a local craft shop, for a nominal fee, it was presented to the students with the challenge of producing something based on the design however the students could only have one eye and the print had to have a purpose to it.    The students brainstormed ideas and looked into projects that had worked previously from storage to pencil toppers.    The limit to the eyes created a 'cyclops' aspect to the challenge and students worked in monster designs as part of it.   As shown left and above the student used the Tinkercad main interface to design oversized teeth and gums, ears and a socket for the eye.

The students were collectively creating as so were able to bounce ideas off each other they also used AR/VR to project their designs into different locations to look at their suitability for design and to consider aspects of their creations.   In the example shown below the student duplicated his original design.

This allowed him to develop two seperate prints for his project, a pencil holder on the left, which he then inverted and turned into a pencil topper, reduced the size and put a hole in the bottom so essentially turned one project into two.   

Level of Difficulty: Low - this is essentially a task where the open aspect of it allows students to create something with an open scale and design features (for instance it would have been more challenging to produce a realistic cat.

Size: This print was initially created to be 70mm across and was 60mm high.   The print was designed originally as a prototype and to realistically store pencils would need to be of a larger scale, with greater ability to hold stationary.   The pencil topper needed to the other direction as it couldn't be too big as it would upset the ability to write realistically with a pencil.

Timeframe: Just over two hours.  This was completed on the Snapmaker printer - if it had been completed on the Bambu we would have expected this to be half the time, something in the region of one hour.

What we would do differently/next steps for the students: As noted there is some redesign that is required when the student decides on the direction that they want to go on, either increasing the storage or reducing the storage depending on the purpose.   The design is robust, comical and the student has the balance right between the task and producing something that has appeal.   The other thing to keep in mind is that the student who is responsible for this design is seven years old, although they have shown an aptitude for creation and design.

3D Print School - Ongoing End of Term 3 Projects

 

In New Zealand we are approaching the end of the third of four terms in our school year.   It is an extremely busy time we have our 2025 Market Day approaching in October, Term Four.  We have also a significant number of class projects and general 3D Printing projects going on.    We are documenting as much of it as possible at the moment, and on this blog - we have also after ten years created a body of work that includes the most posts now in a calendar year for this site.

We are still, as always, interested in making contact with other schools, student and teachers who are posting about similar topics.   We have expanded our online posting to include Facebook and are going to expand out digital footprint in a number of ways.   

If you want to directly contact us you can do so by emailing myles.webb@gmail.com or visiting Auroa School Website.

An example is shown above left.   Thingiverse was used to download a generic public domain .STL design cake topper.   Tinkercad was then used to personalise the topper by adding an individuals name between the rods that connect the topper to the cake.   The design was then printed on the Snapmaker and took three hours.   The print was 5mm thick, 140mm high and 90mm wide.

We are continuing with our classroom challenges, where our class of 25 students are given a design task to complete.   Although the task can sometimes vary the usual progression is a challenge, a design in Tinkercad, followed by a VR/AR test, and finally test prints of selective project before revision.  We have recently documented this process and project with a basic 101 slideshow which is aimed at beginning teaching and delivering something to the classroom.   We would also like to point out that this is being completed by the four printers that we have school wide, our three Snapmakers and our Bambu H2D.

The earrings shown here are a final version measuring 60mm long, 30mm across and being 5mm thick.   The print time on the Snapmaker was 45 minutes - we also tested these with inserts to ensure that they hang well and that the prints have a small wow about them, in this case the print has been completed with glow-in-the-dark filament.  You can read further details about this process and view the slideshow by clicking on the link here.

DPE is Auroa Primary Schools Tech program with a range of rotations for the students.   During one of the blocks students use the School Laser Cutter to complete a bluetooth speaker which is then embedded into an MDF speaker box.    The students then have the option to personalise or create a unique project.   You can read further information about some of our projects here, or click on the link here to view some of our ideas from previous years including some of our students unique and creative designs.

Anyone wanting to travel to our school and witness this program first hand or contact our DPE teachers directly can do so via the email above.

Our Principal has set a challenge to our students to create a unique trophy for the end of year prize giving.   In this instance one of our class students (who is eight years old) has been working on a design, the latest version of which is shown left.   

There is a significant degree of precision in this project as ultimately the intention is to present a permanent trophy to our prize giving students, and is currently undergoing its fifth version as the student is meeting repeatedly with the Principal to look at options.

Currently the latest version is being produced on the Bambu H2D and is taking three and a half hours.   The print is measuring 120mm across is 120mm high and 5mm thick for the top and 80mm thick at the base.  You can view more details on this project by clicking on the link from its inception here and see further progress here.

Market Day 2025 is approaching fast.   Each student in our senior school (four classes) and our Y3/4 classroom has been divided into businesses of around four students.

Each business has been tasked with creating a product or series of products that has the key driver of innovation (one of our school values) and personalisation.    Although groups have varied a large number have opted to use our 3D Printers, laser cutter or sticker machine as part of the production process.   You can click on the tab located here or use the search bar top right to find projects tagged for our 2025 version of this event or look back on our last event in 2023.   We are more than happy to provide these ideas for you if you are a student or teacher for a school event.

Another of our class challenges is to produce a physical set of geometric shapes, labelled and identified as belonging to our school that could potentially be used to help students with their Mathematical shape identification

We have asked students to design eight of the core shapes, ensure that they are labelled correctly and have information on them.  You can read a more detailed description of the projects and see our first examples that the students have produced here.   Again this is a class run projects of twenty six students which we are attempting to complete while we also focus on our other projects.

As we have mentioned we are very much happy to discuss any of the projects that we have detailed here on this blog, we are happy to help out with anything if you want to drop us a line or need advice etc.   We have a number of students and teachers who have directly or indirectly contributed to this work and we can also put you in touch with the relevant person responsible.