3D Printed Pencil Topper - Exemplar

 

Challenge: To produce an original, unique and functional pencil topper for use with a students stationary.  

Equipment Use: iPad, Tinkercad, Bambu H2D, Bambu PLA

Background: This task was given to students during an afternoon session with an extremely short timeframe to complete.  The students had to independently use their knowledge of Tinkercad and their developed design skills to create something that was functional.   Due to this functionality the size of the print and any potential details with the design were limited but also going to show what could be capable to add detail using the Bambu H2D.

The student in this task was an eight year old student who is in cohort two in that she has had two years of using Tinkercad with her iPad to design.    

We had previously completed designs like this in the past such as 2016 which you can click on the link here to.

In this design the student wanted to put their initials into the print so they sunk them into the design at the top.   The length of the dent was 2mm by 1mm across - the printer was able to replicate the detail and avoid having any filament or PLA on it.

The spiral of the design, which can be seen in the photograph to the left was also another feature.   The printer printed an insert, rafting into the gap which was removed when the print was complete.   

One of the very obvious benefits of this project and challenge is that the finished project is quite small and could be completed with a minimal print time and price point.

Level of Difficulty: Medium - this task is deceptively simple however the students had a range of ideas from the practical to the not so practical and the size of the print was determined by the purpose.

Size: The print was 70mm from top to bottom.  The main body of the design was 30mm high by 40mm by 20mm.   The spiral at the base of the design was 30mm high.   This was designed to work with a regular pencil/pen although the hole that was the insert for the pen worked better with a vivid as it was probably a few millimetres too wide.  The student has stated that this will require an adjustment to work with pencil.

Cost/Price: One of the key elements of this print and others in the series is that the price point, as determined by the Bambu Lab software is using 10g of PLA to complete the print with a corresponding price point of $0.25.

Timeframe: With the dimensions of the print at present the print time to complete the project was fifty minutes from start to finish.

What we would do differently/Next Steps for the student: This student was able to create a comic facial expression by using the basic elements as shown and included their initials.  They could have provided additional features on the other side of the design.  As noted the insert is slightly loose and the student needs to reduce the width of the insert hole in the base of the main body.

There are a range of potential prints coming from the classroom from this project, this is simply the first.   The students will be contributing to a slideshow featuring a range of designs in this format.   In addition to that and the prints noted in this post there is a wealth of material that can be accessed by using the 'search' bar in the top right hand corner of this blog.

A final word of caution we are extremely lucky to have a Bambu H2D and are using it to complete every print this year.  If you have an older machine the time to print and the detail in some smaller objects such as this might be somewhat limited.

Virtual Pinball 2026 - Auroa School Table Preview!

 

Our students are getting very excited about the first major event of 2026 as its just around the corner! We've got our very special 2026 Auroa Primary School Virtual Pinball Tournament featuring our customised Auroa School Virtual Pinball Machine! Want to check out the table? Watch above!

Virtual Pinball at Auroa Primary School

 

Its tournament time at Auroa Primary School! Its the 2026 Auroa Primary School in association with Sonic Vision Studios - Virtual Pinball Competition.

We previously revealed our entrants for 2026 in Mr Bloors amazing video that we posted on this blog and you can view via his amazing Youtube page here.

The students are starting to practise, practise, practise as only some of the teams are going to make it through to our grand final!

You will be able to follow that here and will be posting additional updates and also a video shortly of some of the practise.

The table itself is a copy of a 1908s Classic Pinball Table called 'Tag Team' from 1985.   While we have maintained the playfield as it is a virtual table we have replaced the images with those of the students from Auroa Primary School as shown left, so students are now the bonuses and the images on our own virtual pinball table!

This machine is now sitting proudly in the hall of our school as is a second slightly smaller machine that allows the students to 

play the table in preparation!

Excitement is building as we move towards the first competition of Auroa School Virtual Pinball for 2026!

Engineering and Teacher Purchase Bargains - Clearance 'Bricks'

 

As someone who has spent time locating 'bargains' for purchase for use in the classroom 3D Printing and Engineering also allows at times a keen eye to spot certain items.

This example has come from a large supermarket chain in New Zealand that to entice customers during various promotions including the gifting of items when points are purchased.   This "Bricks' branded set is one of the base sets for a recent promotion, that has now ended and as a result the supermarket chain appears to be putting the remaining stock on clearance.   This example was purchased locally from one such store for $1.00.    There are some obvious potential examples that could tie in with creation, engineering and 3D Printing - the set is a 'half of a house' and there is the clear possibility to add sections to the building.  

There is also a set of stickers/decals that come with the set - again these are something that we have produced in the past as this can be created and printed using the Roland Studios Versa Sign Maker.

Already this year we have purchased thrift shop items to allow the students to design replacement pieces and also used a massive backdrop to AR/VR designs onto our volcano setting (which was also on an end of line special).

3D Printed Flying Challenge V2

 

Challenge: To use Tinkercad to design something that is original that is able to fly the furthest distance.

Equipment Used: iPad, Tinkercad, Bambu H2D, Bambu PLA.

Background: As previously detailed on this blog this challenge started off as an independent activity which one of the students brought to school and wanted to print.   This led to a general discussion about the concepts of flight, size, weight etc.     Students in the classroom then started to print a variety of objects that met the brief.    Early on in the discussions students started to realise that the shape of the disc and the way in which it could be launched were important to determine success.   We also started to have conversations about how the information could be recorded related to flight, distance and measurement.    The student who designed this print wanted to ensure that they had a pattern on their design (as shown) that did not interrupt the flight (as other students had made designs with irregular shapes or high objects that were not balanced).

This student also used the Tinkercad AR/VR function to use their design and their iPad and project their design in super sized portions around the school in different locations.

Level of Difficulty: Low - this is an introductory task which was completed by a Y4 student who is part of the second cohort of students this year.   They were able to complete it without the need for any input based around other designs that they had seen.  Although not visible in the screen shots they also inserted their initials subtlety into the side of the print.

Size: The print measures 130mm across and this was the diameter of the print.   The print had a width of 20mm and was 10nm thick.

Cost/Price: The print used 32g of filament to complete the print.   This had a price point of $0.82 making it an achievable classroom or small group project.

Timeframe: Using the Bambu H2D the project took one hour and ten minutes to complete.  

What we would do/Next Steps for the students: This is going to be a hybrid STEM/Mathematics lesson based around concepts of aerodynamic flight and measuring, graphing and displaying the information that the students are going to be able to gather.   There is a small issue with the printer at present that needs attention (as can be seen in the photograph) but this is essentially the first time that we've need to maintain the machine since August (which is just a basic clean of the plate).   The students were able to see clearly in this instance that the plate was not printing equally on both sides so we had a discussion about why this was and what we could do about it.

3D Printing and Laser Cutting Sphero Resources

 

Not only do we have a range of 3D Printing and other machines available for our students to use we also have other technology that can be used and created.

Sphero Robots are a coding robot that we have had at our school for a number of years.   We find these robots work very well with our junior and middle school students and overtime we have created a number of resources with the technology to use in conjunction with the robots.

An obvious example is the town and the garage designed to work with a Sphero Robot.  We have students when they feel confident in using the 'drive' option with the robot and have used the coding maps that we look to include challenges and tasks involving the building.

Although its showing its age this building and garage was built using the school laser cutter.   With dimensions of 300mm across, 220mm deep or long and 150mm high - this is too large to 3D Print.   This size  allows the robot the ability to choose either entrance to go into.

The design was cut with MDF and then had a layer of regular cardboard applied to provide the texture that can be seen in the photograph.    We also use blocks or rods combined with the building to increase the level of difficulty.

We have also created a range of other resources that combine with the technology.    In 2024 we looked at creating paddles to work in conjunction with the robots which are waterproof.   You can view this post here.   This was also detailed when we experimented with creation boats and using Pixton Comic Creator to create a series of posters to explain the students work - you can view examples of this by clicking on this link here.

While Tinkercad is a free web based software for the year that we used Pixton in 2024 we paid a subscription for the students to have access to the full range of Pixton creation, allowing us to create a range of student generated media that relate to both Tinkercad, 3D Printing and Sphero robots - as shown left.

We also used Pixton to publish the 3D Printed designs of the students to present and explain what they have made and created for their designs.    This might be an option for schools concerned with the privacy of the students (as their images in these presentations are represented by avatar figure of the students).

This year we are looking at the students creating additional resources that are 3D Printed to use in combination with the Sphero Robots.     The students are currently thinking about ideas about what they can use to create to them move forward to the prototyping stage.

3D Printed Projects: Mothers Day 2026 Summary

 

We are approaching Mothers Day for 2026 in New Zealand and we have several students who have targeted projects based around this event.

The 'couch' which has been developed extensively and featured on this blog twice.  In its first form it was an idea for a project as a regular phone stand as detailed in this post about the print.

The print was further developed by the student from a generic project into one specifically focussed on a Mothers Day gift.   The print has evolved again as it has been now spray painted and has now a charging point included into the base of the design where the phone will be based.    This is now completed and ready to be presented as a gift.   This was completed independently by a seven year old student designing for the first time this year (for three months) and used their iPad, the Tinkercad App and the Bambu H2D.

This print shown left was completed by a middle school student in 2017.   At the time that this print was designed and completed we were using Ultimaker 2 machines (which we then replaced with Snapmaker machines before moving last year to Bambu Machines).    Despite being a number of years ago it was also designed using Tinkercad and iPad.

This was a significant print however in the years since it was completed the technology has moved on significantly and we would imagine the printing time and other aspects of the design would be improved.

You can also view this personalised Key Holder themed for Mothers Day from 2019.   In 2020 We created gift key rings/utility rings.  You can view all of these potential projects by clicking on the link and we would also suggest as a point of ideas you could view the Market Day 2025 ideas from our students as a number of those projects could easily be converted.

We've had a number of projects for personalised creations at the moment that offer a perfect example of something that could be created for Mothers Day.

In some of the examples the students have put the initials of the person that they were designed for.   In the instance shown left the prints used 32g of PLA to complete the print.     This has a price point of $0.33 for the pair.   The prints took thirty three minutes to complete.

There are a large number of examples on this blog from this activity which you can locate by using the search bar in the top right hand corner and the search bar phrase 'earrings'.

This would be an ideal project with a minimum printing time that would allow a class of students to complete the task in a relative short order.   We have also produced a slideshow dealing with this specific lesson, designed for a teacher taking their first steps in 3D Printing you can locate this by clicking on the link here.

Finally we have offered students the opportunity to create an original design which we are intending to print prior to Mothers Day.

An early design has come from this seven year old in the classroom who wanted to create an original and unique trophy that they could award to their 'number one Mum'.   With this design the student has used a combination of the main Tinkercad interface shapes and used 'scribble' to rate the handles and design the top of the trophy.   We printed this as an example to show the class and the student is intending to refine it.

The design at present is 70mm high, 60mm wide at the base.   It used 51g of PLA filament to complete with a price point of $1.27.    The print took two hours and twenty two minutes to complete using the Bambu H2D.

Senior Tech - Roland Versa Sign Maker

 

This is an update from a post that we made on Wednesday, detailing the use of the sticker machine, the Roland Versa Sign maker.    In this example from our Y7/8 students during technology (our DPE program) the students have used Gimp to create virtual images  which are then printed and applied onto the base of the machine which have been printed using the Bambu H2D.

The students were responsible for the design, creation and information displayed on the labels which were then applied as mini-decals on the side of the machine.

The full range of photographs and images from the work can be seen via the companion Facebook page for this site.  You can click on the link to the Facebook page here.

Auroa School Virtual Pinball Tournament Announcement

 Later today we are making a huge announcement for our students - one of the biggest events of the year is coming as we are bringing back our virtual pinball competition.    With that in mind until the official announcement is made later today here's some of the highlights from our work over the past few years, starting with the very first Virtual Pinball Grand Final from seven years ago!

 

Credit for this amazing production needs to go to Mr Bloor our amazing AV Teacher. You can view his amazing channel here.

The following year we retuned with our first movie tie in - Mr Bloor created an entire movie, featuring our students and staff (and our school!) and we had a special showing of this big event.  

This is our Grand Final from the Second year of competition, commentary provided by Mr Bloor and Mr Webb.  

We then had our third competition held the year after - this was based around another school movie - The Fast and the Furious: Undercover Student!   This became our Drive in Move Night Movie - which was an amazing community event: as shown below.

This led directly to the movie, the drive in movie and then the Pinball Machine, game and competition shown below:

Check out this amazing Site!

 

We are always looking for creative ideas for our students and love when we find ways to share, connect and learn from others.

Recently our teacher connected with another educator, Todd Lavogue from Florida, USA.   He had amassed a huge range of STEM related activities with his students which are logged and detailed on his fantastic website - it is a wonderful combination of examples, ideas and inspiration for students and teacher.   You can access his fantastic site and see his wonderful work and some awesome student work by visiting this blog.

3D Printed Revision Updates

 

We published this initial print on April 16th and wanted to show an example of how a student can take an idea and rework and adapt something to ensure that it fits the brief better by reengineering.

This student is designing for the first year and has spent the past two months working on their Tinkercad skills.  The student has used their iPad the Tinkercad App and a 3D Printer to produce this digital object which has been produced as a physical object.

Once the student had examined the print, looked at it with the teacher and worked out a way to feature or address what had been made they were able to make a range of significant changes.

First and foremost as shown the size of the print was greatly reduced.   The initial print was imagined as a badge or label for a bag, but in its original form it was considered to be too large.

The original design was 135mm by 135mm as can be seen left the revised version was 85mm by 80mm.  The design remained with the same width.   While there was some additional design put onto the creation there was a significant reduction in the print time.    The print time for the original was three and a half hours.   With the reduced size the print time was one hour.   The price point for the original design was $2.30 and the revised version was $0.67.

Once these changes had been made we also printed out a second copy using the same orange that the original print was completed in.   It potentially could do with additional design reflection (as it is quite 'busy' when it is shown and developed) however the student concerned was extremely pleased with how it looks and how it has developed.

 

The next step for the student from here is of course to look for opportunities to create, design and make a range of different digital images and physical objects using the skills that they have developed and are developing.

There are a multitude of similar designs like this which you can access by using the search bar in the top right hand corner of this blog.

The student concerned with this project is seven years old and other than the verbal feedback on the first design worked independently to complete the design.

Roland Versa Sign Maker - Senior Tech

We have mentioned in several posts that the senior students at Auroa Primary School are very lucky to be able to take part in DPE which is our senior technology program.    This is sometimes called tech and our students have a range of programs and tasks they can complete from cooking, art, sewing to laser cutting and digital technology.

In digital technology the students have completed a project using the Roland Versa Sign Maker.   This has been referred to on this blog as our 'sticker machine' which has been used for a range of projects which you can view a small sample of by clicking on the link here.

Mr Bloor our amazing AV teacher who is responsible for so many great projects at our school has been working with a group of students on these 'scaled down' versions of arcade machines.   The decals for the machines have been created by our Y7/8 students and the machines themselves printed on the Bambu H2D.

There are a variety of machines shown here - including a minature version of our Step Master Machine and also various versions of some of our other arcade machines.

In the past we've held yearly competitions with these machines and broadcast them online.   You can click on this link here to see last years Dance Machine competition and last years special 'K Pop Demon Hunters Dance Machine Special'.

You can view the grand final of our very first Pinball competition here and our tie in movie Pinball Machine, where we based a machine on our drive in movie here.   Finally we have a big announcment to make - we are again, after a three year break hosting a virtual pinball tournament here at Auroa Primary School for our students! 

The details of this will be announced very shortly but they will be put online and shared here and we will be broadcasting the competiton later in the term!

Revising and reworking a Print

 

Challenge: To rework and redesign a previous creation to ensure that it develops its detail and successfully adapts to meet its brief.

Background: This the student reviewed the design (shown left in the photograph) and revised it.   The original post was featured on this blog here.  The student wanted to develop the item as phone holder.   The student had realised after testing that the phone needed a lip to be introduced into the design to ensure that a phone did not slip off the print.

The student also wanted to introduce several other features on the design.  They included in the revised version the large stars which were placed on both ends of the design.   As this print is now intended to be a gift for the upcoming Mothers Day.   The print now has 'Mum' on the front of the design and 'Happy Mothers Day' written on the back.

All of these adjustments were completed by student independently and have greatly increased the 

Level of Difficulty: Medium - the student was adjusting the design to meet the intended brief and purpose for the design.

Size: As per the original design 130mm by 70mm by 60mm.   Essentially the same as the original with dimensions not affected by the additional features.

Cost/Price: The original print used 87g of PLA filament to complete the revised version of the print used 113g which included additional lettering, the lip etc.   The cost for the original design was $1.75 the adjusted price for the revisions for this print the price has increased per unit to $2.83.   This has been calculated by Bambu Studio Labs inbuilt software.

Timeframe:  The original print took two hours and ten minutes to complete.  With the additional details added into the print this increased the duration of the print to four hours.

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

The revisions with the print have been very important to ensure that the purpose of the design has been met.  The addition of the 'Mothers Day' theme for the design has also given it a a specific purpose.   There are not more additions that will be required for this print.

3D Printed Giant Cyclops Design

 

Challenge: For an eight year old student to create a unique 3D Printed design using Tinkercad that includes plastic eyes as part of the design.

Equipment Used: iPad, Tinkercad App, Orange PLA (regular) Bambu H2D.

Background: This design came out first in a challenge set to our students from September 2025 to include a novelty eye as part of a Tinkercad design.  We revised this again in April of this year having students include the physical (eye) as part of a design.

This design came out of this print.  It needs to be stated at this point that this is an extremely large oversized design and it was always intended as a single print.   The design was completed by an eight year old student who is showing flair and creativity with his work both last year and this year in the classroom - he created this design and did so without any input from the teacher.

Level of Difficulty: High/Hard - this design was developed over several attempts by the students and they revised the design several times to ensure that it was balanced and robust and worked.

Size: The print is significant for a single run print.   It measures 150mm across the main body has the tentacles that extend 120mm from the top of the print and has legs that are 70mm high.   From the base of the print to the top is 240mm.

Cost/Price: Using the inbuilt software for Bambu Studio Labs the the print used 364g of filament (including rafting under the design) and had a price point on current dimensions of $9.10.

Timeframe: The intention was always to push the limits of the printer with this design and the print took fourteen hours to complete.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: Due to the scale of the design and the length of time it took to complete it is not viable as such to complete it again and is more of a one off.  The student put too large and deep holes in the base of the design and this is an excellent storage for whiteboard markers (as shown in the photographs).    The eyes that can be seen at the front of the design could have benefitted from being placed more to the front of the design as they are somewhat sunken into place by the design.

Laser Cut - Presentation Box for Student Exemplars

 

This creation has come from one of our amazing teachers here at school which came out of an idea about ways to display exemplars of students work.  We have looked online at various items for displaying of figures with a combination of LED strip lighting and MDF or wood veneer.

The idea is to have a semi permanent display with some exemplars physically present to show as a example of our students creativity and innovation.

In the example display box shown left the laser cutter has been used to create both the top and bottom for the box which has then been stained to alter the colour.

The walls of the box have been created by using the laser cutter to cut perspex which has then been anchored into position by the slots created by the box.

The design at present measures 200mm by 220mm and has a height of 260mm.   The wooden lid is designed to lock the Perspex into place and is 220mm by 220mm and is 5mm high. 

Although there is no LED strip lighting directly linked to the display box it would be potentially possible via the lid and a battery operate light (inexpensive fairy lights might also work in the same manner).

This would potentially allow the school to easily create a bank of exemplars that could either be stacked on top of each other or combined with another furniture item.

This photograph left shows the storage box placed in a cube shaped storage item - although if it was to be permanently mounted into something such as this we would potentially look at the dimensions to increase the size relative to where it is placed.

There are a significant number of sites online which contains laser cut files for the purpose.

We also have created a bank of examples of laser cut projects which are located via the tab on the main page of this blog.

Step Master Machine - 2026 Updates

 

Regular visitors to this site will be aware that one of the amazing pieces of technology that are available to our students is the incredible Step Master Machine!

Mr Bloor has spent time during the holidays rebuilding, repairing and reconstructing the dance pads that are an important part of the machine - you can see the brand now steps pads here.

The original machine was built using the laser cutter here at school, the 3D Printers, the amazing sticker machine for the decals and an incredible amount of hard work.

This is a full sized machine based on the 1990s Arcade Machine 'Dance Dance Revoultion.   Mr Bloor our amazing digital technician built this machine with a group of our students (you can view the amazing story of its construction here).

Since the machine was built students have been updating the media each year with students creating their own media and music videos that work on the machine you can see examples of this here.

Each year we have a competition for our students based on the machine.   We have been live streaming the event via Youtube for the community for the past few years - examples of which you can see including last years finals by clicking on the links here.   

Last year we also held a very special themed event based on the K-Pop Demon Hunters with the Auroa School K-Pop Demon Hunters Challenge - you can view the footage of this mega event by clicking on this link here.

We have not made an official announcement about the potential 2026 competition for our students but keep your eyes peeled as an announcement about a competition for 2026 might be coming very shortly for our students! 

3D Printing Flying Challenge

 

Challenge: To use Tinkercad to create something that flies.   

Equipment Used: iPad, Tinkercad App, Bambu H2D, Bambu PLA (orange)

Background: At the end of last term (its the last day of the term one break in New Zealand, our students are going to be back this coming Monday in regular class) we set the students a challenge.   Initially we were looking at ways to create movement using 3D Printing.   The intention was to look at some basic movement and using either the 'motion' feature of the Tinkercad simulation including the potential for some basic wheel movement.    One of the students in the classroom, who is eight years old, wanted to make something that instead of rolling could be flicked.

The rational was that they could easily produce a disc and that this could be measured for distance based on the design.  After discussions with the teacher the student was able to produce a prototype (this is in the region of five minutes after the discussion).

While there are some elements that are reminiscent from the classroom project earlier this term that was a donut the student felt that it would be worth experimenting.    Now that the print has been completing from a teacher perspective thoughts have shifted to how can the students use this? What data might they be able to create? How might this data be displayed? If similar ideas are developed - what ways can another design be created to compare? (such as something with designs on both top and bottom of the design?

The next step will be putting this design in the hands of the students to ensure that they can develop their ideas, bounce ideas off each other and create some prototypes for comparison to think about whats next.  The focus will be on the data collection, how to measure it and what conclusions that the students can make from experimenting and working with the print.

Level of Difficulty: Low - this design was created in a short space of time by a student who is confident in their CAD design.  The shapes and the additions are all from the basic interface.

Size: The print measures 150mm diameter across.   The sides of the design are 40mm across and the design is 10mm wide overall,  The spheres that are across the top of the design extend upwards from the design up to 10mm.    

Cost/Price: The print in its current form uses 56g of filament to complete this print and that has a price point of $1.38 for the print.  As the intention is to complete several prints and then compare the size we would expect this to be adjusted accordingly.

Timeframe: Using the Bambu H2D on regular settings this print took four hours and twelve minutes to complete.

What we would do differently/Next Steps for the students: The data that comes out of testing this 3D Printed object is going to be important not only in terms of how it is collected but also how it is displayed.  There is a huge scope for this and also to consider how then this might be applied to Mathematics lessons and thinking about scale, flight and how an object might travel (including for instance altering the infill of the print rather than using simply the standard).  We also have some traditional frisbee for the students to compare this design to.

3D Printing - Projects that need revision

 

Challenge: To revise a print to ensure that it is successful.

Background: We've mentioned a number of times that this years students are two groups those who have experienced using their iPads and Tinkercad in the past year and a second group of students who are working for Tinkercad for the first time.

In this instance this design and print came from a student that 'slipped through the net' that is that it was printed on the assumption that it had been checked, that it looks at first glance to be a successful print however it is going to be used as a teaching point as it needs some adjustment.

The print shown here has some raised areas that are designed to be broken away - their is rafting that is located in two parts of this design.   The name 'Hazel' is raised 2-3mm from the base of the design and is not attached to the base of the design.   What this means, and can be seen from the following photo is that the letter will detach as it is not permanently attached.

The second area needing adjustment is the base of the design, as the heart that is on the top side of the print is not flat underneath the design.   Both these locations of the print contain rafting - which is designed to be broken away.

In essence the student needs to refine the design by firstly ensure that the name part of the badge is directly attached to the base of the design and not 'floating'.   Secondly the underside of the design needs to be flattened to ensure it is printed as a single piece.

In this example we removed the rafting under the lettering by taking each of the letters off and then using superglue (the teacher completed this, not the students) to reattach them to the print.   The bottom of the print is more problematic as removal of the rafting still means that both the heart and the oval are on the underside - and therefore it is not balanced.

Level of Difficulty: Low - we have talked and provided many examples of this kind of design in the past on how it is an introductory task for students to complete independently as a way to print a design to share that is practical and will have an obvious purpose.  There are many examples on this blog which you can search for by using the 'Search this blog' icon from the top right hand corner.

Size: The print as it stands is 135mm by 135mm and has a width of 5mm.   This makes the design quite large and would be typical of something such as a large keyring rather than a smaller badge.  One of the revisions of this design is potentially the size as it stands it could be described as 'over-sized' at present.   

Cost/Price: Using the software associated with Bambu Labs studio the print uses at present 88g of PLA for the print and this had a price point of $2.20.

Timeframe: The print as it stands including the rafting that is not required is six and a half hours.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students:   The print shown left and indeed the entire process and purpose of this print will be to hand it to the student show them how it needs to be refined and adjustments made.   The version shown left can be seen to include residue from the superglue from the re-gluing of the letters and also the oval that is above the name could be changed to include an alternative shape of an image.  

3D Printing with WoolyFil PLA V2

We've been experimenting with a range of PLA over the year but have previously posted about our excitement in discovering the range of WoolyFil filament and in particular the ability to essentially be able to recycle nearly all of 3D Printed material via a New Zealand company KiwiFil.

We have always been extremely careful not to endorse of promote anything to do with this site as we are simply trying to highlight what works for our students and staff however the values of being sustainable and also producing unique and interesting prints to capture the imagination of the students is something that we are very much always looking to achieve.

In the example shown above we have conducted another test print using WoolyFil Filament.   The print has been completed using this and the Bambu H2D.   The machine needed to have the PLA set to 'generic' rather than the automatic selected Bambu PLA that we are predominantly using.

We decided to produce this figure as the eyes were the only part of the print not completed using the combination of recycled PLA and wool blend was the eyes.

The contrast with the Suffolk sheep shown left was that this used a fair degree of regular PLA to complete for the feet and the face (although this was also recycled PLA).

This is a design that was sourced from the Bambu Lab Online portal by using the search phrase 'wool animal' to narrow down the elements.   While there were a very large range of potential designs the Elephant was selected as the print was nearly entirely completed using the WoolyFil Filament.

The print measures 60mm across is 50mm deep and 70mm high.   The print took three hours and thirty minutes to complete using the Bambu H2D.   The print used 24g of filament to complete this had a price point of $0.60.

As we have mentioned in the past while the students aren't designing the print the idea is to get the students familiar with the material, the concepts and the idea of using different PLA to encourage them to think laterally about the designs that they could use.

Tinkercad V Minecraft 2026 Project Summary

As we complete the project for 2026 we have recorded a short video showing the physical prints created by our students using their iPads and the Tinkercad App.

This has been added as the final slide at present to our 2026 Slideshow - you can click on the link here to view that original post or view the video directly below.   

A reminder that the students in New Zealand are on the second week of the school holidays and we will be returning to the classroom next Monday.
 

3D Printed Phone Stand - Adapted

 

Challenge: For a student, who is seven years old to independently create their own iPhone/phone stand.

Background: As term one has come to an end student were given various tasks relating to creating an item of their own choice.   This student decided that they wanted to create a stand for their cellphone to ensure that it had a dedicated and personalised space.

The student used their iPad and the Tinkercad design app to create the shape that they felt would work.   This task was one where it was straight forward to print it, and it was obvious that it would require some attention however it was going to lead the students potentially in another direction.

The design as it stands is going to require revision from the student.   Currently while the idea, the shape and the dimensions the phone itself needs to have a way to hook it into place or have it static as in basic testing it is sliding.   However - we have also taken some basic shapes of figures and placed them on the shape (which the student has stated is a couch) and tried it with different combinations.

This is similar to what the students were involved with last year when our students were involved in producing the furniture for the Dolls House - you can read about this detailed year long project here.

This is also potentially going to involve the resizing of figures depending on what it needs to interact with.  In the case of Lego sized figures the current dimensions are too large.

Level of Difficulty: Low at present.  This will require additional refining to meet the brief and be revised by the student who is working on the project.

Size: The print at present measures 130mm wide, 70mm deep and 60mm at the back of the design.   As noted this is going to need revision depending on a more refined project once the decision has been made.

Cost/Price as we are printing this on a Bambu H2D we are able to use the software with the printer (Bambu Studio Lab) to determine that this print as it stands uses 87g for regular PLA and has a price point of $1.75.   Obvious revisions of this print either upwards or smaller would adjust this price point.

Timeframe: This print took two hours and ten minutes to complete this print.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the student:   As evidenced by the photograph shown left if the student makes the decision to move in a Lego sized direction.   There is additional refiing for this design, such as details on the front, the seat or the bottom of the design.  If the decision is made to complete the print as a phone stand they will need to adjust it to hold the phone in place.

We have a significant number of examples with this theme here on this blog.  You can view examples from the past such as this example from 2023 here.  Further examples can be viewed here from 2024.

This was also one of our Market Day businesses from 2025 and you can follow their project and product here.   Finally you can of course use the search option on this blog which contains an entire volume of examples of projects based around this theme by clicking the link in the top right hand corner and using the keyword 'stand' or 'phone stand or iPad stand' as there are many more available examples.   All of these have been produced by students in range of seven to twelve years old using Tinkercad and their iPads.

3D Printed Stand with storage

 

Challenge: For student to create a unique, original and workable storage unit.

Background: This was an open challenge to students to come up with a storage idea that they could personalise and create themselves that was original.   The student in this case came up with the concept, the idea and the execution of the design.  This was completed by a eight year old student using Tinkercad working independently without any teacher input.   

The student used the Tinkercad App, the Tinkercad scribble tool for the skateboard design.

Level of Difficulty: Low - the student was able to do this in a short space of time because they were confident it could easily be completed.   There were some small issues to be resolved (see below) but the student was able to complete this easily.

Size: The main box that is the centrepiece of the design was 110mm wide, 125mm high and 20mm thick.  The insert into the top of the design was 50mm by 110mm.

Cost/Price: Using the Bambu Studios Software prior to printing we are able to determine that the print uses 122g of PLA to complete and this has a price point of $3.06.

Timeframe: On the regular settings for the Bambu H2D to complete this print the print took three hours and fifty one minutes.   The main storage area and the supports were printed as a single print, the student could have reduced the amount of support required by printing both of these separately and then gluing after completion.

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

The student could have spent more time on the design on the Skateboard which is the centrepiece for the design.   The supports needed some attention - while they certainly tilted the design and had it on a clear slope, as shown in the above photograph the connection between them and the storage needed to be more robust.

As the storage is on an angle the student needs to experiment with filling it with different objects to see what works in terms of storage.   

We have started the process of the students examining and working out ways to complete and design hinges, bases and support and this is another design that would fall into this category.

The reverse of the box/storage currently doesn't have any decoration or design and this is something were additional detail could easily be added.