3D Printing and Design: Insect Focus Summary

 

This slideshow is a summary of 'insect' themed designs created by students and posted on this blog.   This was a major focus for our students this year as we used the designs as a display point for our 2026 Calf and Lamb Day,

Each of the print has examples and information and a link to the original post about the blog.

We will be adding further updates on this slideshow over the coming days.

You can also use the search aspect of the blog and use the tag 'insect'.

Further Christmas Tree Developments Phase Three

 

As we've begun the process of printing a number of the designs from the students we have also been encouraging other students to further expand their original digital tree designs that was featured on this blog.  

After a basic design in step one and sharing and then development of basic ideas and further extension we printed selected trees in step two.  

Step three saw the further refining of ideas and creations and based around the visuals and the physical prints that have been completed we have revisited the students initial designs.  As this stage we are looking at the students ideas and thinking about a virtual design particularly as it becomes more detailed.

The more complicated designs the less likely that the creation will make a feasible print although we are certainly looking at taking aspects of the design that work well and then making that into a smaller more manageable project for printing - the same can be said of the AR/VR Feature of Tinkercad which can struggle at times with a highly detailed multi levelled background and figures.

Again this is another instance of when we would be using our iPad and Tinkercad tools to create a digital output as opposed to a physical output.

3D Printed Christmas Trees: Phase Two

 

Challenge: For a student to produce a unique and original 3D Design of a festive Christmas Tree.

Background: This process has been explained and we also detailed how we were looking at selected virtual versions of this project to turn into physical design by selecting them for 3D Printing.

This example was produced in the first phase however the student (who is nine years old) took to adding additional details into the print.   The original had a basic and straightforward tree design.   The student then reworked the design to include some of the unusual ornaments that you can view in the digital version of the design from the Tinkercad design plate.

The student then continued to add to the design by introducing the figure on the right and the presents at the base of the tree.   These design were a combination of the students creation and a series of figure that were pre-made and designed from Tinkercad.

Resources to complete this print: iPad, Tinkercad App, Tinkercad design page, Bambu P1S Machine, Bambu Candy PLA.

Size: The tree has a base at the front that is 60mm wide and 70mm deep.  The tree has a height of 100mm.  The bottom tier of the tree has a section that is 50mm by 50mm with subsequent sections being relatively smaller.

Cost/Price: The print uses 57g of PLA to complete.  There was very little rafting with this print.   This amount of PLA gave the print a price point of $1.15 to complete.

Timeframe:  To complete the print the printer was operating for two hours and forty five minutes.   

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: The print as it stands requires some modification.   The presents at the base of the tree and around the design in their digital form had the names of the people that they were gifted for on them.   However the detail was too small and the printing process saw the printer opt not to complete the design.

The range of ornaments could potentially be reviewed - the baubles are oversized as is the star on the top of the tree.   This is oversized deliberately as it allows the words to remain as part of the design.   The Gorilla has very strong details on display as does the car (which are both pre-generated as they were located in the main Tinkercad interface.

This design was obviously completed in a single colour, some consideration could be given to completing this with a range of colour.

The tree itself strictly speaking is somewhat out of alignment as it doesn't have the traditional shape associated with pine trees.

The car a the bottom has printed with detail but looks out of place with the rest of the presents relative to its size.

Evolving Prints: Linking Bambu H2D

 

This blog has been publishing work and projects for over ten years, starting from the end of 2014.   During this time as we've mentioned previously there has been a significant change in the ability of printers to develop their precision.

The Bambu H2D which we are using as our primary machine here at school, and indeed many of the recent machines are now able to print linking such as the example shown left and produce no waste plastic or 'rafting'.

In this example shown left the miniature snake which was a print located on the Bambu Labs online site.   This print is 170mm long and 10mm wide.  It was printed in a run of sixteen snakes loaded onto the plate which had a combined time of sixteen hours.  This meant that the individual snakes can be produced in under half an hour.

We have printed a range of link design fidgets in the past - such as this example from 2022.   Our students have also worked on the linking in the past to 'unpack' it and design (from the start) their own versions of linked toys.   You can click here to see an example from last year or click here to see the link to our flexi-trees market day business from 2025.

One of these snakes can be produced for $0.35c per unit which makes it a particularly low cost item to produce - and there would be options such as producing a glow-in-the-dark version or looking at changing the colour by spray painting the design.

A very short print like this creates something that can easily be discussed and used as a talking point or a discussion point between students and teachers.

Christmas Festive Decorations 3D Print

 

Challenge: For a student, nine years old to use Tinkercad to create an original 3D Printed design suitable for hanging from a Christmas Tree.

Background: We've detailed that the intention is to start this now so that when we reach the festive season the bulk of our designing and printing is done.  In this instance the student wanted to create the design for a present, to add additional details, their name and the year and to further add details to the design by including a snowflake design.

The student is a nine year old student who is using Tinkercad for the first time this school year they were able to complete the design independently without the need for teacher input.  The teacher was presented with the finished design and the teacher gave some direction which the student listened to and then completed the project (the student was directed to include the year of the present on the opposite side to their name as a suggestion to further personalise the design)

Resources used to complete the print: Tinkercad, iPad, Bambu P1S, Bambu Pink (regular) PLA.

Size: The design is 60mm long, 50mm wide and 35mm high.  The ribbon on the top of the design is a further 10mm high.   The snowflake design which is featured around the base of the present is extending 2mm out from the base.

Cost/Price: To complete the print the project used 38g of PLA.  This gave the print a price point of $0.78c.

Timeframe:  Using the Bambu P1S the print took one and a half hours to complete the print.   There was minimal rafting, just a small amount under the bow on the top of the print that was easily removed.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students:   If you view the virtual version shown top left you can see the name of the student is visible in the design on the top of the present - this has not translated to the physical print in this instance.   This does occur from time to time as a result of the hole not being deep enough, the student will be easily able to reset this and the print will be completed again.  Also of note is that the snowflake has printed as a complete print without any rafting that requires removal, which would be nearly impossible.

This would also make a stunning multi coloured print with the ribbon contrasting with the base of the design.

3D Printed Festive Trees First Printing

 

Challenge: For nine year old student to create an original festive (Christmas) Tree.

Background: This task was the classroom challenge from the previous week of school - as we have posted about on this blog we've created virtual versions which we've AR/VR around our school and are now at phase two - selecting some of these virtual versions for printing to move the students onto the next phase of the design.

We posted on Friday about a larger version of this tree - this is the second smaller tree that was printed at the same time.   This version was not intended to be a super glow-in-the-dark filament tree however the opportunity came up to print it with this filament and decision was made to do so.  This design having not taken this into account had some specific detail that when the filament support was removed left some obvious pitting and damage to the tree (which is visible in the photograph).

The students response to this (that is seeing the physical print) was to redesign the print - this was completed with the version of the tree shown left.  You can see the visible changes the student has already made including reducing the 'clutter' around the decorations on the tree and introducing presents at the basis of the tree.

Resources that we needed to complete this print: iPad, Tinkercad App, Bambu H2D, Bambu Super Glow-in-the-dark PLA.

Size: The printed version of the design measured 50mm across at the base of the tree and had a depth of 50mm.  The tree was 100mm high from its base to the tip of the star at the top.  The addition of the boxes for revised versions of the print would not significantly increase the size of print as each is 20mm by 20mm and a box size and shape.

Cost/Price: The print that is shown left currently uses 70g of PLA to complete the print.   This would give the print a price point of $1.50c.  The revised version which includes the introduction of the presents would increase the PLA to 92g and would increase the price point to $.172.

Timeframe: To complete the initial print as shown the print took forty five minutes to complete.   With the revisions intended and already redesigned the print would take one hour and fifteen minutes to complete.   Other than under the tree there is very little rafting on this design - although the student wants to experiment with further designs aspects (again the tree decorations0.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: The design needs reworking based around what the physical print would look like.   We have experienced in the past the fact that the glow-in-the-dark filament is not as robust as regular PLA. The student is going to look at options moving forward in both regards.

3D Printed Christmas Themed Ideas Step Two

 

We're continuing to develop the first run of our designs that are themed for Christmas or 'Festive Themed' designs.   We are currently looking at introducing ideas and creations and how we might modify them.

Again this year we are starting with virtual versions of our creations - such as the Christmas Tree's as shown left.   We've detailed these in the past. - as the fact that they're destined for a virtual role as opposed to be finished as a 3D Print.

This is the second stage of the process - these designs have been created and now refined by students looking at ways that they can further update their designs and create unique aspects of the tree (such as some of the unusual ornaments0.