3D Printer Pencil Sharpener - Deluxe Edition

 

Challenge: To create an original design that incorporates into the print a physical object with a purpose.

Background: We detailed this projects start earlier this month when we tasked students with the challenge of having a physical sharpener created to work in conjunction with a student engineered 3D Print.    The students for the process were able to work with a partner on the design.   The challenge first stage was the design then the students were to undergo testing to ensure the design was viable, balance and had a purpose.

Some of the challenges that the students came up against were aligning the sharpener correctly into the print, ensuring that they had a suitable 'exit' location for the pencil sharpening once it was used.

Once the inserting mechanisms had been devised the students then spent time working on the other aspects of the design, inserts for pencils, names and shapes.   The students wanted to use a multi coloured PLA for the affect that it would create - this is a PLA which is called 'Cotton Candy'.

Resources Used: iPad and Tinkercad App for the design, Cotton Candy Bambu PLA, Bambu P1S.

Level of Difficulty: Medium/Hard.   This is one of those tasks that appears simple but there are layers and elements to it, particularly when the students start to attempt to have multi entry and exit points and details that need to work in conjunction with each other.

Size: This version of the print measures 50mm across and was 55mm long and 40mm high.   

Cost/Price: This unit as it stands uses 42g of PLA filament to complete the print, including some 12g of rafting (for the lettering and the inside of the box).   This had a price point of $1.07c to complete.

Timeframe: To complete this project the printer took a (now standard) six minutes to warm up and one hour twenty four minutes to complete the print, for a combined total of one and a half hours.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: There is a gap in the side of the pencil sharpener holder as shown left.   This has been created because the internal storage on the other side of the wall is too close to the side of the print.  It needs to be moved slightly or reduced in size which will correct the error.   The final step is for the students to undergo testing to ensure that the item works as it is intended.  If it does not the students will then need to look at reworking and refining it.

3D Design Puanga Art Piece

 

We've explained the process where we've been identify the group of stars that makes up the Matariki constellation of stars that is celebrated as part of our national holiday.

Regionally there is some variation - in our area where Auroa School is based, Taranaki, we celebrate rather than Matariki, Puanga.    You can view the difference between the two celebrations here.

While it is important to understand Matariki for our students, it is equally important for us to focus on Puanga.   For this we used the knowledge that we had built from the process in the last few days.

For the building of this group of stars we wanted to make sure that Puanga is the most significant from the group as it needs to be the focus.

The Tinkercad App was used with the students iPads (we are an #Apple Distinguished School) to create the group of stars.   We then used a specific feature of the app - the ability of the combination of the app and the iPad to AR/VR the design into another location.  We have extensively used this feature for a number of times which we have featured on this blog - you can search for additional examples by clicking on the link in the search box and inputting 'AR/VR'.

Once this had been completed (such as the student shown left, who projected the image onto the sky) the students then applied a Pic Collage feature.    This allowed considerable manipulation of the image - however as we had described in previously some of this manipulation altered the image to the point that the original design was completely reworked, overshadowed or altered.

One of the challenges for the students was to find innovative and creative locations to then apply a filter.  An example of this process was the use of the school playground in the example left.   We have a swing bridge as part of playground, this image here shows the bridge which then had the AR/VR image projected onto the bridge and the filter applied afterwards.

Puanga was labelled to ensure that it was the most significant star and that it was still visible with the differing background.

Further Developing the Matariki AR/VR Designs

 

We have spent a second day looking at ways to apply Tinkercad as a design tool to a creation that we might consider for showing or illustrating Matariki, the celebration of Maori New Year.

We wanted to explore this event and how we might use our students knowledge of tools that we have used in the classroom this year.    This example shown left is a further exploring of the process.  In this example in additional to having the physical representations of the stars the student has also labelled the stars with their names and attempted to place them in the correct order and relative location.  As noted yesterday the student then AR/VR this design into different locations around the classroom and then the general school.

We have also discovered that Pic Collage has developed its own AR/VR design tools so that students can further enhance their designs by introducing local landmarks such as the examples shown left.   In this instance the student is going to refine their design to ensure that the location of the stars accurately reflects the positions of the stars in the constellations.

We have experimented with a range of locations and also experimented with the AR/VR enhancement - our students have discovered that some of the enhancements overtakes the design - for instance some of the students creations of the constellations were replaced by some of the filters.

In the example shown left this shows how the AR/VR can rework the students design.   The students constellations design, AR/VR into a desk of the classroom is shown right.   When the image was then put through a AR/VR Pic Collage (which is the image shown left) the students design had been completely reworked by the tool changing the composition from one of the student designed with the correct placement into one that does not resemble the students creation.   The student wants to refine their prompts using reference to our location and see if this allows the design that they have created to remain in the correct order.   Likewise references to the local mountain, Taranaki, are producing a version that is not seen from our location.  Finally the idea was to look at some kind of art project - and we were thinking about how this might look.   The students are going to explore the printing of these stars, which while it was not the case initially is now looking at gluing these to a painted background to create a multi-media type piece of art.

Using Tinkercad to create Matariki AR/VR Design

 

In New Zealand we have the Matariki Celebration coming up next month.   At our school we have a number of projects that we want to create for this celebration.   When considering this event we also need to take into account location variations such as ourselves in Taranaki celebration a variation of this with Puanga.

We used Tinkercad to create a students versions of the stars.   We wanted the students to create their own version of this group of stars and then project them into different locations and also look at the different grouping of the stars, the relative size of the stars and the different locations so that the group could be recognised.

This work plane from Tinkercad is a students representation of the group of stars.   This was the students first attempt to create this and is going to undergo some revision and reworking.   This version of the cluster also used a basic star shape before the students had the ability to modify and adapt the design.   A number of the students in the classroom had completed different versions of this group of stars.   One had introduced labelling into the design and had the names of each of the stars in Maori written underneath the picture.

Again the sharing of this project with the students had helped them create the ideas and think about different ways that they could use Tinkercad to show this design and how it then might be created.

Once the design was created the next step was to look at locations where the students could use the Tinkercad App to AR/VR the design onto a blank background.   Once this had been completed the students then took the image that was projected and applied a pic collage filter.

This is the design from one of the students (it is shown above) then projected onto the floor of the classroom.   The shapes that are created by the AR/VR image maker are the carpet from the floor and also the walls and the furniture into the classroom.

The students then attempted to look at a number of locations and different filters which they could apply and attempt to find that best that represents the constellation.

Some filters tend to make the design less dramatic and not stand out - and there are some experimenting to go and we are also looking at different filters, exposures and editing of the photograph to improve the presentation.   There will be a number of additional images for this activity uploaded on the Facebook page, you can locate that by clicking on this link here.

3D Printed Award

 

Challenge: For a student to design something, and modify and print it during their first week of school.

Background; This is a basic foundation task to have a new student excited and involved in the process of 3D Printing.   In this case the student found a design that they wanted to print (the trophy) and then wanted to make an iPad stand which they wanted to personalise by introducing the persons name on the reverse side.

The student working on this task joined the classroom this week, had another student acting as someone to mentor them and this is their first attempts at 3D Printing.

Resources Used: iPad, Tinkercad App, Bambu P1S Printer, regular PLA.    

Level of Difficulty: Low - this is an introductory task (for an eight year old) where the intention is for them to be successful with the process, the design and the outcome.  It is something that should be considered a basic fundamental task.

Size: The trophy measures 50mm across and is 60mm high.  The stand measures 80mm across was 60mm long and was 70mm high.

Cost/Price: The stand used 44g of PLA and the trophy used 14g of PLA to complete.  The price to print both of these items was a combined $1.10c.

Timeframe: Two print the two items side by side took ninety minutes with the standard (default) settings.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: The idea behind something like this is to get the student learning the concept, ideas and thinking about what else or where to next.  In the initial design process the student wanted to make an iPad stand however in this instance the stand is too small - it makes a excellent phone stand but to convert it would require resizing and developing.   There was a star that the student wanted to have on the stand under the name, but they didn't attach it to the base and it floated as a result.   This would be something that could be addressed with a revision.

3D Printed Oversized Desk Unit

 

Challenge: Can we push the use of the P1S Bambu printer to print something large and unique?

Background: As noted - an oversized creation designed by two students.   One of of whom who has been in the classroom a short time the other who has been designing since the start of the year.   As both students worked independently together the students designed a large unit to be used to organise items on a students desk and act as a name and work station.

Due to its size this was not considered to be something that would be produced by every member of the classroom.    

Resources Used: iPad, Tinkercad App, Bambu P1S Printer, regular (white PLA).

Level of Difficulty: This print although one of the students is somewhat of a novice has a number of levels to it and functions that are quite clever to design - there could have potentially more features but this is a solid mid range design.

Size: This is quite a large print.   The print measures 110mm across at the base and is square shaped.   The design is 100mm high.

Cost/Price:   This large print uses 300g of filament to print and had a price point of $7.61.   There was rafting as a result of the hooks that were on each of the corners.   The PLA could have been reduced if these had been printed separately and then glue onto place on the item when it had been finished.

Timeframe: As stated we wanted to push the machine -this took six hours to print at the regular default settings and the regular infill etc.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students:   The print was completed in a basic white so the obvious next step is the decoration of the print.  This is most likely to be completed via spray painting.   The letter that dominates the outside of the design would really benefit from a contrasting colour so we may look at attempting to mask it using tape before an adult sprays it.

As noted this is intended as a one off larger print for the machine, the first that we have attempted and is not going to be a whole class project.

3D Printing: Micro Scale

 

This print is something that we have attempted in the past, however it has been made possible to be completed using our P1S Printer.   In this instance the printer was able to produce this detailed print, which features a significant amount of technical difficulty, was printed in 26 minutes (which of course includes a six minute printer warm up time).    A number of options could be involving this print moving forward - the most obvious is that the student could design and create other farming or design related items to add to the scene.   There are a number of freely available designs and suitable other creations that could be used for this purpose.

The design here measures 70mm long (including the scoop) and is 30mm wide.   The design is 20mm high and the top of the scoop is slightly higher at 30mm.   This print uses 10g of PLA and had a price point of $0.25c.