3D Printed Table Feet/Table Caps

Challenge: To produce a working set of table leg caps (as shown) to work to provide feet for a custom made table.

Background: This is the follow up post to an earlier engineering challenge on this site - the original post is from March 2nd and you can see it by clicking on the link here.

In short the custom made table for the laser cutter needed custom made feet/caps for the bottom of the wood.   The weight of the table was intended to hold it in place and the 3D Printer was able to produce a set of custom made feet.

Initial designs  had the base 130mm long and 110mm wide with a 5mm base.   The final design had a overall base of 160mm by 130mm and a 5mm thickness.  The centre piece to hold the leg in the original was 95mm by 70mm but the revised version shown here reduced it to 95mm by 50mm for it to fit snug.

This allows for distribution of weight relatively evenly and means that the legs themselves are not touching the floor of the workshop.  Another clever idea was that a piece of wood from the original build was kept as a guide piece to ensure that the legs could be tested without the machine or the table itself having to be moved.

The original table can be seen (prior to the fitting of the feet/leg caps shown here.  It has been assembled and made to order by one of our wonderful school teachers.

The original post and the follow up was completed by a small group of four students.

Level of Difficulty: Medium - the concept was straight forward however the accurate measurements to account for the table 

Size: The details are essentially above but the base was 130mm by 110mm and the centrepiece 95mm by 70mm.

Cost/Price: The print used 33g of regular PLA filament to complete the print.  This was determined to have a unit cost of $2.45c.   This would be the sort of minimum requirements given that it was bearing the weight of the table.

Timeframe: Using the Bambu H2D the print time came it at one hour and fifty minutes.   This potentially could have been another machine as it was a straightforward design - although this would have increased the print time for the project considerably.

What we would do differently/the next steps for the students: The accurate measuring of the legs at the start of the projects had led to the purchase of a set of callipers for accurate measuring.  We were able to source these relatively inexpensively online with the intention of using them to measure accurately. 

For the actual project itself there would be no adjustment - although we did discuss further padding at the base of the feet/caps to further protect the surface however this was discounted as it is concrete.
 

Revised School Improvements V3.0

 

We have been detailing here on this blog a series of school improvements, details which the students have used their iPads and Tinkercad to design a three dimensional object and then used the Tinkercad App to go to a potential location and 'project' the image into a space that it could potentially be placed in.

In earlier instances the students were able to complete basic designs but we worked on having them thinking critically about what they have made and created.  The mat outside of the office which we have detailed previously has now undergone a change of colour, to reflect the school colours and a message from the school has been placed on the mat itself.  In this instance there has never been an intention to complete the printing of designs in these sequences as seen in our selection of non printing 3D printing projects.

We are also expanding our Digital Footprint to include other formats, including a Facebook Page.  This features a selection of posts from this blog, such as this one, but includes additional details and media include a range of photos from this sequence.  You can click on the link to this page here.

We thank you for your visit to this site - our intention this year is to break the posting record for this site and essentially post everyday.   We also are looking to expand the digital footprint and increase the traffic on the site, which we are in the process of doing but we do appreciate people who link it to other locations or pass on the connection so we can continue to showcase the work of our wonderful students and hopefully encourage a range of creations and creativity at your school or educational site.   If you want to contact us you can do so via the email under 'site information'.

3D Printed Book Stand: 2026 Edition

 

This project has resulted from a student coming up with a problem related to their storage of library books - they have looked into producing a box for their library books to be stored.

The box itself is large, and is going to require significant discussion with regards to producing it, based on its size, although we will investigate the possibility of laser cutting it potentially.

In the meantime following discussions with the students we looked at locating pre-designed examples, and this one was located on Thingiverse.   We copied the .stl and then printed it for the student to have an example to develop ideas from.

As it currently stands the print measures 120mm across and is 130mm high.   It is 10mm wide at the base.   According to the Bambu Lab Software the print uses 136g of filament and had a price point/cost of $3.40.

We used this print as a discussion point - how could we personalise or name it for the school library? the classroom? How could we adapt this design further?

While this design is clearly intended as a book stand it already has been tested and is successful as a iPad stand and an iPad holder securely allowing both a regular large iPad and an iPad that was in a shatter proof/life proof case.

Although there are also variations to this design including versions that we have featured on the blog in the past.   This book stand from 2018 featured a 'horse' theme.   This design from 2018 focussed on a book stand for shared reading.

As it also functions as an iPad stand relevant additional posts include this stand and storage container from 2018 (an exemplar at the time)we also have our 2025 Market Day that included a business based around creating at iPad stand including this exemplar from the event.

Finally as a point of reference there was this example from 2019 based around multiple storage space.

The Problems with Chickens

 

We've detailed in a previous post about how the students are looking at creating various scenarios where we are improving the quality of what is on display at our school - one of the aspects that students believe to be viable is the potential to have chickens. This has also been proposed by the Enviro-Group working with the school and we know that various schools in our area have done so.

We have created a concept of ideas based around the students knowledge, which in this instance is high as a number of students raise chickens or collect eggs regularly where they live.   While these do tend to be a bit more free range than a school would require there is a significant knowledge with the students.

To help complete this project the students are looking to produce a conceptual model, based on the AR/VR creation that might show what an area could look like.  To that end we printed the chickens shown in the AR/VR mock up, as shown left.

The print used 11g of PLA filament to complete, the figure had a price point of $0.26c and the print took 42 minutes to complete on the regular default settings.

The student who was completing the AR/VR design   was able to locate the .stl file for this creation by a simple search, which was then transferred to the Bambu Printer for completion.

The model as shown was 70mm high and 50mm wide.   Once the model has been completed these figures will be supplied to a farm set that is currently in a junior classroom.

Misc. 3D Details as the Term comes to an end...

We completed our 'cow' themed table centre piece for the community dinner - using a combination of different filament and some spray painting to produce a run of 15 different cows, one for each table!

These cows were detailed in a previous print on this blog - which you can access by clicking on the link here.

We have detailed this process including talking about the importance of involving the community and supporting community events as one of our 'lore of 3D printing talking points'. 

We recently 'discovered' an amazing New Zealand based company that are doing amazing things with PLA including recycling and producing unique PLA including one that is combined with wool.   

KiwiFil

This site and their story is incredible and we can't wait to spread the word about this far and wide.   We will start printing with the amazing samples that they shared with us and will share them as soon as possible.   In the meantime we would strongly encourage you to check our their amazing story on their Facebook page which you can click on by accessing the link here.

Our students who have been working on their own designs, in their own time to develop their Tinkercad schools are continuing to do so.   We are undertaking to print as many of these projects as we can between times and will continue to feature them on this blog.

A reminder that you can use the 'search' bar on this blog to search our student/school archives and look at or examine 11 years of 3D Printing projects, ideas and student work.   Every project has a specific tag related to its posting on the blog such as 'badge' for something like the new example produced this week.

We are continuing to focus on AR/VR projects and looking at ways to utilise Tinkercad and the Tinkercad App to produce authentic tasks with the students iPads.   Students are now refiing their original ideas having to research and develop their ideas so that we can present these ideas to the school for further consideration.  You can read about the original post on this blog here.

3D Printed Full Sized Vase

 

Challenge: For student to make a unique, individualised vase that is functional.

Background: We detailed in a previous post about how a student had started working on the original design for a vase inspired by locating a range of them online.  The first one, the miniature became a forced perspective lesson involving digital photography.

The student then located a range of designs which were described as an 'ornate range of jugs'.   

In the design shown left the student used the examples of the designs to create their own version and then used their knowledge of Tinkercad to apply a personal message on the base of the vase.

Level of Difficulty: Low -  the student was working on a timeframe to turn this around in a short space of time.   There are a few features on display in the design but clearly more could have been developed or designed.

Size: The student wanted to push the dimension of the design and the measurements reflected this.   The design measured 200mm high and was 100mm wide at the bae (and the top).

Cost/Price: Using the Bambu Lab Studio software we can determine that the print used 255g of PLA plastic to produce and this had a cost price of $6.40.  The cost point for this price meant that we would be limited with what we would be producing at this size.

Timeframe: With the dimensions of this print, the regular settings that the Bambu H2D meant that it took seven hours to complete.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: The way that the vase has been personalised was done quickly however this could have been done with more precision, including potentially putting the lettering into the base of the design.  There was nothing personalised other than at the location shown is something that could be addressed as it could have been done with more creativity.   

Original Tinkercad Design Tinkering

 

We've approaching the end of term one already and we've had a term, nearly ten weeks of students working on various designs.   While we might have only a short space of time to create specifically with Tinkercad there have been a number of (seven and eight year old students) working on ideas and refiing ideas in their own time.  

The series of designs in this range are created uniquely by the students and the purpose was to create something that could be recognised.  Tinkercad as a design tool has a range of shapes available which the students have used as a basis for the design.  

The train shown above was created using a range of basic shapes and then manipulated by the student using their iPad and the Tinkercad app.   Once completed the design was then tested by AR/VR it into different locations.  

The sharing of these ideas is to allow students to give each other feedback on how they might develop their ideas and designs.   Students are able to comment on how you might add layers to a particular design or make something have an increased recognition factor.

There are a large number of designs that fit into this category.   On the corresponding Facebook page for this site there are additional ideas and creations.

You can click on the Facebook page by clicking on the link here or searching for 3DPrintSchoolNZ which is the name of the page.