Home Enhancement: Making Life Better

Learning Challenge: Using 3D Printer to Make Life Easier

Background: One student in class sister had a medical condition which limits her motor skills, cerebral palsy.  As a result she had trouble operating her iPad because she couldn't tilt it when it was lying flat on the desk in front of her.   Her brother thought that the 3D Printer would be ideal in designing and making a tilt to allow her to use her iPad with easier access.

Task: Help someone with difficulty by 3D Printing.

Level of Difficulty: In this case the student came up with the idea, concept and all other aspects of the production.  His sisters condition allowed him to identify the need and he was successful with the second print of achieving what he wanted.  Low.

Issues: The tilt was constructed with a specific iPad cover in mind.  A potential extension was to further develop a clip however as the first run was so successful this was not required.   If his sister had a different cover for her iPad then the task would have been considerably more difficult.

Details: Completed by a Y8 (12 year old student).   The print was successful on the first attempt.  The design on Tinkercad was able to be produced in under five minutes.

Timeframe: Forty minute print time.

Size: 15cm by 10cm.

Problem Solving: As mentioned the iPad case and the design of the tilt complimented each other a obvious further extension was that the student design and create an original stand for use with the tilt.

Starting The New School Year: 3D Printed Class Badges

The depth of the badge and size means it is extremely functional

3D Print School: Classroom Badge Design 

Learning Challenge: Students design a badge for the classroom.

Background: Searching for a task to tie in with a introduction to the classroom and basic design.  We discussed a 'badge' idea as a building task and it was completed literally by a student.

Task: Design a badge for the classroom that was unique.

Level of Difficulty: Low/Moderate - the student concerned created this model on his second attempt working with Tinkercad.  The original design came in with a 28 hour print time and the refined version, shown above, was much more stripped back - duration was an hour.

Students Tinkercad Design Prior to conversion for 3D Printing

Issues: The design had the letters linked, in the first version the letters weren't linked but were backed on a stand.  This design besides reducing the build time considerably also ended up looking better as a result.

Details: Completed by a Y5 student with his second ever build.  He was able to manipulate the design process with Tinkercad easily and produce something straightforward but also extremely effective.

Timeframe; One hour for print.  Design was thirty minutes, which reflected the students first use
of software.

Size: Length of 10cm, width of 6cm and a depth of 5 mm.

Problem Solving: The students original design idea on paper proved somewhat difficult to translate directly to Tinkercad as he had to incorporate a local landmark that was difficult to replicated.  This caused him to concentrate on the lettering, which while striking was not the focus of the original design.

One unexpected bonus was the size of the print made it an ideal badge size - something the student is keen to focus on, with a current idea of backing the badge with a pin to allow it to be worn.  As an extension activity the student is going to design a visitors badge for all visitors for the school to wear and look at producing a set for the office.