More Details on the 3D Printed Students Speakers

Our second group of senior students from Auroa Primary School are just completing their 3D Speaker Build Project. As detailed previously on this site the students here at Auroa Primary School have a series of technology lessons that run from 9am to 2pm on Fridays as part of the technology program.

In New Zealand its typical for students to travel to a School that offers Technology for most schools with small Y7/8 roles its usually a local Intermediate or High School. (Y7/8 is students who are 11 and 12 years old). Previously the Auroa Primary School students had attended the local High School. For the first time in 2014 the School provided students with an internal Technology program, as also previously detailed on this site. Students rotate around technology groups for five weeks.

Students who first attend Woodwork spend the time making the wooden boxes that will house the speakers. The speakers themselves are part of a kit set supplied by a New Zealand Technology Company, Mindkits. The students make the boxes and then spray paint them. When they go into the 3D Printing portion of the Technology Cycle the students are able to design handles, the speaker covers themselves and the feet of the speakers and 3D Print them. There has been a shift towards more individualised speakers 3D Printed in the second cycle. Students have started personalising the 3D Printer Covers and adding details like their initials into the covers. In the first cycle the students designs were very much modelled on the traditional speakers that would come with a regular stereo system. The print time varies per speaker cover, however on Fast Print settings print times would be in the region of 20-24 hours (each). Nearly every design has featured two covers so of course that would be 40-48 hours in total. For the feet and handles they are being placed onto one Tinkercad Print page and all printed at the same time. For a collective print that looks at printing all six (four feet and two handles on Fast Print settings) we are looking at a print time of again, approximately 20-24 hours, with again some variation coming as a result of the individual student design.