3D Printed Tags for Roses in Garden

Challenge: To produce tags suitable for the garden to identify roses when planted.   

Background: The 3D Print was identified as the best resource to produce this as it would allow the production of something that was durable and would not suffer from weathering.   This student was well versed in 3D Printing having produced in recent years several key prints that were featured on this blog.   Some of these have been complex designs of the highest level of student work.   If anything this was something that the student was more than capable of doing and could have added to it in terms of its complexity.    

Degree of Difficulty: Low - the student was capable producing detailed complex design, this was something easily within her skillset.    Of note the top of the three designs was printed incorrectly, it was intended to have lettering on it, but the student had not grouped the design correctly so it came out as a blank print, however the student was able to convince the teacher that they felt the need for an option to have a 'blank' label which could be written on using permanent maker.   The student thought that it would also be possible that this would allow the label to be written on the tag and then have the tag adjusted as the rose was going.

Size: 30mm by 120mm.   The lettering for the naming on the two plates raised 20mm from the plate.

Timeframe: Four hours for the duration of the print of three lables.

What we would do differently: This print, while in theory would work in the short term is questionable in the long term.   The rose plant that these were designed for are expected to grow significantly as with that expectation of growth the labels would not be able to constrain the base of the plant.   If  there is one specific issue that could be addressed it would be the label either needs to be temporary in place or would be adjustable so that it could be expanded or removed (in the worst case scenario it would 'ring' the rose when the plant was growing and the label had not been removed).   This concept was something the student was able to achieve successfully however with completion of the project it was felt that additional design features could be added. 

3D Printed Stationary Holder: Advanced

Challenge: Student wanted to produce a stationary holder that was themed for her Dad.  

Background: Student had experimented with 3D Printing in the past but came up with a specific print that she wanted to theme around her Dad.   She wanted to feature an opportunity for a stationary holder that was personalised and themed, in this case the two key pieces were the '#1 Dad and the farm house that would serve as the way to hold the pens etc.   There was one attempt to create this prior to printing when the print was viewe and feedback given, which related to the size of the objects and their suitability to hold stationary as the original design was too big with the stationary.   The student was able to respond with minimal direction and adjusted the print and design accordingly.   The student then completed the print and was thrilled with the result.   As the PLA used was white there was some discussion about using spray paint to decorate the piece however the student felt that the design looked fantastic with the white and opted to leave the print as it was.   

Degree of Difficulty: Medium the design had some key aspects which needed to work in conjunction with each other.  The student had the composition of the elements correct, therefore the design worked well.   Had this been out of balance the elements could have been more challenging.   The barn design was located on Tinkercad the student concerned then just had to hollow the design out to support items being put inside it.

Size: 120mm wide, 120mm long.   The lettering at the front was 10mm raised off the base, the base itself was 3mm thick.   The house that forms the centrepiece of the design was 70mm to the top of the roof.    For the design and how it was intended these dimensions were extremely successful.   Other than the rafting on the door there was minimal waste plastic that was produced by this print.   As it was with this print no changes needed in hindsight.

Timeframe: Ten hours to complete the entire print.   Not to sound repeditive but we are using a Ultimaker 2+ which has been reconditioned which as a machine is now five years old.   Given the age of the machine and recent improvements in hardware over time using a newer machine would reduce this time.   We use as default a 20% infill on the print as standard and a 8mm nozzle.   Both these could be modified.

What we would do differently: Nil - this project was originated by the student, the student was able to come up with the concept, create the design, refine the design and oversee the print.    Tick.

3D Printed (and Laser Cut) Stamp

Challenge: For student who had worked on previous projects to produce a working stamp for a design business (for an adult).   The print was divided into two parts - the stamp itself was produced by using a laser cutter (which is onsite at our school) to cut specifically the stamp design.   The base and the handle of the stamp were then custom made and produced using a 3D Printer.

Background: This student had considerable experience with 3D Printing in the past, and had produced a number of projects in the past, which have been used as prints and examples on this site.   With this print the student was very pro-active in using the printer.   They had the entire design in mind, and having previously seen the examples produced using just a 3D Printer (featured here on this blog) the student was keen to use rubber specific to the task.  We had previously ordered some of this from a commerical supplier located in New Zealand.    Once the component parts were put together the design followed.   The entire project was completed in a morning at school, the time involved with the design was minimal and the results, when used with an ink pad, were extremely positive.    A very successful project.

Degree of Difficulty: The key aspect of this was the collection of the required gear specific to the print.   The stamp specific print has produced a nearly professional quality print which is much more even than the paint and print versions that have been created directly by 3D Printer (see posts about this on this blog).   The actual print for the base of the stamp and the handle was extremely straightforward, just a basic rectangle increased in size to mount the stamp and a handle to.

Size: The base of the stamp is a rectangale 13cm across, 2cm thick and six centimetres long.   The handle part of the stamp extended a further 5cm from its base.   

Timeframe: Three and a half hours to print the base, the laser cutting of the stamp from the rubber took less than fifteen minutes.   Given the goal of the post/project this was an excellent result.

What we would do differently: This was a student driven project that was created with a specific goal in mind, was student driven and completed and the teacher had minimal input into the process.

The completed design, used with stamp ink was able to produce the stamp shown on the left when combining the 3D Print with rubber.

3D Printed Spray Painted Keyring

Design shown from above

Challenge: For a student to produce a unique personalised key ring.
Background: At times we are looking at ways to challenge students to produced original versions or variations of existing projects or projects that students have previously completed.   In this example this student wanted to produce a key ring that was uniue.   She wanted to use a 'dice' or cube design and have the five letters of her name.    The intention from the student was always to use spray paint from a spray can to decorate or change the presentation of the PLA.   The original PLA was white.     The print was completed essentially in two seperate parts. 

The first was to produce the dice which provided the basis for the print.   This was gained by selected one of the shapes from the Tinkercad main interface.   One this was completed the student measured up the results and then selected lettering.    While the concept was simple the execution of the print was also well thought out.   Once the lettering had been completed the two elements of the print were put together with superglue (by the classroom teacher).

Degree of Difficulty: Low - simple and effecive.
Size: The cube that is the base for the design is a cube that is four centimetres across.   The lettering varied slighlty in siz but was essentially a 20mm by 20mm regular sized font.   The students name was five letters long, so having it on the cube with the base blank or empty worked effectively.
Timeframe: Combined for the entire print was just over two hours, reflected in the design.
What we would do differently/next steps for the students: The long term viability of the print will be related for the ability of the lettering to remain in place.  As a high use item the super glue will need to hold.    The student only opted for a single coat of spray can paint to decorate they could have used two coats and used making tape to control the decoration.

3D Printing: Developing More Details with Work in Progress

 Left: Stationary holders [in progress].   The students have worked on producing more completicated and larger scale prints, and started experimenting with using spray paint to aid the decoration.  The other thing that we have been trying to instill with the students is the need to personalise the designs and make sure that they have a purpose for the design. 

In these instances here the studenet had met both of these key elements to his print.  He has utilized Tinkercad to use the pre-determined created designs but has included his name on the base, simply a matter of adding the text and also an emoji next to it.   Furthermore the student concerned has strong ideas about what he wants to do with the design and print to personalise it further.

Left: Oversized Key Ring
 In the second print the students were designing and creating an oversized keyring as a gift for a staff member to ensure that they didn't loose their classroom key.   The original design was created in white, the students hadn't checked the exact wording of the teachers name (hence the subtle adjustment).   They also made adjustments in the thickness of the print to ensure that it was more manageable.  We have printed designs like this in an effort to ensure that they were not lost or placed in a adult or teachers pocket.  This was not one of them.

3D Printed Unique Key Ring

Challenge: For a nine year old to create an original design from scratch.
Background: This student was keen to involve himself in 3D Printing and wanted a gift for a family member who had a specific interest in farming and diggers.   They were looking at ways to include design and challenge.    With this design the brief was for a farming digger. 

There was no basic digger design that was available for use from the student so the student concerned designed one from basic shapes available on the main Tinkercad Design portal.   The geometric shapes were linked together to create the image.   The student needed a specific shape for the scoop and having tried various combinations of regular shapes decided to use the 'scribble' icon to custom make the shape.   From here it was a basic addition of a font to label the design for the person it was intended for.   The rectangular shape of the base was intended to use the block as a child (three year olds) toy.   It was intended as something for the child to play with.   It was an introduction to show this particular student the potential creativity that was possible with the 3D Printer.

Degree of Difficulty: Low - this is the students first attempt of the 3D Printer.

Size: 140mm across, 160mm high.   The design is also 20mm thick.   In hindsight this part of the design could well have been reduced - the student who designed it was thinking about their cousins age and making sure the block was robust enough. 

Timeframe: Ten Hours - this is reflective of the size of the print.

What we would do differently/Next steps for students:
The student was very pleased with his first attempt to produce something with the 3D Printer there is much more complex designs and projects to come from this student.   They have simply used the printer to create soemthing with encouragement.

3D Printed Stationary Holder: Developing the next level of prints

Challenge: To take a standard 3D Printed stationary stand and combine PLA (prints) and add additional features and designs to increase the appeal of the overall print.
Background: Students are well versed in producing considerably large prints to serve as stationary holders or desk tidy items for the students.   The design of these come as premade or students are able to use Tinkercad to quickly take some of basic shapes and group them, creating a stand using the basic shapes (as shown in the photograph on the left).    The student responsible for this design is a nine year old Y5 student who has self taught himself to identify projects that he could complete with his developing skillset.   He is using Tinkercad in the classroom where appropriate but also in his own time at home to come up with designs such as this which he is subsequently bringing into the

classroom - the teacher role at this point is to check the prints, discuss the intention or purpose of the prints and press the print button.  It is not to create the project or direct the students. 

The challenge for the student is not to create in this instance - it is to challenge the student capable of producing a product like this and look towards combing PLA, spray painting the PLA and adding the addition of 'wow' factors.   The student is going to combine this print with PLA combinations, with spray painting and include LED lighting in the design.

Degree of Difficulty: High - this print design is going to be the first layer of the print, with a combination of as much as possible additional features.  The intention has always been to push this student who has shown talent to apply himself.
Size: The print measures 120mm across.   The print base is 10mm thick.   The tallest of the towers for storage of stationary items is 90mm high.    The smallest of the towers is 30mm.   

Timeframe: Sixteen hours to print this design.   This is the base of the design and does not include the time for the additional features that are going to be added.   Given the scale of the print this is the minimum sort of timeframe possible with this technology and hardware set up.

What we would do differently/next step for students: The student will be pushed to develop additional features and creative aspects of this design, not limited to different PLA, spray painting and adding LED lights to the design.

Misc 3D Printed Projects - Term 2: 2020

The return to school in New Zealand this term, and a return to regular classroom programs has allowed the students to be back designing and creating in the classroom (the 3D Printer used to create everything on this site is a single Ultimaker 2+ which is why there are colour themes for particular print runs.   We felt to due every print justice that we would feature a few individually and also put up a sequence of some of the others.   These are a selection of prints that our students are currently working on.

A basic design, with plenty of examples and exemplars on this site, allowing someone to create something (following a tutorial created last year as a 'Flipped' video by ten year old students) which is functional and allowing someone to be successful and design something at their first attempt.

The print took two and a half hours to print included a small amount of rafting (which was just the outside outline as shown.   No refinements etc were required.

A second student designed something similar and independent of the other student.   The student is nine years old and working with Tinkercad for the first time. 

They were given a 1:1 explanation of how to use this by another student who was able to follow these verbal instructions and produce this print.   The print took two and a half hours to complete was 100mm across, 90mm high and 5mm thick.   The student was extremely pleased with the design and wanted to use white as a base colour and then spray paint at least two colours over the top.

This student has shown an interest in design and creation and wanted to customise this design to hold stationary.   On production of the print and trying it with various items of stationary the student made the decision that it would be more suitable for a container that allowed her to store her jewellery and in particular her earings, so had a change of purpose for that.

Design took four hours to print and was done so with minimal PLA.   The student was extremely pleased with this design and creation which was her first independent design.

3D Printed Sign Update: Two Years Later!

Background: In August 2018 a student was tasked with designing a numbering system for the school in the event of an emergency.   The student designed and printed a series of numbers to represent each of the classrooms to the school.   These were printed with mounting holes inside them to allow the numbers to be placed on a wire fence for an outside area.

The numbers were placed in a position that left them completely exposed to the elements without any protection from the weather.    The project is now nearing two years since it was completed.   The numbers themselves have remained in place - with the exception of one number that had a soccer ball kicked into it and it broke at one point.   The prints themselves however have shown no evidence of any damage as a result of being exposed outside, there is a little loss of colour of the filament but other than this they have remained in place and held up remarkably well.

You can see the original post about this task here by clicking on this link, a further update was made in January of 2019 which you can click on here.

Custom Making 3D Printed Solar Panel Stands

Challenge: To produce a custom made design to hold a solar panel (that is tilted to increase exposure to sunlight) that is flexible and adaptable to meet the needs for an electronics project with specific dimensions.
Background:   Over the course of lockdown there have been few posts on this blog.   A lot of time and energy has gone into the COVID19 lockdown situation and also working on the Sound Lure Project that was started in 2019.   3D Printing has a special role to play in this project as the students and the classroom are focussing on a major local and regional project (including partnership funding and details) with a number of external groups.   Full details of this project can be located at the specifc project blog: SoundLuresNZ.blogspot.com.    Essentially the component parts for this project are being created specific to the pieces used (for instance the speakers for the various sound lures are all different sizes so creating a new box for each different speaker has been a matter of creating a master and then changing dimensions to meet the size of the speaker.   For the

solar panel a simialr requirement was needed to be met.

In this case it was a single sized solar panel, needing to be raised up to decrease the ability for water to pool on the panel (to protect the connection points on the back of the device) that would be stable.    This is the first design in this process with a student who is producing independently for the first time.    A effort to minimise the amount of rafting or PLA that needs to be removed as supports is intended, so this is very much the first prototype of a series until the criteria can be met.

This print took eleven hours, by reducing the amount of PLA, by flipping the design and removing the need for supports that serve no purpose this should be halved at the least.   The student designed wanted to build supports but the base as it is is able to remain upright.

In conversations about the purpose and the aim of the print the student has made some significant adjustments and the next version is about to be designed.  We have highlighted the improvements in the process to show the adaptability of the printer in this case.
Degree of Difficulty: Medium - the adaptability is key otherwise the design itself needs to be able to applied to a basic task - which is simply holding the solar panel in an upright position to maximise sunlight to ensure that the unit is attatched to the sound lure, to ensure that the unit can charge as much as possible.
Timeframe: Eleven Hours - this needs to be reduced considerably, as there is excessive PLA as a result of the unit requiring rafting to be supported.   We are experimenting with flipping the stand so that we print it on its side, which should mean there is minimum rafting required for the print. 
What we would do differently/next steps for the students: This project and this 3D Printing example are designed to get the students thinking, get the students motivated and working again on a significant project which the 3D Printing is ideally suited for.

3D Printing - Expanding on initial projects

Above: Design shown from above

Challenge: Once students have mastered the concept of producing basic designs and ideas how can they move onto more challenging designs and prints.
Background: This student has shown an aptitude in design and creation, so we have been encouraging her by giving her the lattitude and opportunity to create larger designs with differing purpose.   This design reflected that, for while it appears to be another straight copy of the badge design, using scribble to create the picture, which in essence it is, the student created a significant rectangular lip or frame around the outside of the design.  This had the affect of allowing the design to independently stand on its edge, and balance it.    The student had been using Dash and Dot Robots, as part of a task to code and was looking to expand on something to integrate with that.  Once this design was completed and created the student was using it conjunction with the robot, and had the idea to create a series of targes for the robot to be coded to come into contact with.  The student is intending to colour code the targets, with different point values/phrases for the robots based around the difficulty to get them. 

The same thing could also be created as a target systyem for a form of rocket launcher or technology challenge, as the 3D Printer could easily target a class set of targets or students could develop their own game as a result.  The pieces being 3D Printed are extremely durable, well made and virtually indestructable. 
Degree of Diffculty: Low/Medium - the dimensions etc just determined by the purpose.  You can always spray paint the PLA when finished or actually print it out as different colours.
Timeframe: Six and a half hours - this is not suitable as a badge etc due to its increased dimensions, having said that for the School PE Shed we did exactly this on purpose three years ago (its too big for the students or the staff to easily put the key into their pocket, hence they tend to return it to the location where its suppossed to be,
You could reduce the idea of targets to something smaller but we want to be able to hit them.
What we would do differently next steps for the students: This was produced with a hole in the top right hand corner we would remove this as it serves no purpose.

3D Printed Badges/Key Rings - 2020 Edition

The next batch of these designs have followed a similar format and process as detailed on this blog.  As such other than a brief update about the size and details of them they have followed the previously described pattern and so will remain relatively static in description.

'Mum the best cook ever' - is 5mm thick was 90mm across and 120mm high.   This had a print time of three and a half hours with the default settings.   This was designed by a student at their first attempt using Tinkercad and using the tutorial that is featured in this blog as a beginners guide, otherwise the student had no formal training or assitance.

The process was perfect wtih the exception of the 'v' as part of ever in the bottom right hand corner which came as a result of the lettering being too small.   Student used pre-created available lettering and imaging to produce result.

Left: 'C & L' Star.  Sometimes the best learning can be accidental, in this case this is a print that didn't work and the student was to redesign it.   If you view the star you can see that the circle at teh top of the star is too large relative to the size of the design.   This had the consequence of preventing the design from being successful, although the student was able to adjust it with some quick and basic design fixing.   It was a one hour print time reflected in the dimensions of the design which was 5mm wide/thick and 70mm high.  Student was looking to increase the size to the 120mm range. 

Left: 'Hunter Dad' came in at 90mm high, 90mm across and was 5mm thick.   The student based the design on freely available images that involved a simple Tinkercad search.  The lettering was available from the main template, the only additional features were the hole to allow its use as a badge/key ring and the addition of the surname of the family on the side of the design (not visible in photograph).   The design took fifteen minutes for someone using Tinkercad for the first time, and was produced with zero waste PLA/plastic.  Three hours to print at the regular default settings

3D Printed Minature Stationary Stands

Challenge: Student wanted to produce a scaled down version of a typical stationary holder.
Background: The student concerned had an idea of what she wanted to produce and had examples in the classroom that showed what could be produced.   The student was able to produce a basic design model and then personalised it with her name, and wanting to further add an additional touch of putting the animals paws in the bottom right hand corner of the design.   All in all as an introductory attempt at 3D Printing the student managed to complete all of the anticipated goals - working by herself etc. and was able to produce something that worked perfectly.   It should also be noted that this print was produced with zero 'rafting' or waste PLA so that the student was able to spend no time removing any of it, and the font for the name on the plate worked perfectly.    The only issue with the design of this project was the size - the student had intended it to be a smaller version of the full sized type of project that students had created and are detailed on this blog.   The student who created the project

Above: Design shown from above

was concerned that by reducing the size that the project would not work or that the storage would be compromised by the reduced size - this was not the case and while the scale was reduced the purpose worked extremely well.  It was also suggested by the student that this could be used for storage of jewellery or other items.
Degree of Difficulty: Low/Medium - this was the students first design and was able to use Tinkercad to create and manipulate the shapes that were required.   She was able to create the balance of the design easily, but she has a talent for design.
Size: As shown in the photograph to the left the design was 110mm across and the base of the unti was 100mm high.   The lettering for the name and the paw print was raised 5mm.   The towers that are the storage part of the design, the left and right towers are 70mm high with the middle tower being 50mm high. 
Timeframe: Seven and a half hours.    The design of the unit and the measurements were required and would be the minimum to make the design workable.    The printer was using the default settings for Tinkercad, which is essentially 20% infill and the Ultimaker 2+ used a 8mm nozzle.
What we would do differently/Next Steps for Students: Nil - the student was thrilled with the results and it was considered extremely successful.

3D Printed Badges: 2020 Exemplars

'John Deere' and 'Scribble Cats' Designs

Challenge: For students to independentally produce 3D Printed badges as a first print for the school year to include versions or approaches to design that we have not featured.
Background: Throughout the past few years as an introductory task to show students 3D Printing we have typically started with a basic design that has featured some personalisation and a practical use.   These are three examples that were all created by students using Tinkercad who met this brief.  To put their designing in context the students are speding the second year in the classroom, having started in the class the previous year, so they have had a year of experience or opportunity with 3D Design.  Students have used Tinkercad to complete the design process.   While there are more detailed and other products, programs and resources in the marketplace and online we have always found this to be dependable, reliable and adaptable.   Students have found the ability to create and make 3D

Cricket themed 'Kian' design

Printed designs easily.  I would also like to recognise as well the ability of Tinkercad to create an entire classroom of student accounts that come under the umbrella of the teacher.   This is flexible and allows the students to work with minimal input.    All three designs were created by students who were ten years old.

The 'John Deere' themed key ring is a key ring for a tractor.  The student located it online and wanted to add the addtion of the 'Dad' under the logo.    'Cats Forever' was created using 'scribble' which is one of the new design.   The key feature of the 'John Deere' design was the fact that the base itself had a lip or edge created for it.   The lip was around the outside of the design, and has a length of 10mm.   The base of the design proper is 5mm.   In usual design of these types of projects the base would be consistent for its entire length, the

Above: John Deere Lip

lip has reduced the need for this and then considerably reduced the print time.   You can see this feature of this design to your left.

Degree of Difficulty: Low - these designs are intented as a creation task to ensure that students are successful.  Refining the design is to simply tweak it slightly. 

Size: While there are three distinct designs featured in this post they have similar dimensions.   The bases are between 100-110mm and they have a height of 100-140mm.   The thickness of the design varies slightly the 'Kian' and 'Cats Forever' designs have a universal thickness to them, as noted 'John Deere' had a lip that was created that significantly improved the print time relative to the other prints in the series.  Given the revised versions of the print this change could have been made.
Timeframe: Three and a half hours ('John Deere') four and a half hours ('Kian') and six and half hours ('Cats Forever').   We would have revised this design to reflect the lip given the opportunity.
What we would do differently/next steps for students: Given the lip considerations mentioned otherwise the students designs/purpose etc. for the students was successful.

3D Printed Keyring Using Scribble

Challenge: Using 'Scribble' option from Tinkercad to produce a unique 3D Print.
Background: As a new school year has started in New Zealand we are looking at ways to use the creation process involved with 3D Printing for students to create new projects and cover new ground.   As some of the students in this years class cohort have already mastered using basic Tinkercad design we wanted to use another tool to help encourage them to create something individual.

One of the key Tinkercad design tools is the 'scribble' icon, which can be seen in the bottom right hand corner of this screenshot.    The student concerned was challenged to use this tool to create something unique.   She was wanting to create a gift for another student and work independently to create a design.

By utilizing the scribble design she kept the design brief and was able to create the cat that was featured to the left.   The 'scribble' option allowed this Y5 student to create something with an easily recognisable design.   To ensure that the print was personalised she added the students name to the bottom of the design (which indeed is spelt with a single l).   Finally to allow the item to have a purpose she used the ability to easily put a hole into the design in the top right hand.

We are previously created detailed step by step instructions to complete this sort of task as we would appply it as a basic introduction to 3D Printing for students who are in the Y5-6 year level (independently).
Degree of Difficulty: Low - there is a variety of tutorials and assistance to complete projects like this.  As an introduction to 3D Printing we usually find students can complete it successfully after watching videos such as this.

Size: The design measured 110mm across from end to end and was 90mm high.  One of the key elements to reduce the print time but to also ensure that it was manageable was to ensure that the thickness of the print was 5mm.    Given the purpose of the design, the size ideal for the project.
Timeframe: Three and a half hours.   The printers that we are using for this project are working on a 4mm nozzle and are nearly five years old (although they have been reconditioned).
What we would do differently/next steps for students: 'Scribble' is a basic design to allow students to create more unique pieces of work.   The icon and nature of the design tool does not suit every design, however it is something different and it allows for something unique to be created by the students involved.   Result.

3D Printed Projects: 2020 School Year

Challenge: Students wanting to re-create projects from the last school year and adapt them for the new school year.    These prints have featured previously on this blog and are being reimaged.

The first print was a different version of a stationary holder designed by a student with a 'building theme'.   In the original the student went with a black/orange colour combination.   In this instance the student opted to change the colours and repeat the print.   The student went with the black/blue combination.   The student furthermore wanted to add the addition of lettering to this design to personalise it as a gift.   The print is the same scale and the print details of the print as it was described here on the original post.

The idea behind this print was as a farming themed gift for the father of the student.   They found the design from the regular Tinkercad site and adjusted it by introducing or creating a platform for the cow to stand on.   Furthermore she introduced 'Dad' to the base of the design with the intention of developing it further.   One of the ongoing issues that we have had with prints of these dimensions is the legs of the animal when the PLA is removed often come off.   We have had several prints where this has been the case.   While there are additional materials to remove the PLA we are still looking at tools to complete the process.