3D Printed Earrings: Evolving Print

Challenge: To produce a market day item for sale unique and innovative.

Background: This print had featured earlier in this blog in a slightly different form.  In this example the student concerned had designed the print as a key ring.  The student found the design (shape of the cow) available as a free online shape.     She then spent a short time adding the star to the design and then inserted a hole through the design.  More time was spent on the choices of the spray painting colours.  When this was completed the student thought that they were completed and was working on packaging and the stickers for the final product.

Then the student from playing with the keyring and made a decision to alter the design to change and develop earrings instead.   Obviously the original design with its dimensions was not suitable for earrings - so there was some redesigning and thinking about process - the goal of which was to ensure that the design could be converted into a suitable earring.

The first stage was a simple reshaping of the design to suit the dimensions.  In the original design (in blue in the photograph top left) the shape was 70mm across and 60mm high.    The first resizing was a full third of this size, with the entire design reshaped to reflect a more realistic size.  In the original although not visible the width of the print was halved so that the earrings would not be too heavy.   This reduced the print time to forty five minutes, while the length of the prints were halved.   We have previously detailed on this blog the creation of a six minute print - Pac Man Earrings from 2021.

In the first 'pair' variation shown left the student then experimented with printing a potential pair of earrings, but wanted to use an earring hook to ensure that the earrings would hang correctly and check their weight.  It allowed the student to identify subtle changes that needed to be made.   The heart shape hole inside the print had two issues - one which was of course its location (which meant the prints did not hang correctly) and the second was when the hook connector was attached the loop affected the hang.

The student spent some time experimenting with this before being able to refine the print further.  The student completing this process is a Y3 student so that is someone who is seven years old (although this is a student who is very hard working and generally capable with design ideas that are positive.  It should be also pointed out that this is there very first 3D Print original design and process involvement.

The final design (with the earring hook and loop attached) is shown left.   As is visible the hole has been re-centred and the heart replaced with a simple circle - this meant that the cow now hung correctly, was balanced and even.

In terms of the PLA required to make this print we gave the students the details of the cost of the roll of filament which they then (with a little teacher help) was able to calculate that each print is costing $.40c NZD to produce (for a pair).   The irony is that the hooks while being smaller (but an integral part of the print none-the-less) are actually more expensive than the PLA required to complete the 3D Prints.  In terms of a price point the student is (still) currently struggling - having made the print, created it and designed it the raw cost for materials is obviously under $1.00 NZD for the entire product and the student has attempted to price compare to original earrings that are online to set a realistic price point.

The purpose of next months School Market Day is not to make as much profit as possible per item - it is to show and give the students opportunities to showcase innovation.   This design and process meets that criteria.

What we would do differently/Next steps for students: This design has reached to the point that the student is expanding into different designs following the same format, looking at realistic packaging options and ways to market the product.   All in all the process is considered extremely successful and while the initial key ring is also a product for sale the earrings will now be the focus.