3D Printed Stationary Holder: Junior Example

Challenge: To produce a unique stationary holder using basic Tinkercad shapes by a junior.

Background: This student is an ESOL student who has limited 3D Printing experience.   The student was able to do so by using the basic shapes to make an elephant.   He was able to create the shape and details and create a cartoon like shape.   The design was quite robust, which brought some humour into its creation.     

We talked to the student about making it to the correct scale but he was more than happy with how it developed and the features of it.

This was the students first design, it was a somewhat original design and it goes without saying that he was thrilled with how it develops and the details that went into it.

Level of Difficulty: Medium - the students design could have had additional features (see below) or been more to scale (see below) but he also wanted to make something fun that was not necessarily correct.

Size: The dimensions of the print were quite large, although this was deliberate from the student.  It measured 150mm long, was 100mm wide and had quite a girth to it.   The student could have addressed this but as it was his first original print he was happy with this, although the print time was quite long.

Timeframe: Twenty hours.   While this was quite long and conceivably could have been reduced this student was very much interested in having a cartoon version that was recognisable and fun.  This was very much inspired by the previous Dinosaur wearing a top hat print that was featured earlier on this blog.

Prior to there being decoration or an attempt to colour it the student made the decision to apply a PicCollage filter to the design.   This produced the image shown on the left.  The student was able to take this image and apply it with a 'Festive Filter' from the Magic Camera option on PicCollage.   

This not only gave the student design ideas it also allowed him to think about its presentation.

What we would do differently/next steps for students: The student was thrilled with the result, particularly after he had painted it.    There were some considerations - the scale of the figure (such as making the ears correct or researching their uses) there was no tail with this design. the student hadn't really considered it.    The size of the trunk was not relevant to the scale of the design, or were some of the parts of the design (such as the eyes) however the student himself didn't and wouldn't want to change anything about the design.  Finally the stationary holder had limited storage and this was specific to an eraser - if the student had inserted smaller holes then potentially something else could have been created, such as pencil storage.

Star Wars Lego Diorama: Battle of Hoth

Student is an avid Star Wars fan and also a fan of Lego.  They have a number of sets with a theme, one of which is dominated by a series of scenes from the movie 'Empire Strikes Back'.  One of the iconic series of scenes from this movie involves the AT-AT machines and the 'Battle of Hoth'.   In this instance the student privately had the AT-AT but wanted to have some of the additional props from the movie to combine with what they had to create a diorama.   The student knew that there was 3D Designed and printed material out there and wanted to include something related to it. 
 

The design element of this post is limited as the student is using pre-made and designed material, however this is being done as a way to spark creativity related to the scale of the model, for instance how does the turret and the gun fit in to the scale of a Lego Mini-Figure and then how does this relate to the scene from the movie (which will introduce ratio to the student).   The idea is additional material will be printed and then the student will move to designing some items himself that are unique and meet the scale etc.

This turret is currently a twelve hour print, includes some rafting - of note the barrel of the gun is only 3mm across at some point, the Snapmaker Printers are able to print it, some printers might not have the finesse to include this detail (which typically we would be concerned would be snapped or break when the rafting was removed).

3D Designed Stationary Holder/Pencil Sharpner

Challenge: For a student who is confident in 3D Printing to design something that has a purpose, was original and also personalised.

Background: This student is a second year junior student who has been in the classroom for sometime.  She is confident in using Tinkercad with her designs and was challenged to design something with a purpose, as per the brief.   While she wanted something to house stationary for her work in the classroom - however she made the decision to include the ability to have a pencil sharpener included with the design.   In the photograph of the finished print (shown left) the indentation is directly below the name of the student.  This has been introduced into the base of the design.    The design is shown prior to spray painting and the name should be highlighted more at this point.

The photograph shown left is the AR/VR version of Tinkercad. This student created this design in Tinkercad first, and then placed it on a desk in a typical situation that it would be used in, to see how it would look.   Viewing the design in this concept you can clearly see the parts of the design which are not visible in the first photograph.   This allowed the student to get the dimensions and design features correct to ensure that the print was likely to be completed.

We have previously been able to identify problems with designs that can be detected prior to printing to ensure that the printing is more successful.

This is the completed print, with a photograph of the print taken with an iPad.   The print has then been put through the PicCollage App using the 'Magic Camera' option.   The default setting for this option is the 'watermark' option which can be shown as an example on the left, this is the completed print put through the filter.

Level of Difficulty: Medium this print has several elements to it and was worked on independently by a student who is a Y4 student.   The print was successful in this regard.

Size: The print measured 140mm across and was 140mm deep, this gave the print considerable stability.   The print had a height of 120mm.    The width of the rim was 20mm at the front and was 5mm at the back.  This was something that the student had deliberately done as the front part of the design is intended to house a pencil sharpener.  If the design was 5mm all the way around this last part of the design would not be possible.

Timeframe: 28 Hours.  This was a considerable length of time for this project however it was intended to be a statement piece that would be used for considerable time moving forward - examples such as these have been created and existing and still in use at our school several years after they have initially been created.   Given the considerations (including the use of the pencil sharpener) these dimensions and the subsequent print times would be expected.

What we would do differently/next step for students: The student is looking for the decoration options for this project to complete it.   The student will focus on the final decorations, spray painting and the attaching of the pencil sharpener and it operating.

Tinkercad - 3D Designs with PicCollage Filter

We have mentioned this activity in the past - and I have also had some questions recently from someone asking me if we print all of our 3D Printed designs.  The short answer is no, as a result of experience we sometimes get creative ideas that look amazing but need to have the realisation from the students that they may not be able to print their designs.

An example is the design shown left, created by a Y4 student in our classroom.   The student is eight years old and has put time and detail into creating a house for a pet (the Poppy) that is shown on the turret on the right hand side.  The student has used the main Tinkercad interface (as shown in the screenshot) to create a series of regular objects and shape them into the walls, roof and parts of the building.   The student has then added windows and other features to their designs.   

While the practicality is that this design is currently too complicated or large to print on the schools printers (the printers are not allocated to the classroom they are school wide for everyone in the school and we are mindful of the use of the amount of PLA for something like this) as we have regular hobby printers, there are some additional activities that can be carried out with this.

Firstly the student is able to use the Tinkercad design and apply various filters to it to alter its appearance and design.  Obviously using their iPad and the Markup tool the student can apply filters to the design.

There are also additional tools available to the iPad which can filter out an image.  A particular favourite of the students at present has been to use PicCollage and the 'magic camera' app, which is a free addition from the main interface.  It is able it AR/VR an image in seconds either a live shot or one from the students camera roll.  What the students from our classroom have been able to do is use the Tinkercad image, screen shot it, and then bring it into the Pic Collage filter.   An example is shown left, this is the original image (design) using the 'Festive' filter from PicCollage Magic Camera.  The student has not had to do any of the alterations themselves they have use taken their design and applied the filter.  The filter is responsible for the lighting, the festive aspect of the design which presents the original concept in a different setting.

A second filter, which again is also freely available is the Sakura (Japanese Cherry Blossom) filter.  Again available on Magic Camera from the updated versions of PicCollage.   This is the same image from the original design and the same image which the festive feature has been used with.  The students enjoy comparing the difference between the two - identifying what changes have been made to one, and then the other and the contrast.   This example left while it shows the shading in this example also has additional features that can be highlighted depending on the design (trees, vegetations, flowers etc) and the students can also manipulate the filter by creating aspects of the design which specifically attract the colouring and the shapes, and experimenting with what provides that or what encourages it to AR/VR.   The class of students are seven and eight years old using the two Apps in combination and are easily able to use both create this process and output. \

Laser Cut Chest - Senior Exemplar

 Challenge: To utilise the Laser Cutter for a senior student for a significant long term design.

Background: Our senior students at School have one day a week completing DPE (Design Production Education) also known as Technology at some schools which is typically one day a week.  At Auroa School we have supplied this to our senior students for nearly ten years now.  As part of the rotations our students have a laser cutter option.   This project based learning takes six weeks - although some students can complete the project in a slightly earlier time frame.   The six weeks when the work is being completed the students are able to focus on the project from 9am to 1pm in the afternoon.

The projects takes a number of stages.   At the core of the project is the students use of the laser cutter.   This is responsible for the shaping of the chest, as each of the slats needs to be cut from the template for the design.   There are various templates of similar chests that are available (freely) online via a simple search,

Once this has been located and the parts that form the base of the chest have been cut out the next step is to glue the chest together using a specific wood glue.    The box was left to dry overnight.

The next step is to work and construct the hinges.   The hinges at the rear of the box (see photo), the latch at the front of the chest while they are spray painted silver are also laser cut.

The wood is 5mm Bamboo MDF mix.   It is also possible to complete this process using different thickness of MDF and also different type of MDF.     The design was completed using Sketch Up.    The handles of the chest are also completed in a similar way. 

There are two layers of storage trays inside the chest.  The first layer, shown left in the photo contains three storage sections.  It has been lined on the inside with yellow felt.   The felt was sized up again using Sketch Up, and then cut on the laser cutter.    Yellow was chosen to complement the colour of the wood.

The wood glue used to construct the box was also used to place the lining and hold it in the correct place.    Holes were placed at the end of the draws and the holes had a insert to allow them to be lifted up.

The inside of the lid of the box was also lined with the same fabric felt.

The bottom layer of storage can be seen here.  With the first drawer removed the second storage consists of a draw divided into two long rectangles (for storage or pencils as shown).   The draw has been again lined with the same yellow felt that has been used for the other parts of the box.    The tray has been glued to the bottom of the box to hold it in place.

The internal hinges were purchased from a local hardware store.    

Level of Difficulty: Extreme.  This was a project that took a Y8 student who was twelve years old several weeks to complete.  It had a number of elements that needed to be completed to an extremely high level.   This design was not for the faint hearted and required skill, patience and detailing to make it complete.  This was a long term project for the student.

Size: 220mm long 130mm wide and 190mm high.  The storage inside reflects the dimensions of the inside of the box.

Timeframe: The laser cutting of the individual pieces including of the box, the handles, the sides, the detailing and the felt took approximately an hour to complete.  Given the dimensions of the box this is considered a minimum and does not include the time to construct the box, glue it, have the glue dry etc.  This was a project that took several weeks (working once a day) to complete, test and be happy with.

What we would do differently/next steps for students: Potentially the student could have 3D printed the handles (which are the part of project which are touched the most) or had a different choice with the felt for the lining however these are minor issues with this major project.  There could have been a different selection of wood for the outside 

3D Printing: Utilising the Tinkercad Shapes

Challenge: A Y3 student, coming up with his first print.

Background: This print was the very first individual print that was created by a Y3 student (an seven year old).   He used the main interface from Tinkercad to locate the cartoon dinosaur figure.   The second step was that he looked for accessory to combine with the dinosaur and the student chose the top-hat.  The hat was oversized and created a humorous effect of having the two working in conjunction.  

The final step of the design was the purpose of the print the student was queried about what would be the purpose of the figure.   The student considered this and decided to introduce a block to the design, which would allow for a storage option.    The student then decided to look at spending time having the print spray painted.

The student made the decision to go with a green and orange pattern as shown left once the spray painting was completed (by a senior student at our school).

Level of Difficulty: Low.   This was deceptive as the student used pre-made design and then combined two elements before adding an additional feature.    The combination worked exceptionally well.

Size: The design measured 120mm in length was 70mm wide and was 100mm at the height of the hat.

The student didn't want to change the design from the moment it was completed, although the potential for storage is somewhat limited, a bigger figure would mean more potential.

Timeframe: Eight and a half hours.   There was a significant amount of rafting involved in this print to support the printing.  The was caused by the tail and aspects of the design like the hat overlapping the dinosaurs head.   Technically these could have been reduced (however if this was the case the hat would not have had the effect that the student wanted).

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: This was a Y3 student who was taking their first steps in designs for 3D Printing.  The student was thrilled with the results - they produced something which looked completed, had a purpose and balance.   It should have them excited for the future and inspire them to create their own original projects moving forward.  

3D Printed Accessories for Plants

 

Challenge: To produce an accessory capable of watering a plant.

Background: This is a follow up task from one of the Market Day Tasks from last year.   This business was created by a student who located a plan online for an .stl copy/design of the giraffe shown left.   Last year the student worked on adding additional features that worked in conjunction with the design - this resulted in the creation of the spade matching with the giraffe.

The students idea was to have a small succulent growing inside the base of the giraffe, and the spade was used to work the soil as required.   The second part of the design was the creation of a watering can

that could be potentially used to water a succulent.   The size of the watering can needed to be small as the amount of water delivered is small.

The PLA used for the watering can is a perfect use as it is waterproof.   The student needed to consider a number of factors including the nozzle which caused the design to be redesigned several times.

Level of Difficulty: Medium.  The student thought that this would be a simple task however the funnel or nozzle and having it look correct and also making sure that it was functional.

Size: The current dimensions for the print are based on the original ideas as shown and the design needs refinement - in you look at the handle for instance it is chunky and blocky.   The nozzle is likewise needing to be reduced in size.   The design currently sits at 40mm across, 30mm high and 5mm thick.

Timeframe: This currently took just over one hour to print.   This should be reduced slightly when the improvements mentioned have been addressed.

Next steps for students/What we would do differently: As noted above the design needs some refinement to address aesthetics, however the concept is solid.

3D Printed Badges 2024 Exemplars

Challenge: Produce a unique name tag.

Background: Student is a Y4 student who has shown a keenness to get involved in creating projects and processes wanted to create a series of labels that could be used to show ownership of items that belonged to them.

The student was able to work independently to produce the prints shown on the left.   They were created in Tinkercad using the basic main design page - none of the aspects of designs took more than thirty seconds to add towards the final product.   The student was able to present to the teacher the final product which was then just printed without any adaption or adjustment.   

Level of Difficulty: Low - completed by the student independently and perfectly.  

Size: The print was 5mm wide and the font for the lettering was a further 5mm up.   The badge measured 80mm and was 60mm high.   These dimensions are perfect for this print to meet the completion of the task.

Timeframe: This print took two and a half hours to successfully print.  There are no plans to change the size or composition of the text or the print.

Next step for the student/what we would do differently: None.   A student driven project that was completed independently by a student to a high degree and would be considered successful.

3D Printed Chicken with Sword

Challenge: To produce something unique, with a purpose.

Background: This student has worked in the classroom for just over a year and has shown some design skill.  As she was able to produce a variety of regular items she was challenged to come up with something different that would have a purpose.

These designs were originally created and then AR/VR into the classroom so the students could determine if they would succeed as a print.  You can see the original design here.

The unique part of the design was achieved by having her use the chicken feet from the main Tinkercad interface and then create the dimensions for the bird/chicken independently using the main shapes.  As she wanted to have a different shape with her design she decided to include the sword as shown in the photograph.   The sword was intended as something of a joke, however when she was designing the print she started to consider how this part of the print might be used - for storage or potentially as an ear ring holder or for hair ties.   She also decided to consider the colour and how the final print would be presented.

Level of Difficulty: Low  at present - the student has yet to push herself with this design however once she has identified what might be the purpose of the design then it will require refinement and adapting the print.   Those specific alterations should increase the difficulty of the print quite considerably.

Size: The print measures 100mm from wing tip to wing tip, is 80mm high and is generally 50mm wide.  The sword extends 60mm from the base of the wing.  Adaptations of the design to further expand on the purpose are likely to affect these dimensions.

Timeframe: This print has overhang in several places, under the sword, the wings and the beak of the 'chicken' as a result of which the total print time for this print was six hours, on regular default settings.

What we would do differently/Next steps for students: The obvious answer for this is purpose based, while the print is amusing at present it lacks a particular focus that would be desired, however the student has already started having these conversations regarding its use to including either storage or holding of particular items.

Using the Sticker Machine to Produce Hat Transfers

 

We currently have a group of students who are working to use the Roland Versa Studio Sign Maker BN-20 to produce a sticker which is then going to be steam pressed on the hat of the students.   This will allow the students to personalise their hats with a label of their own design.

The designs have been created by the students using the Gimp online software and a laptop.   Student were able to design them in one sitting then thinking about the composition the design and how the label might look when applied to the fabric.

Roland - Versa Studio Sign Maker BN-20 T-Shirt Project

One of the projects that we wanted to highlight was how we are using some of the additional technology at our school.

Our senior students who are Year 7/8 have one day a week when they take part in our School Wide Technology Program (called DPE).   We have a variety of options/electives on this day including some of the traditional lessons but we also include things like laser cutting and technology design.

One of the pieces of the technology used is the Roland Sign Maker.  This machine was used extensively when we had the Auroa School Market Day where it was used to produce a range of stickers that we used as labels for the marketing of the products that our students were then selling to the community.

Another use for this machine, but on a larger scale is to produce stickers or large adhesives that can be used as t-shirt transfers.   These can be seen in the photographs shown left.   The designs are created by the students using Gimp.

Once this is completed the designs are printed onto the machine and from here they are heat transferred onto a standard t-shirt.   The students of course have the control over the content of the T-Shirt and they can design areas, characters and aspects of interest that are personal or important to them.    We have contemplated also making school or team shirts or sets of shirts the same way as the machine would allow the potential for the shirts to be able to be completed to suit our individual, group or school needs.   The completed shirts tend to be of a comparable quality of those that might be purchased from a printing shop.

Once the transfers have been designed, created and printed they are then put through a hot press which steams the designs into place, the press being shown left.

Using a Printing Error to Problem Solve

Challenge: This print was created and designed by a student but with a significant flaw - can it be engineered to be solved using the 3D Printer. 

Background: A returning student, who is still a junior at our school (nine years old) has prove herself to be competent and design and create using Tinkercad to a variety of projects.  In this example she wanted to create a personalised stationary holder, of which there are a multitude of designs and creations on this blog.  There are some examples here.

However when this project was completed the student realised that she had made a significant error with the design - the centre part of the design when through the length of the entire design leaving a hole at the base of the design meaning that it was unrealistic to use it for storage.   Instead of repeating the print again we challenged the student concerned with looking at ways to engineer a solution to this print and solve this problem.

The view of the design underneath shown left clearly shows the problem - and to the right you can see the students first and second attempt at creating a problem solving for this situation.

In the first attempt she attempted to create a plug that was based around the total size of the cylinder making up the storage, hence she used incorrect measurements that would not work in conjunction with the design.   Her second attempt to do so produced a much more realistic and successful design, which required a light amount of sanding with a piece of sandpaper for the completion of the project.  The final part was to give the student the ability to look at the combination of the print and work out what else could be used to seal the base of the design - the student has since looked into research about resin and other ways to seal the base of the print.

Level of Difficulty: Medium - once it was established what the fault was the process of solving the problem was very straight forward and the student was able to produce the initial replacement part easily, then a second when they realised their mistake.  As with a lot of prints we want to involve a student in an engineering process so they will learn as part of the design (and in this case the problem solving).

Size: The initial print measured 90mm across was 80mm deep.  The base was 10mm high and the tower (storage) of the design was 60mm high.  The initial replacement piece (which was ultimately not used) was 40mm across and 30mm wide.  The second version was 25mm across and 20mm wide.   

Timeframe: The initial print was eight hours, the two replacement pieces to plug the gap were one hour and thirty minutes for the second (successful) print.

What we would do differently/next steps for the students: In this case the pleasing result was a problem was solved in a meaningful and independent way by a student.  The process was completed successfully and a new avenue of research and ideas was looked into - and there was no wasted PLA.

Exploring AR/VR and 3D Printed Designs and Creations

 

Challenge: For students to combine a 3D Print design with an AR/VR version of the design.

Background: Junior students at the Y3 level means the students are seven years old.   They are developing ideas and prints for the first time and coming to grips with the difference between a fun idea and a fun idea that will make a practical 3D Print.   We have already starting exploring this idea with some of the students who have started to use the Tinkercad AR/VR button to take their designs and place them in the classroom and around the school.   The next logical step for this process was to find some prints that it was possible to print out and then place them next to their virtual likeness to see how they compare.   For this we deliberately chose a design that was going to be smaller to ensure that the timeframe was limited.   In this example the student had used the main Tinkercad design interface and chosen a character (the Snowman) and the guitar linked together by a small bar that they placed between the designs.

When the original design was then AR/VR in Tinkercad, it was dropped in the classroom next to the print so the student could compare the differences.  The intention was then to ask the student to consider what had worked, what didn't work and what changes that they would make to ensure that the print matched.

Level of Difficulty: Low - the idea behind this project is to get someone started and then make sure the concept or idea of the AR/VR can be applied to their print.

Size: The main figures measured 45mm high and were 30mm across.   The design will require reworking that will affect it addressing the issue of its stability but the intention is for the size to remain static.

Timeframe: Forty minutes for the project.   Refinements are required for this to be successful (see below) so there are adjustments that need to be made to make the process successful.   

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: Elements of the original design of the print were not successful.   The guitar at its base was unable to stick to the printing plate, as the student had not assigned enough rafting - the same was true of the top of the instrument.   The student also has produced a link which is light and would be suspect is much pressure is applied, as it will almost certainly break.  Finally there is the functionality of the project - as always we encourage the students to have a purpose for the object that they are printing, rather than making a one off object that is disposable - as a refrain to this is if you would like a plastic toy you can buy one at a thrift shop.  However as an example of AR/VR an object the student is positive and looking forward to completing a second print on the topic.    

Laser Cutting to Produce Game Cards

 

Challenge: Student wanted to create a unique game based around a special theme to them.

Background: As the person was a fan of Star Wars they wanted to create a version of Monopoly that they could customise.   There were aware that there is a commercial version available however they did not want to use this as they wanted to have more control over some of the locations that were in place.   The student decided to look at using Laser Cutting to produce the cards that were available for the game as it would make them memorable and also durable and they could include specific detail that could be researched and looked at for the purpose of the game.   Each of the individual cards took around sixty seconds to laser cut out so the entire set for the game was not too labour intensive.  The student used Sketch Up to design the cards which were then printed on the schools industrial sized laser cutter.

The design process took minutes.  The dimensions of the cards measures 50mm across and are 80mm high.   The cards are 6mm thick which is the width of the MDF.  

The student was also considering how to use the sticker machine to help with the game presentation as either the way to product the decals for the board or to enhance the presentation of the board.