Junior 3D Printing: Farm Scene - Progression

Challenge: To design and print an authentic farm scene.

Background: Recently we have been experimenting with a group of students who have designed farm scenes.   To put it into perspective we are in a rural area of New Zealand with a heavy emphasis in farming.

We recently produced a series of Tinkercad designs that we felt were creative but initially we were reluctant to print the designs as we (underestimated) the ability of the Snapmaker printer to successfully print the design, as it had a number of detailed parts.

Each element of the design shown in the photograph was created by the student with the overall scene in mind.   The hay bales for instance were designed from the main grid.   The student also expanded their design skills considerably by adding details onto the digger.   In the original design there was no scoop at the front of the tractor, the student created this and then added it to the existing image.   He also wanted to add an axel at the back of the tractor and did so by using the basic shapes.

The design featured a high level of rafting/support into several places, the tractor in particular.   The student was aware of this challenge and the teacher attempted to remove this without compromising the details in the print.   This was more or less successful (see below).   

The student also used the 'terrain' feature from Tinkercad for the base, however opted to make it still thin, and was considering the ability to laser cut MDF to complete a base for the project.

Level of Difficulty: Hard - this was created by a Y4 student who has just started 3D Printing, however they have already shown an awareness and a creativity that is unusual for this level- it has come from experience and design in Minecraft and other programs, but they have then transferred these skills to TInkercad.

Timeframe: Three hours - there is a question over the purpose of the print (see below) and this will have an impact on the ultimate design.

Size: The current version of this print is measures 120mm and is 85mm wide.   The height of the print is 40mm, at the point of the tractor.   The current thickness of the terrain base is 2mm making it particularly thin, however as noted the student has decided to use the laser cutter to create a thicker base.   Each of the different elements of the scene were relative to the main part, which was the tractor.

What we would do differently/next steps for the students:  The student has created a detailed scene, however the first draft print alerted him to the fact that there were subtle adjustments that needed to be made - to the hay bales and the tractor.   The removal of the rafting of the tractor also caused a challenge - if the rafting cannot be removed with the machinery suffering, then the tractor need to be adapted.   The student is also thinking about the next stages for the design, however the student has been quizzed about the purpose of the print and is considering how they might create a purpose for this, including having labelling on the print.