3D Printed Cat Storage - Designs V4.0

 

Challenge: To use the cat theme to develop ideas to develop an original project with a practical use.

Background: Stage one of this series was the basic cat designs detailed here.   The second phase was the query to the students - how can you develop this idea further? How can you make something functional that still has the (literacy) theme of cats?

The obvious challenge was for the students to build a box or storage, however this then needed to have a clear cat theme.   One of the eight year old students in the classroom then developed this idea, which was a box shaped cat.    The main shape came from the Tinkercad design page.

The body was created by a geometric box shape that was then manipulated to the design shown.   The student wanted to add the typical cat features which then included putting two cones on the top of the design for ears and a tail at the back (both shown in the photograph on the left).

The final stage of the design was working out a way to produce the character of face on the cat.  For this the student used the 'scribble' icon that is present on the Tinkercad interface.    This allowed the student to create a design that was quirky and comical but also allowed some licence.   The student opted to keep the whiskers from the cat on the base of the box for stability.    They used the other shapes for the eyes etc.

The final aspect of the design and the creation was to hollow out the design for storage, which we have detailed in the past.  This was an extremely easy process.

Size: The design measured 90mm by 60mm by 60mm.   There could have been a larger storage area produced by hollowing out of the design, without compromising the integrity of the design.

Timeframe:  This print took four and a half hours to print on the regulation default settings for the print.   

What we would do differently/next step for the students: The tail design of the cat could have had more detail or more depth to it, which could have provided a challenge for the student.   The student as it was, was very happy with the project and its execution.