Using Tinkercad to AR/VR School Improvements

 

This challenge has combined the use of Tinkercad as a design tool with students and their iPads and the Tinkercad App with its ability to project students designs into an AR/VR setting (essentially anywhere, without the need to green screen).

Our students focus with this task is to look around our school for potential improvement, details or ways that we could enhance the presentation of the school, 

 Once the students have identified an area and a solution or improvement the students were tasked with using Tinkercad to create an object that we could then place in the location to use as a discussion point.  At this stage the students are beginning this task with discussion points - the example shown above is the students have identified that the sandpit tools for the school could be stored close to the sandpit for easy access.   The box design shown is rudimentary at the moment, the challenge will develop for the students to create something with more detail, improve how it might function, add detail and then present this to the schools management.

We had a very short timeframe for the beginning of this task - students had a ten minute countdown timer set on their iPads and this included the design part of the task, taking the photo and identifying a potential problem.

An early attempt to create a unique vegetable garden is shown left, the students are going to add depth and more details to their virtual garden (as we have done with examples such as the virtual Christmas Tree from last year, linked here)

Other students have identified areas such as the school flagpole, the walls of some of the classrooms (where they want to create or bring murals to the fore) and improvements to the playground.  Each of these areas has potential development and skills required to introduce a concept and think about its composition, display and the ability to AR/VR the scene.  This is not always as easy as it seems - we have discovered that while Tinkercad works extremely well from a ground basis as it is raised it can be particularly challenging to raise above ground level significantly as we discovered when working on the students bird blockers project.

This is a process that is in its very early stages with our classroom - it will be contributed to and developed over the coming school weeks.

If you would like additional examples of our students using the Tinkercad App and web browser with its AR/VR feature from the Tinkercad App you can use the search bar top right hand corner of this site.

3D Printed Original Fantasy Creature

 

Challenge: Make something unique, in your own time.

Background: Its about creatine something different, creating something original and in a lot of cases at the moment something that is created in the students own time.

In this instance this student took their knowledge of Tinkercad, applied the basic learning that we've covered in class and created a creature that was all based around the Tinkercad main interface.   A crocodile was combined with a pair of wings and a crown and the entire combination was put together as a group.  The student was thrilled with the result of this process and we were able to take their design and successfully print it.

The student involved in this design was an eight year old students with limited experience in design.

Level of Difficulty: Low - this is an independent activity from a student getting into design by combing elements and being encouraged.

Size: The print measures 150mm in length, the wings extend 130mm wide from the trunk of the crocodile which is 20mm high.

Cost/Price: The print uses 38g of PLA filament to complete the printing which has a calculated cost of $0.94c for the print.   A regular print was used that is described as 'glass orange' but this was not significantly more expensive than regular PLA.

Timeframe: The print took two hours and twenty five minutes to complete using the standard Bambu Lab studio.  There was considerable rafting under the wings.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students:  The student could of course refined the design by adding additional features to the creatures design.   This could have formed the basis for a piece of narrative writing.   The wings of the creature are slightly askew - they could be centred more.   The crown look a little unrealistic and could be replaced with something.

3D Printed Junior Novelty Cat

 

Challenge: For student to create something unique, special and innovative in their own time.

Background: We are now moving towards the end of the term one in New Zealand.  As part of the challenge we are balancing the time between school events and commitments and creativity.

Our students have been encouraged to create innovative and creative designs which has required the students to work in their own time.   This project came out as a result of this process.

The student concerned is eight years old and was part of the second. cohort of students this year that is student who worked and used Tinkercad last year - there was no input into the project the student was responsible for it.

One of the opportunities we want to take is to encourage students when they are being pro-active.  Normally we pose questions such as 'what is the purpose of this print?' 'why have you designed it?" and we have a list of prompts to work through.

In this instance the purpose is simply to encourage the student with their design.   The design strictly speaking doesn't have an absolute purpose at this point, however once the student has the physical print their ideas should develop more.  Already its been compared to a 'tumbling monkeys' game because of the tail. 

Level of Difficulty: Low - the main components of this design are available and recognisable from the main Tinkercad interface are easily accessible.

Size: As shown in the diagram (which is the ruler feature of Tinkercad the design measures 80mm long and as 50mm wide.  

Cost Price: The print used 22g of filament to complete its printing.   This had a price point of $0.55.

Timeframe: The completed print took forty eight minutes to complete.

What we would differently/Next steps for the students: The student could have put more design into the piece - there are claws/paws available that could have been added the student managed to get a level of expression but could have had more details such as the ears or defining the back leg.  The biggest thought process would be the purpose of the print and what it could be used for.

Junior Engineering Challenge: Table Legs Caps

Challenge: To solve an engineering problem - how to make accurate table leg caps for a home made table.

Background: This was set for a group of student who are working on this project collectively - it is a good practical task that will have a clear outcome that will end up in use moving forward.

Students have had to consider ensuring that the completed design is suitable to work with a specific table and can protect the legs of the table from interacting with the (concrete) floor.  As a laser cutter is going to be mounted on the table the stability of the table.

On a side note this teacher has seen chair legs to raise a piece of furniture for a child with a disability.   The chair legs need to be adaptable for height, need to be balanced and stable - and in some cases to a specific height: this project, this idea, this media and the would work exactly the same way.

Students worked to use Tinkercad to complete the design and refine it based around the table which it is working in conjunction with.   They were seven and eight year olds designing independently using Tinkercad for the design and creation.

Level of Difficulty: Medium - this is a basic design but is has required precision otherwise it won't meet its purpose.  The students have refined the design already several times to ensure that it fits perfectly.

Size: The present prototype is 130mm long 110mm wide and has a 5mm base.  The centrepiece of the design is a further 10mm high.   This will need to be extremely snug around the feet of the table to ensure that it works as intended.   

Cost/Price: The print as it stands is using 44g of PLA filament and this has a cost price of $1.12.

Timeframe: Using the regular (default) settings for a Bambu H2D Machine this print took exactly one hour to complete.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: The students are going to refine the design with the teacher concerned to ensure that they meet the brief successfully.

2026 Classroom Technology Project: The Kitchen

 

Last year we had a significant design project which we detailed during the course of the year based around a Dolls House.  This was detailed extensively and you can view the project in its entirety here.

When looking around various events and community fundraisers occasionally an object can be located which has potential to engage the students in the process of making it or adapting using the technology that we have at our school such as our 3D Printers, Laser Cutter or Sticker Machine.

This item shown left was located today.  It cost the princely sum of $10.00 to purchase it.   It is a students kitchen and is 1.1m long, 1.1m high and 0.5m wide.   The condition of the object overall could be described as fair.

On first inspection the wood for the base of the design is not warped, damaged or needing replacing.   The sink is obviously missing, however this could be replaced as a 3D Print.   The panels all could respond really well to be cleaned and have a decal sheet from the sticker machine applied to them.  This would really make the whole unit pop.

All the doors on all of the cupboards, the oven and fridge are all functioning really well.   Students could potentially create items for a number of these places using some of our technology.   It is conceivable with a bit of work that students could bring this back to near as good as new and potentially use it as a gift to our junior school or as a fundraiser as part of the school events later in the year.

First and foremost we need to get this item to the students so they can inspect it, start to formulate some plans and look at potential designs and resourcing that we can use to complete the project.

Lore #7 - Engage with Your Printing with the Community

This is another in the series of 'challenges' or 'ideas to consider' related to 3D Printing.   They are just opinions and suggestions and would be quite happy to be proven wrong about some of them.  In the previous posts about this topic on this blog we have said:

#1 You don't have to have more than one printer at your school to successfully print

#2 You don't need to ultimately print all of your 3D Printing projects

#3 Printing using non-standard filaments, like glow-in-the-dark is simple

#4 Juniors can design, create and build prints just as well as seniors

#5 The teacher should probably be aware but doesn't need to be an expert

#6 You don't need every kind of PLA to use

We try and take every opportunity to engage with the community with the technology that we have at our school.

In the past we went and printed complementary key rings (oversized) for local businesses in the community) and gave them to local shops - and yes there are still in use years later! 

We are also from a strong rural community with significant farming and engineering works in the area.  We personally went to the local engineering workshop and dropped off a couple of samples of some of the work that was capable of producing using the 3D printer.  The intention in this case was to give the engineers something physical that they could examine but also hopefully plant a seed that in the future if they needed a specific part then they could look to the school to potentially produce it.

The post above shows something one of our amazing staff have been working on.  The example in black is a piece of equipment that connects to the tubing and is screwed into place.   The yellow PLA print is the copy of the original which is able to reproduce perfectly the size of the original and once the thread has been mastered the original will be replicated.   We will continue look for opportunities for our students to be involved in hands on problem solving approaches that they can use the technology to resolve.

3D Printed Bottle Lid and an Engineering Challenge

 

This is the companion print from the bottle exemplar that one of the students has been working on in their own time.   Having spent a crash course on design and Tinkercad in the past four weeks (in the afternoon)

Shaping of the matching lid to pair with the bottle was relatively easy, although the student got the size perfect by putting a hole into the top and then using Tinkercad to remove the hole, make it into a solid object and then use this as the basis for their design.

The challenge is coming the shape of the 'thread' that is on the inside of the bottle top and prominent on the top of the bottle.   Both of these elements need to work in conjunction with each other to allow the bottle to seal.  At present the lid sits on the top perfectly.

However the lid is sitting in place, rather than being screwed down.   The bottle itself is eye catching but the student need to identify a way to solve this engineering challenge.

The lid in its current form has a 40mm and 45mm version, and is currently using 11g of filament.   It is costing $0.28 to print and taking sixty seven minutes to complete the print.

The student responsible for this design is an eight year old working independently in their own time to complete the project.

AR/VR Onto a Pre-made Background

The backdrop featured left and detailed in a previous post as possible the best 'value' for money purchase for a classroom ever has been put to use via Tinkercad, the Tinkercad App and its ability to project images using the AR/VR button.
 

Tinkercad has a number of pre generated object available from the main interface, including several which the students identified as suitable for projection in the scene shown.

One of the challenges for the students was the fact that the project image tends to be quite bright and can stand out.   When the background is bright and has a strong image like it did last year when we had the Christmas Festive Background Challenge in this instance the students needed to consider what elements that they could use to change the setting.

The crocodile proved to be a popular choice - which in some cases was multiplied several times.

This allowed the students to experiment with the placing and composition.   This will be uploaded to Facebook and a number of examples will be shown.

3D Printed Bottle - Exemplar

 

Challenge: For a student to create a unique and individualised project.

Background: As detailed in a previous AR/VR and design task was the challenge for students to create something unique - this meets the criteria of printing an outstanding design and this student wanted to make a copy of a bottle.

He based his design on a bottle that is available as a design from the main Tinkercad interface.   He wanted to replicate the design using the different shapes and tools that are freely available and did so using his iPad and the Tinkercad App.

There was a considerable amount of design associated with the creation - and he wanted to ensure that it was a viable print, which was completed once he had shown that he had the dimensions mastered (using the 'measure' tool) and could justify how it might be used (which of course is helped by the fact that the PLA is waterproof and when printed as a solid shape is water tight.    The students next step is that he wants to develop his skills further and work on a lid, with thread that can be used to screw and tighten on to the bottle.

Level of Difficulty: High - while this is a eight year old he has spent considerable time applying his design skills to create this bottle and has done so from scratch constantly revising, working on and developing his project over several days (which he has done in his own time).   The 'unlocking' or successful completion of the lid will prove challenging but the student is determined to complete it.

Size: This is significant print with significant dimensions.   It currently measures 210mm high and is essentially 70mm wide.  It is narrower at the point of the lid where it is 30mm across.   

Cost/Price: Using the Bambu studios information relating to this print we can determine that to print this unit, including the 'rafting', the support PLA that it took 200g of filament.   This is a significant amount.   The cost associated with this print is $4.91.   This is considered something of a one one based on these dimensions.

Timeframe: The print took considerable time to complete being printed over five and a half hours.   It was completed on the Bambu H2D and we would not consider completing it on any of other machines due to the finish and detail required.

What we would do differently/next steps for the students: 

We followed through with the printing of this project based on the creation by the student and their input outside of the classroom process.   The print dimensions, cost price etc means that this is not feasible for a classroom project (although of course could potentially be in the right circumstances).   The opportunity to personalise the print was clearly there as was the potential to use it in conjunction with something like the Roland Versa Sign Maker machine.

The lid is potentially the most challenging part of the entire process, identifying and successfully executing this is very challenging but the student appears to be relishing the opportunity presented by the design challenge.

Summary of Half Way Point: Term One 2026

 

Students have completed the introductory task which was the creation of a name badge/plate.   This was detailed on the blog here.   This print them morphed into a series of prints based around the development of a generic stencil and then a stencil which was personalised for the students.   You can view all of these posts by clicking on the links above.

These posts were completed by seven and eight year students from our rural school in New Zealand using Tinkercad and their iPads.

We have had students refining their designs based around the repairing of a piece of play furniture, which in this case in a barn/farm set.

While it is not immediately obvious if you haven't seen a post before about this item the door shown left, in white has been created by a student and then using the Tinkercad App and the apps AR/VR feature the students have 'projected' the door into place to see how it visually looks - there is no 3D Printing of the part at this stage, the students are designing and crafting thier ideas and applying them in a virtual sense.   Eventually the doors will be printed and an attempt will be made to complete the play set by developing a solution to the roof which will need to be produced in several stages.  You can view examples of this work throughout this blog by using the search bar top right or clicking on examples here.

We have spent considerable time exploring the AR/VR design aspect of Tinkercad.   Students have made a range of creations and used the pre-made items and also used original designs such as the donut shown left which was then projected into a students lunchbox.    When this was completed we have taken the adapted image and combined it with another level of AR/VR by running it through one of a number of Pic Collage filters that are available via that App.

Our students do not have time to allocate to this other than our 'design' or 'investigate' time in the classroom which is usually in the afternoon.   

Fifteen 3D Printed Cows: Lore #6 You Don't Need Every PLA

This is a follow up from a previous print listed on this blog detailing the preparation for a community event associated with our school and the way that we are producing a point of interest.

It also ties in very well with another 'Lore' to think about when considering 3D Printing int the classroom or educational setting.  These are are all ideas and we don't expect you to agree with everything and this very. much applies to our own mindset - it is very much acknowledged that every school and environment is different.

To recap on what we've looked at previously:

#1 - You don't beed more than a single printer to print in a school environment.

#2 - You don't need to 3D Print all of your students 3D Printing projects.

#3 - 3D Printing using glow-in-the-dark filament is easy

#4 - Juniors can 3D Print just as well as seniors

#5 - The teacher needs to be aware (but not an expert). 

The point of this post is to show the group of five of the distinct cows that are going to act as the centre piece for each of the tables for the community dinner.   Rather than have 'regular' cows we decided to go for novelty cows that are designed to stand out because of their decoration.   Once we had decided to look at the base set of PLA available we talked to the students about other options.    One of the students knew that we had used spray paint in the past to change the colour of prints that had been made so we started the discussion about this.   The students started looking at options for how they might alter the colour when the prints were spray painted.   In the group that is shown above the cow that is located at the front right is a regular PLA print that has been sprayed florescent pink.   This has also led to discussions about using masking tape to create stripes etc.   which we still doing shortly and greatly expand the opportunity for the production of 'individual' cows and more 'unique' prints.

Junior Cohort Challenge - Bottle

 

We are encouraging students as much as possible to come up with original designs and creations, thinking about objects and shapes that students can create and detail using programs - in this case Tinkercad is our design tool.

Students are using Tinkercad with their iPad to create designs such as this.   This was created by a cohort two student, that is student who has used Tinkercad previously last year and this year we are looking at projects to extend their design skills.

While there is a range of objects that can be selected to design one of the best items for honing the design skills of the students (again as we have pointed out numerous times are seven and eight year olds).   

The concept of the design and the production process are some of the most important process.

The original Tinkecad main interface item is the bottle shown left of the pair, the original being shown above.   The main difference between the two designs at this early stage (as the student has had precisely one block of time in class being able to design this) is that the student has not hollowed out their design by using the 'hole' tool accessible from the main page.

This is something that the student will have the skill to complete independently and should be able to succeed with shortly.

The student also was able to look at using the final stage of the testing, which was to use the AR/VR function that is present in Tinkercad to project both of the bottles into different locations in the classroom.

In the example shown left the project virtually of the objects allows the students to compare how they look in a real settings, what they might need to do to adapt the design and how the could compare to each other.   The student also put a 'real' bottle into the mix as well but decided against the photograph as they had labels and stickers on them which meant it was very visual to see what was the 'real' bottle.

The students next step is to refine the design again so that both of the designs are closer to each other with their dimensions so the two are identical.

AR/VR Supreme Tinkercad Exemplar

 

The example shown left is a original student design created by a cohort two (more experienced student in the use of Tinkercad, having spent one year in the classroom previously).   

The student used the various shapes from the main interface and included the paws/claws which can be located with a quick search.   The body, mane and details were all created quickly.    The student then used the AR/VR Tinkercad app to project the image into a location which would demonstrate its scale - in this instance it was in the middle of our school field in summer, which provided an excellent backdrop.  While this looked fantastic and the student was thrilled with the result - pic collage took it to the next stage.

With the 'festive winter' themed pic collage filter the design really comes into its own - the expression in the face provides the detail that was previously absent.   The background and foreground also really suited the  composition of the picture - which again when shown left looks particularly striking.

The student wanted to use the image as a creation (art) based however it would obviously make an amazing writing prompt or potential card etc.  The entire process took under half an hour to complete (independently) with the student working with the app and their iPad.

This is the students summary on Seesaw which is draft combining all of the elements that the student put into it from the original Tinkercad design and then into two additional versions 

The student is going to refine the post to ensure that it is grammatically correct and then post it to be shared with the classroom and their family.

 

Six Year Old 3D Printing Project: Day One

 

Six Year old student, using Tinkercad having been introduced to it by the students from the other classroom who are working on it as of four weeks ago.

Student used their iPad and the Tinkercad App.  Teacher used Bambu studios to convert the file.

Converted from the Tinkercad app into an .stl file Then taken to our Bambu H2D printer (the one printing every school project this year) and printed.

The project measures 70mm by 50mm and is 5mm wide.   The project used 10g of PLA plastic had a projected cost of $0.23 and took twenty four minutes to print.   The last potential addition would be if the senior students spray painted the design.

Refining our AR/VR Tinkercad Designs

 

Yesterday we started experimenting with our iPads and the #Tinkercad App putting together a raft of original designs and then combing it with the #piccollage 

Yesterdays emphasis was on explaining the process and giving the students a short space of time to complete a design and then project it, and cross app it.   

Today the emphasis was on thinking about locations where the object looks like it might fit - and students had the experience from yesterday.   An early example as shown left was the orange, the student from the day before had noted that there was a kitchen play area set up in a junior classroom.   The student felt that if they created food then they would be able to place it in the location and it would fit in well with what was intended.   

The last step was to take the design and turn it into something of an art project - in this example the free (limited to three per day with the standard app) was applied via Pic Collage in this case a 'Japanese Cherry Blossom' filter.   In this instance the students were able to compare the original photograph with its altered AR/VR variation.   The process took about thirty to forty seconds to complete.

The student was then able to look at the design and think about how they might adapt it, how they might stage it and how different that it could look.

One of the tasks that we have completed in the past has been summarised via a series of posts in October in 2025.    We choose s series of objects to hide in a stage setting or creation.

In this example shown left the student used the 'donut creation' from earlier in our class   The student had been familiar with this print and decided to include it in a staging by putting it into a lunchbox situation.

This task was created at speed - the student in theory could spend additional time refining her design and considering the 'decorations' and making it look more real (and for instance could have altered the picture to reduce the glare, if for instance it was in black and white spotting it would be challenging) however the student was extremely pleased with the result.

We have a large numbers of photographs in this series of prints - which have been posted in more detail on our 3DPrintSchoolNZ Facebook pagae.

Using Tinkercad as an AR/VR Tool And Pic Collage

 

The title of the post is hopefully somewhat self explanitory.  Our students have the ability to use their iPads for a range of tasks - and of course for CAD design and creation we are looking at Tinkercad as our App of choice.

One of the things that we fell into by accident in recent years has been crossing the apps over into different design techniques.   We have done this by creating original designs in Tinkercad, such as the truck shown left.

It was created by a student using the basic geometric shapes, and adding details like the mud guards by using the scribble tool.  Once this has been completed the student used the colour palette on Tinkercad to create the colour variation.   An eight year old student spent time minutes (we had a timer on in the classroom with a countdown clock) the student then took his iPad outside and used the app function to AR/VR the design into place, in the case of the photograph outside of a classroom.

Once this was completed and the student then applied a Pic Collage AR/VR filter to the picture.  In this instance the student used one of the currently 'free' VR filters (festive).   Pic Collage have a range of filters and while a number of them are pay-walled for further access they also have several which are 'free' for basic app use.

The entire process was completed independently by the student in a shortened afternoon block.   Its purpose was to have the student considering the options in the future.   By combining the two apps together they added creativity and detail to the original design.

You can see many further examples of this process and output by clicking on the search bar to your right and using the keyword 'Pic Collage'.   We have completed a number of these projects and will continue to build on them over the coming days.

Independent Junior Creations 3D Prints

 

Challenge: For a 'new' design student to create something unique.

Background: We've mentioned a little about our set up previously and how we are operating with our digital technology.  Essentially we are a 'normal' state school in a rural area with 'regular' students.   

Our design time is part of one of our key themes of innovation as is the fact that we are a Apple Distinguished School (ADS) and we also have a 1:1 iPad environment (from when the students are five years old and enter our school).  

Design usually takes place in the afternoon block, depending on other commitments - and can be as short as ten minutes or sometimes the better part of an hour.   One of the things that we have experienced in the past and has started happening again this year is students designing and creating in their own time and then bringing a potential project into school for printing.   This is something that we tend to encourage where possible and make sure that we can print files or designs that have potential or promise that can be advanced further.

This project is an example of this process.  The seven year old student who has started designing at the start of this year is currently experimenting with a range of original designs - the donut being a previous one that she was responsible for.  In this example here she has explored the basic designs and shapes template and started experimenting with making various shapes - and done so in her own time.

This will hopefully lead onto further designs - once the first prototype was completed and printed we started asking questions about it, such as what would it purpose be, what it might be used for, how could it be changed and what modifications might be needed.

One the potential uses that came out of this discussions was that it might be able to be used as a pair of ear-rings or other item (counting toy to help with number bonds).   The student also put their name across the design (which is upside down in the photographs).

Level of Difficulty: This is an introductory task completed by a seven year old working with CAD design, their iPad and Tinkercad for two weeks.

Size: The larger of the two designs measured 100mm by 70mm and was 20mm wide.   The smaller design was 50mm by 40mm and was likewise 20mm wide.

Cost Price: Printed on the Bambu H2D the larger design used 22g of PLA and cost $0.54 to produce according to the Bambu Labs summary.   The smaller version used half of the PLA.

Timeframe: The larger of the figures took just over one hour, the smaller figures were two thirds of that time.   This would be modified depending on the purpose of the projects.

What we would do differently/next steps for the students: Technically there is very little that we would change from the project.  We want to encourage the students to be completing the work, in this case the student went to the extent of completing the design independently and in their own time.

Juniors Using Scribble for Creation

 

Challenge: Using 'scribble' tool to make something unique.

Background: We wanted to highlight the uniqueness that is possible by using the 'scribble tool' which is located on the main Tinkercad interface which can be used to create unique features and details which then can be created into a 3D Print.

If you want to see a historical example of this you can click on this link and look at another example which was created by a student in 2020.    In this example the student wanted to create something 'tractor' and 'farming themed' and produced this original design based on teachers instructions and peers in the classroom who were able to guide him.   He is a eight year old student who completed this after two weeks of working with Tinkercad designs and ideas.

Level of Difficulty: Completed independently by an eight year old, there are four basic steps to complete the process and he was able to do so in under thirty minutes from his original challenge.    In retrospect he could have modified the design in a couple of ways (see below).

Size:   This was obviously printed twice - with both versions shown next to each other in the first photograph.   The smaller design measured 80mm by 50mm and was 5mm thick.   The second (larger) design measures 100mm by 80mm and was also 5mm wide.

Cost/Price: Both these examples were printed using the Schools Bambu H2D.   The Bambu Lab software was able to determine a price and PLA plastic use for both prints.   The larger print used 27g of plastic at a cost of $0.67 per unit to print.    The smaller print used 20g of plastic, took thirty minutes to print and cost $0.40 to produce.     There was no waste PLA with either design as the design was flat.

Timeframe: Forty five minutes total print (large) and thirty minutes print the smaller design.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: The hole placed in the top right hand corner of the design was slight larger than it needed to be.   The student expressed a little dissatisfaction with the details created by the 'scribble' tool and wanted to improve the detail. 

3D Printed: Projects to create interest

 

We have mentioned in the past about prints that we produce that are generated from online sites - and while we do not print them in significant numbers we do so on occasion either for a specific purpose or to create a thinking point for students.

Two recent examples are for a community event where the local farming group are having an event.  We have previously produced table centre pieces for a local surf club dinner in February 2023 in a post where you can see the details here.

In this example shown with the cow we located a print that had been made available online via the Thingiverse site.   This is one of a number of online sites that have a huge volume of files, projects and options available, some of which in the past we have modified for our own students projects - such as this example when a coaster was inverted to provide the backing image for an iPad stand that was used in our 2025 School Market Day.

As can be seen from the illustration the cow itself has considerable detail.   For the dinner we are intended to create the point of interest by printing a range of the cows in different colours that would make them stand out, hence the 'glass orange' shown in the photo but we will be producing a group of fifteen or so in non traditional colours.

Each of the prints is significant.   It measures 200mm across and stands 150mm high.   The print uses 130g of filament to complete, costs $3.23 and takes four hours and ten minutes to complete.   There was a degree of rafting or waste plastic underneath the base of the cow but it was not significant.   While the cost of the production of these animals is significant is the schools intention to see it as a donation and also potentially use these animals as part of a class play set following the event for our junior class of students as farming based activities can be quite popular.

Likewise the spider (shown left) has come out of the students in the classroom and one in particular has a specific interest in spiders.   We were able to produce this spider as a reward for the student to complete their work.   It is fairly significant in that it measures 160mm long and is 130mm wide.   The print uses 65g of PLA filament to complete and cost $1.50 to produce.   It has a print time to complete of three hours and ten minutes.

This is going to be an item that is printed in limited amounts, and we would ask students who wanted something like this 'what would you add to change it or what would be the purpose of the print - if they could demonstrate an idea to modify or adapt this print then it would meet some basic criteria but as it stands this will very much remain a limited design.

Principal's Student Challenge: Stencil

 

Challenge: Principal has challenged students to create a useable stencil for him to work in conjunction with his notebook.

Background: Last year our Principal challenged the students from our classroom to create a unique trophy that could be awarded at school as part of our prize-giving.  You can follow the progress of the project when it started here see it develop further here and finally look at the finished product here.   Since we started this year working on our original stencils the Principal saw some of the students early examples which alerted him to problem that he was wanted to solve - to have a unique stencil for his 'Principals Notebook' (with the example shown left).   He met with a small group of students personally, supplied the design and explained his requirements.

He also previously challenged students to create an official school paperclip which you can see us blogging about in August from last year by clicking on the link here

It took some of the students (who again we would like to point out are seven and eight years old) under ten minutes for the first design to be completed.   This design was important as it allowed us to look at the students understanding of the task - what had they determined from their instructions, and what adjustments did they need to make.    We also discovered something more with Tinkercad - that you can indeed design something that is bigger than the plate and still export it as an .stl file - and then subsequently print it.

We decided to make this a class challenge - when we were going to award a reward for the project that the Principal would identify as being the one that best followed his instructions and created a brief.  As this was the case we made sure that the students created an AR/VR version of their design once it had been completed and then using the Tinkercad App projected it virtually into the classroom to allow students to check the design for flaws or faults.   In the example shown left the student needs to make some adjustments to the design - hence the important of being able to design and create, but in this case not necessarily have to 3D Print.   In 2025 we developed a slideshow of examples of activities that met this brief - you can click on the link to view the post about the slideshow here.

We printed the first examples shown left - and then allowed the Principal to have a follow up meeting with the students to give them feedback to refine their design.   We already knew from the stencil printing that we would be looking at a print time somewhere in the region of thirty minutes to an hour and this proved to be the case.   

Again the feedback from someone not involved in the production with the students has been invaluable to get them to understand the concept of feedback and refine their designs.   Again while there is no intention for repetition but the stencils that the students have been producing has led directly to this spin off and the 1mm width of the design has meant the print time is extremely reasonable.

Since we have started to complete this it has then come to the teachers attention that producing something similar to this stencil but using it as a whiteboard border or a organiser for the classroom would potentially be a practical and a really great use of the 3D Printer - and then using magnets etc to attach it to the whiteboard should work really well.

The final stage of the process will be the feedback - when the Principal will then be selecting the best virtual versions which will then progress through to the printing process.   The details that are contained below are the first prototype to give an explanation of what is likely to be required for the finished product (which when completed this week we will publish).

Level of Difficulty: Medium.   Success of this process will require the students to respond to specific dimensions and directions from the Principal of the School to ensure their designs are perfect to complete the brief.

Size:    The top design measures 250mm by 170mm and the second design is slightly smaller measuring 190mm by 170mm.  In both cases as we have been completing with our stencil work the width of the print is 1nn.

Cost/Price: The larger print used 50g of PLA the smaller slightly less in 40g.    The cost for the larger print according to the Bambu Lab software was $1.20 and $1.00 respectively.   

Timeframe: The larger print took one hour and ten minutes and the smaller print took just under one hour.

What we do differently/Next Steps for the Students: Feedback and more feedback from the Principal and the task is completed.   This will depend on the students following the feedback and communicating with the Principal until it is successful.

Novelty Initial Design: Donut

 

Challenge: Junior student to produce something unique and functional in Tinkercad.

Background: Its the start of the school year after two weeks of challenges and design ideas the students are working on several projects.  A number of students have taken the initiative and started to create and work on their own designs.   While it isn't possible to print all of these there are some that we have selected as being functional or having potential so we have followed through with the process of printing them for the students.   There is a very loose criteria for this - it is presently depending on the availability of the printer (and what other projects are under consideration, available PLA etc).   In this case the design was from a first time student and it met a number of criteria.

We are hoping that it will inspire others, get them thinking and then lead onto other things, designs and creations for the students involved.   The student who designed and created this is a Y4 student who is eight years old - designing for the second week and as noted created this in their own time, obviously using the basic Tinkercad interface,

The design has proved popular in the classroom and has been passed around from students to provide a range of fun that are creating some provoking questions.

Level of Difficulty: Low - this is created independently from the teacher by someone in their own time making something 'fun'.  It involves one specific shape followed by some additions.

Size: The donut measures 140mm across from tip to tip and the sides are 40mm wide and 40mm high.

Cost/Price: To produce this item took 98g of filament.    There was some rafting that was associated with the sprinkles.  Using the Bambulab sim information we can determine that the print cost $2.50 to make with regular filament (in this case Bambu 'Orange Glass').   

Timeframe: This print took three hours and fifteen minutes to complete.   Relative versions would need to take the size required into account depending on what the purpose of this would be.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: 

We have experimented with the donut in the school pool.   Over the years we have become aware that a standard print with a twenty per cent infill is essentially able to float in water.   Last year when we had our school Market Day we had an entire product and group business based around this fact.

We also allowed the student to have it in the classroom and have 'fun' with it by trying it in different locations.    It was suggested that this could be used to tie a bag together (as the knot or bow could be tied around the donut holding it all together).

Another student used it as the base for a water bottle and students identified that they would be able to use it to hold a water bottle in place.   They were considering using it with a student who might have trouble balancing it and have it fall over.   To complete this purpose the design would need to be resized to meet the diameter of a bottle.   It was used as it was to play tag (particularly in the pool) however the students wanted to make it available as some form of ring toss game - but again it was considering that it would need to be resized and remade.

Although it might not be particularly obvious from the shots that can be seen with this post the 'sprinkles' part of the design sort-of kinda-worked but didn't really.   A number of them didn't survive the printing process, they were either removed when the rafting was taken off or fell off when completed.  There are several that appear to be attached to the print but not securely although this week the student didn't report any additional loss with the print.

The biggest consideration for a change would be the student going smaller or having more of a specific purpose.   One of the things that the students realised is that by having a 140mm wide donut there was a tendency to use it as a bracelet - or that they could have easily included a name or a description on it by utilising the skill that they learnt with the stencils - making a hole in an object.