3D Printed Junior Movement Challenge: Early Versions

 

Challenge: Students to design a print that has moveable parts.

Background: This task is one that the classroom is working on at the moment - with the challenge to ensure that their print has at least part that allows motion or movement.  This has been something of an open challenge in that we've given the students the brief and then asked them to create something as a response to the design.   

There were a variety of designs that were created by the students - one of the important aspects of this task was to ensure that students shared their ideas and creations so that they could encourage each other and bounce ideas from one another.   Another important aspect is the testing process - this is usually not done with physical printing of the objects by projecting and using the Tinkercad Apps iPad ability.

An example of this process is shown left.  This print has been projected  oversized and then rotated by the student to see if the print was viable.   The student chose to project it onto the concrete area of our school.   

This as we have mentioned many times before is a technique to allow the students to produce an output from a lesson without the need to have a physical 3D Print that would be challenging to complete for every student.

Resources Used to complete this print: iPad, Tinkercad App, Bambu H2D, Silver PLA, Bambu P1S, Orange PLA (for the internal cogs).

Level of Difficulty: Medium - however this is potentially going to become more advanced (see below).  This was a completed independently by a nine year old student working with six months experience the teacher did not have any input into the process at any point.

Size: The print came in a number of sections.  The boxing for the main container for the print was a square that was 130mm wide.  It was 50mm high.  The print had a width of 5mm on the outside.  The inside of print had the main column that was 80mm tall and 20mm wide.  The cogs had a diameter of 80mm.   The intention was always to have a variety of cogs that were in the middle of the design.   

Cost/Price: The print was significant.  It used 150g of PLA to complete the print.   It had a price point (cost) of $3.00 to complete this print.

Timeframe:  To complete the print the printer ran for five and a half hours.   This was completed on the H2D Printer.   This was completed with standard settings and regular infill (which is twenty percent).

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: This print is intended as a gateway print.  By printing this print early it is intended to consider for the class what else might be developed.  An obvious feature of this print would be what could be placed onto the main column and some variation of different objects and shapes.

There is some discussion need around the purpose of this print relative to its size.  Students have already considered a version that potentially by its design could be suitable for a cat toy or a small child.   However the students need to investigate the PLA and consider what might happen based on the potential outcome of the print.