3D Printed Insect - Generic Example

 

Challenge: To produce a unique and individual insect for display for the school Pet and Calf Day 2026.   You can view a highlight of last years event by clicking on the link here.

Background: This project has been detailed numerous times during the last few days and weeks - a small reminder that its school holidays in New Zealand and our students are going to be back in the classroom for Term Fur, the last quarter of the year for 2026 in a week and a half.

In case of the students designs we've had butterflies, stick insects and a range of bugs which we've detailed via this blog as students are printing one for display with our art pieces.   The students are also going to AR/VR their design into a couple of different locations around the school, one with the bug in its natural habitat and the second where the bug is going to be super sized, this is being completed by using the iPad and the TInkercad App.

This example shown left has all of the features that the students were looking to feature in their designs from the correct number of legs, located in the right position, the antenna, the head, thorax and abdomen.  As we have stated with this task the students have been able to access third party creations although we have made it clear that we expect that the students have personalised, modified or adapted these in a way that takes some of the design component and changes it.

Resources used to complete this print: iPad, Tinkercad App, Bambu H2D, Bambu Blue PLA

Size: The print is one of the smallest in the series.  It measures 40mm long and is 20mm wide.  The print currently stands 30mm to the head and the antenna are another 10mm higher.

Cost:   The print uses 8g of PLA to complete the print giving it a price point of $0.16c.

Timeframe: To complete this print on the Bambu H2D the print took forty minutes to complete which included the six minute warm up time (so the project print was just over half an hour) this was completed using the regulation default settings.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: The biggest thing would be for the students to modify this in a way that shows that they can manipulate an image or a design to put their own stamp more onto it.  One thing that has sprung to mind is that the bug could be produced, in some number and they could be included throughout the classroom and we could put up something up for someone who could find each of the designs.