3D Printed Oversized Key Ring: Updating a post from 2018

 

In 2018 we printed an oversized key ring for the student PE shed at school.  We had trouble with this key being misplaced so as a result we printed a deliberately oversized key ring so it could not be put inside a pocket or left around.

You can read the original design post here.

We have recently been looking at some of our long term prints, and assessing the state which they are in such as tracking the prints that are exposed to the weather which are outside classroom numbering for the emergency evacuation.   We recently looked at this print six years after it was first created.   

We have students who are looking at various designs and as a result the PE Shed Key was identified as needing to be reimagined and reprinted by the students in the classroom.

The classroom design has been completed and has been and printed.  The design has followed the process of serving a purpose, so once again we have opted to deliberately over-size the key ring.   While this makes it impractical from a typical standpoint we were deliberately doing so as the intention is to ensure that it remains an item returned to the office. 

The students opted to include several sports themed items on the key ring, these typically are avoided as they tend to break or loosen overtime - in this instance the lettering is also a little higher than we would ideally produce, however it was designed by the students and we wanted them to create something which they could test and we could use.

The dimensions of this print are unusually large - we made it 160mm across and 90mm high.  The lettering stood out 10mm as did the sports equipment.   The base of the print was 10mm thick - while these could have been reduced to make it more manageable it was done for the reasons listed.  The print time of ten hours was reflected in this.   Finally we will be monitoring this print and how it works in the medium term.  There are elements on the print that may need to be evaluated.   Finally - the retired key was not retired due to any faults with the design, it was still in existence and working six years after it was first printed, and has been used multiple times every school day since then.   

Refining and Working: Junior School Badges

 

Challenge: To take a badge design and redefine it further, extending and expanding on it.

Background: We have a class of students who are refining their 3D Design and creations.  As part of the process a series of students have been exposed to the 3D Printers and projects for the first time.   

We started the students with the basic designs and have then asked them to challenge themselves with the next step - what can we do next? What have we learnt to develop our designs with unique and creative creations?

This design came from a student who had a farming background and wanted to incorporate a tractor design into his work.  While he could have looked to have have imported a pre-made design into this, he instead decided to represent the shapes by using a round of geometric shapes to create the tractor design.  The ability to do so is one of the key components that make Tinkercad such an excellent tool for a class of iPad students.

Level of Difficulty: Medium to low.  This is a straightforward design idea, that shows a students ideas developing and starting to increase the scope of designs.   The student is just starting to push himself in creative and innovative ways having just started working with 3D Printing and Tinkercad - in the last three weeks.   There is clear and obvious potential to improve and refine this design further.

Timeframe: Five hours - this could potentially be refined further as a reduction was possible.

Size: The print measured 165mm across the front and was 85mm high.  The print was 5mm thick.  These dimensions produced an oversize key ring or badge that would work for certain keys (such as a door key) or the kind of key that you would not want to loose (as its size would prevent it from easily being put into a pocket or misplaced.

What we would do differently/next steps for students: We are attempting to encourage this student with his designs and creations and this is shown clear progression from his first designs.  When he completed his initial print he was being helped by another student, which then led to him working independently to complete the stencil.   This then led to there being a progression through to this design and it should be a signal of things to come.

3D Printed Exemplar Oversized Key Ring

Challenge: To produce an oversized key ring for the purpose of a heavy use item.

Background: This has been completed before for a variety of purposes, in each case the purpose has been for a heavy use item such as a school key or key that has multiple uses and access for it.   Be design the print is made large so that it cannot be placed inside a pocket or easily left somewhere due to its size.   The aspects of the design are all detailed here in instructional video form and step by step guides.

For further information the student concerned with this project is eight years old, but was able to follow the instructions that were provided in a 'flipped' video format that had been created by other students.   There was no additional instruction that was required by the student who was able to produce the final product as shown above and deliver it to the teacher, whose sole action was then to print it.

Level of Difficulty: Low - the student was working for the first time to produce something and was able to master the skills involved relatively easily.   This will be the first product produced by 3D Printing by this student and hopefully from here they will lead onto working on more complicated and detailed projects.

Size: Please keep in mind that this was delibrately made oversized with the intent of it standing out.   The design measures 190mm across, 90mm high and is 5mm thick.   The main lettering is 30mm high (including the base).   The secondary lettering was raised 5mm off the base plate to create the affect of the lettering.

Timeframe: Six hours, with a 6mm nozzle and machines that are Ultimaker 2+ which are six years old.

What we would do differently: The student was intending to spray paint this, however the item is to be used significantly and as a result the item will remain with the black base as shown in the photograph.  As a first print by a student starting to develop their skills this has been extremely effective.

3D Printed Badges: 2020 Exemplars

'John Deere' and 'Scribble Cats' Designs

Challenge: For students to independentally produce 3D Printed badges as a first print for the school year to include versions or approaches to design that we have not featured.
Background: Throughout the past few years as an introductory task to show students 3D Printing we have typically started with a basic design that has featured some personalisation and a practical use.   These are three examples that were all created by students using Tinkercad who met this brief.  To put their designing in context the students are speding the second year in the classroom, having started in the class the previous year, so they have had a year of experience or opportunity with 3D Design.  Students have used Tinkercad to complete the design process.   While there are more detailed and other products, programs and resources in the marketplace and online we have always found this to be dependable, reliable and adaptable.   Students have found the ability to create and make 3D

Cricket themed 'Kian' design

Printed designs easily.  I would also like to recognise as well the ability of Tinkercad to create an entire classroom of student accounts that come under the umbrella of the teacher.   This is flexible and allows the students to work with minimal input.    All three designs were created by students who were ten years old.

The 'John Deere' themed key ring is a key ring for a tractor.  The student located it online and wanted to add the addtion of the 'Dad' under the logo.    'Cats Forever' was created using 'scribble' which is one of the new design.   The key feature of the 'John Deere' design was the fact that the base itself had a lip or edge created for it.   The lip was around the outside of the design, and has a length of 10mm.   The base of the design proper is 5mm.   In usual design of these types of projects the base would be consistent for its entire length, the

Above: John Deere Lip

lip has reduced the need for this and then considerably reduced the print time.   You can see this feature of this design to your left.

Degree of Difficulty: Low - these designs are intented as a creation task to ensure that students are successful.  Refining the design is to simply tweak it slightly. 

Size: While there are three distinct designs featured in this post they have similar dimensions.   The bases are between 100-110mm and they have a height of 100-140mm.   The thickness of the design varies slightly the 'Kian' and 'Cats Forever' designs have a universal thickness to them, as noted 'John Deere' had a lip that was created that significantly improved the print time relative to the other prints in the series.  Given the revised versions of the print this change could have been made.
Timeframe: Three and a half hours ('John Deere') four and a half hours ('Kian') and six and half hours ('Cats Forever').   We would have revised this design to reflect the lip given the opportunity.
What we would do differently/next steps for students: Given the lip considerations mentioned otherwise the students designs/purpose etc. for the students was successful.

3D Printed Oversized Key Ring

Above: Completed design

Challenge: To produce something for a local business that would have a practical use.

Above: Business Logo

Background: We are looking at ways to get the work of the students out in the community to use the technology to increase awareness of our students work and also expose the student to real time business experiences.   One of the ways that we are looking to do this is to create and produce unique items that have a practical use for local businesses for them to use.   One of our key designs that has had a practical use in the classroom and around school has been oversized keys.   This has primarily been used as a technique to ensure that important high use keys are not misplaced by staff or students (by making the keyring with the key so large that the key cannot be easily placed in an individuals pocket either student or staff).    We followed this same principal when we considered local businesses that were in our area and something that we could produce for them to create a 'buzz' or interest in our school projects.   The students decided to target a number of local businesses or places of interest (local Library, shops etc) and look at producing a key ring for them.   The rationale was that this would be producing a high use item that a number of adults or part of the community would be handling on a regular basis.   We have targetted the use of the 3D Printer to do this and not the school laser cutter as these items are being handled repeatedly and potentially need to be cleaned.  We have generally found that the wood when laser cut can be marked and stained from use by people.
Level of Difficulty: Medium High - we were producing something that was original from scratch but was copying a specific logo or design this meant the specifics of what needed to be created were very particular, as a result the design needed a high degree of accuracy.
Timeframe: Eight Hours - this is long for a keyring/badge however this was delibrately oversized so that it became a talking point for the business.
Size:   This oversized design.   It measured 140mm across and was 130mm high.  It was 5mm thick.  The design and the lettering raised 5mm above the base design.   Given the brief this was delibrate.
What we would do differently: If you compare the original design above right to the creation above left you can see that there are some slight variations between the two designs.   The fenceposts are equal and meet in the middle, in our students design the middle is at the 1/3 and 2/3 point.   The family design as part of the keyring differs slightly from the original as the students created it from scratch and they could have had a universal design for the head of the shapes.    This is slightly oversized however this was the intention.

3D Print Key Wall Holder

Challenge: To produce a working model of a wall mounted individualised key ring holder to hold specific keys.
Background: Versions of this task were already attempted this year in a differing format, where the focus was on the holding of single key that was high use for students, and needed to be identified.  This variation came from the student responsible for the Oversized Tractor Keyring detailed on this blog.  He wanted to use the base to modify it to allow the hanging of a series of keys.   The design itself had its initial development as a key ring, and then when he was introduced to the challenge of mounting it solved this problem by producing screw holes, visible on the left and right of the top of the design.   The pegs that were introduced were intended as the way for the business, featured on the design, to hang a selection of keys.   A redesign is in process as the pegs have been road tested and found to be not as robust as intended.   The other issue that is relevant to the design is the student assumed that a selection of keys would all fit in the spaces provided, the student hadn't considered that the keys themselves would be on key rings that would affect the size.  The student who oversaw this project is a nine year old Y5 student who is completing his first series of prints.
Level of Difficulty: Low - this is progression on the basic design, that the oversized key ring came from so this is essentially a modified version of this, rather than a complete redesign from scratch.
Timeframe: Five hours.  There was a little room for some adjustments but not significant.
Size: This is essentially the same as the badge.  100mm by 90mm with a depth of 8mm.
What we would do differently: The pins for the keys need to be more robust, while still achieving their purpose.   The possibility of the reduction or the repositioning of the pins also needs to be considered, in the initial design the student just randomly placed them on the backing board.
Next steps for students: As above - the project is near completion but needs some additional to details.

3D Printed Oversized Key Ring - Part Two.

Details - This is the second print in this series.  This is a second version of the same key, as explained in detail the School has dual PE Sheds, a student and teacher. 

Having Laser Cut wooden versions of these key rings, which are delibrately oversized to ensure that students (or staff) are not able to easily put them into their pockets.  The laser cut versions worked well however their high use meant that the wood they were cut into became stained and looked untidy.  It also saw the need to be redrilling the key hole as the wood started to wear.   The solution devised by our students was to 3D Print two matching keys, which were then 3D Printed.  This design was based on the original print detailed here previously with the only changes to the print being the lettering, which was modified to reflect the key, the other change was to switch PLA from bright red to grey for easy identification.  Print time and all other details identical.