Bambu Studios: NRL Coater Set

 

We've been continuing to look for examples that we would use, examples that generate attention and examples that we can illustrate to our students designs and creations.

While in the past as we've previously detailed we have used sites such as Thingiverse for public domain designs our recent switching to Bambu Printers has led us to look at the creativity and projects available on the Bambu Labs website.   This is one such example that was located from here.   

It represents the NRL Warriors logo and were able to look at printing a range of these off.    As we have a Bambu H2D one of the options that we are lucky enough to have with the machines is the colour matching for the different filament - so in this example we went with a glow in the dark for the logo and the badge and a purple for the background.

This photograph, left shows the design when it is charged and illuminating in a darkened room.

This design has a diameter of 100mm.   It has a print time of two hours and forty six minutes however this was to complete four on the print bed - the take for each of the individual prints is forty five minutes per print.   The print has a width 4mm.

The price point of the print is $0.58c for each individual coaster.   By having four of coasters placed on plate at one time producing a significant number of the coasters is possible.   The other issue is the back of the coaster or the inclusion of a laser cut to complement it.   In the example shown top left the coaster has been placed onto an MDF laser cut that is slightly larger than the coaster itself.    This has not been stained or treated and was produced on the school laser cutter. 

School Gift NZAIMS Games 2026

 

Challenge: To produce a unique gift for other schools when competing in a special event.

Background: This project has featured already a number of times.   In its original guise it was created by a then eight year old student as a 'filler' option to fill up some of the space created by Market Day 2025.

Based around the success of this print we also used a number of times as a gift or a token to other schools or educators or visitors to our school.    We are attending the 2026 NZAIMS Games in Tauranga as Auroa Primary School are competing in this years Girls Basketball Tournament.

For the purposes of the tournament we wanted something that would be both memorable and striking.   Our design of the cyclops which we are also making available can be seen here.

We have made the decision to take the original design which was 70mm across and increased it to 200mm across.

Resources used to complete the print: iPad, Tinkercad App, Bambu H2D, Glow-in-the-dark Filament: Bambu Brand.

Level of Difficulty: Low - this was originally completed by an eight year old student who worked independently on the design.   As we have described many times in the past this kind of basic activity is completed as an introductory tasks for students.

Size: The novelty print is oversized to create a 'talking point'.   By choosing to print as glow-in-the-dark filament the print had an extra layer of 'talking point'.    By choosing to do both although it had a slight increase in the price point it was not significant.

Cost/Price: To produce this unit the print uses 65g of filament to complete.  This has a price point of $1.31.  There was no waste plastic produced by this print.

Timeframe: To complete this print the H2D took two hours on the regular settings.

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

3D Printed Glow-In-the-dark Earrings

 

Challenge: For students to produce an original part of earrings.  

Background: This has been a staple design idea from our students - the size of the prints have meant that its something we've been able to produce in details with volume (such as a class set).  Its featured many times over the years from Market Day projects combining both the 3D Printers and the laser printing.

If you want to see a slideshow with an overview of the entire process and a summary of our projects related to this topic you can click on the link here.  In addition as always there is a search bar on the top right hand corner of the blog - this has the keywords for each of our posts or projects which include the keyword 'earring'.

The decision to print the earrings in glow-in-the-dark was made to pop the designs.   The student concentrated on a single design and then duplicated the design when it was completed.  

Resources uses to complete this print: iPad, Tinkercad App, glow-in-the-dark, Bambu H2D.

Level of Difficulty: Medium - as always this task has elements that makes it appear somewhat simplistic but this is not always the case.  As this was tasked as students to be original the students needed to come up with an original idea that would work and have a high recognition factor - the ice cream idea certainly ticked those boxes for the student.   

Size: Each of the prints from this project measures 45mm across at the front and are 50mm high.   The print is 5mm wide.  The ice creams are 40mm in length height wise.   

Cost/Price: The pair of earrings used 18g of PLA to complete the print.  Using the calculations from Bambu Studios the print had a price point of $0.35 for the pair.

Timeframe: To complete this print the printer took 41 minutes to complete both.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: There are a couple of obvious issues with the prints as they stand.  You can see clearly the hole that is visible in the Tinkercad design (the first image) did not translate into an actual hole in the finished print (essentially it was too small and as a result did not register as part of the process).   The two shapes on the side by the ice cream are a little random and the student will evaluate how to wear them.   The print should be robust enough for a hole to be drilled through the design.

3D Printing at the NZAIMS Games

 

Our wonderful rural school is attending the NZAIMS Games in Tauranga later this term competing in Girls Basketball.   As such we are competing as part of over 450 schools and 14,000 students.  One of the things is that we like to highlight something different about our school.

Regular visitors to this blog will potentially remember that this badge can out as a 'stock filler' item for our 2026 Market Day.

This item is a small item that we will be giving to the teams that we will be playing against as a thank you for the opportunity.  This item printed in super 'glow-in-the-dark' filament.   This print uses 12g of PLA to complete the print.   It took thirty five minutes to complete (including the warm up time of six minutes).   It has a price point as determined by the Bambu Studio Labs is $0.24c.

We have also been working on the 'sports trophy' design that we detailed in yesterdays blog post.   We have completed the first print using again the glow-in-the-dark filament.

The photograph shown left is an example of the details that are possible using the Bambu H2D.  The name at the front is 5mm or so in height.  The student has also decided to have the font go all the way through the design as shown in the top part of the design.

This could benefit from having the font more evenly spaced out to include a second line.  In the 3D Print design on Tinkercad the font is visible although small and it is a good example of a short term print illustrating what adjustments need to be made following a review of the print by the student who is working on the project.  In this instance as well as it is essentially a commission project he has been able to speak with the person who requested the design and receive feedback about how it is progressing and what changes need to be made.

Puanga - 3D Printed Art/Mixed Media

 

We have now completed the final version of the Punga/Matariki themed art that our students have been working on as part of our artwork theme this term.

We have detailed this over a series of posts on this blog featuring the different aspects of this process.

It started with the use of Tinkercad to create the constellation, AR/VR and projecting it onto a range of backgrounds.

We have also discussed how we have then used Pic Collage filters to create art work that can stand alone or in this instance progress through to a 3D Printed mixed media version of the print featured below.

In the example left we have combined all of the elements of the artwork together with the 3D Printing.   The base is black paper combined with pastel work (for the 'Southern Lights') and white paint to represent the stars.   The 3D Printing in this example shown is the 'cotton candy' that has been featured in a number of prints on this blog.   

In the example shown left the lettering used 32g of filament which has a price point of $0.80c.   The print took one hour and eleven minutes to complete.   

The challenge moving forward is for the entire class to complete the 3D Printing - there is a balance required between printing something that can look effective on the artwork and not printing anything too small that does not print due to its size.

3D Printed Super Glow in the Dark

Previously we've used 'super' glow-in-the-dark filament for a range of projects - from making specific Night Lights and associated projects for the School Market Day.   We have also posted about using the filament to create a 'wow' effect.   We recently ran a couple prints to get students enthusiastic and one of the ways that we did so is shown left.

This is another of the current run of Minecraft inspired Tinkercad designs, which had similar dimensions and details to a print recently featured on this blog

This will hopefully lead to this student and other students considering the role that the different kinds of PLA and filament might have on their projects and also what else related to this might they print.

This parrot shown left is another example of how the PLA use is leading design and creation.  In this example the student found the .stl for a generic parrot and wanted to print the parrot.  In doing so there is little design or creation involved in the 3D print but actually on this project it came in another way, in the form of the stand that the parrot is perched on.

In this example the student needs to consider the balance for the project (including the bird causing the wood roll to tip over) 

how the perch might be displayed or featured ?

what else could be added to this for a final completion? What works better to hold the print in place - hot glue gun? tacks? How can the cord be held in place? When it is prepared and ready how will it hang?

We also think there is potential for there to be a combination with this print and some simple electronics - there are small audio boxes available that are able to produce sounds, what if the student investigated bird chirping and was able to mount a small speaker on the print or somehow include it with the design on the bar? The current support for the bird is a basic light wood, would something heavier be more suitable?

The photograph left is the same parrot shown in the dark in photograph two.  In this instance the parrot has been AR/VR by the student using their iPad and the Tinkercad App onto a desk, in a process that can be completed by a single click with no additional green screening required.  This task has allowed both students to develop their design skills doing something creative and interesting and should lead onto other projects, possibilities and designs in the future.   As the students are both Y4 their have a considerable number of years to develop their skills at our school moving forward.

3D Printed Map (of New Zeaaland)

 

This week we're returning to school in New Zealand - Auroa Primary School is back this Thursday with a new wonderful group of students.  One of the first activities is based around where our students are from and what is important to them.

We are looking at the possibilities of including some AR/VR design and 3D Printing into it.   Two things of importance are the map of New Zealand/Aotearoa as we look at our location and where our students are from.

This ,stl image was sourced from Thingiverse and printed in under one hour.   It is able to be printed as shown and has considerable geographic accuracy.   It is not complete - there are issues with Ninety Mile Beach/Te Oneroa-a-Tone and Stewart Island/Rakiura.

The print will give our students an aspect to think about their location and where we are from.   We also want to think about how we might use this as part of a design to feature or display something in the classroom hence the decision to complete the print with glow-in-the-dark filament.

The print measures 20cm from the bottom to the top is 40mm wide for most of the print - and 60mm at the widest point.    The print is only 10mm thick in most places - it was stretched further however this tended to have the peaks looking out of scale.   We are going to look at the opportunity to back it onto something such as a piece of MDF.

3D Printed iPad Stand: Revised

 

Challenge: This was part of our 2025 School Market Day projects - the group that was based around creating and developing iPad and iPhone stands.

Background: Students in the junior classroom who were seven and eight year olds used the Tinkercad app to develop of range of iPads for order.   They used the basic template that was available on template and then used the design tools to remodel and develop the designs.

The degree of difficulty varied depending on the design - you can see examples of this work here which featured on this blog in 2025 - including the 'Willy Wonka' design which this 2026 remix was based on.

As a point of interest this print was printed with super glow-in-the-dark filament.   


Level of Difficulty: This design was created independently by students (and modified by the teacher later) and is based heavily on the Tinkercad template - which some adjustment.   To a student who is capable of using Tinkercad and the Tinkercad app the design would only take a few minutes to personalise.  This would rank as a medium level task for students to complete independently.

Size: As this intended to hold an iPad successfully the dimensions of the print reflect this.   The print measures 140mm across and is 120mm long.  The base is 20mm thick.   The backing plate at the back is 140mm high, 135mm wide and was also 20mm thick.   This print was completed with a base infill of 20% (which is essentially the standard for every print ever published on this blog).

Cost: This is a significant print - including 'rafting' to support the print as it is being completed (although like most Bambu H2D prints it is minimal) the print used 238g of plastic.   This meant that the cost of the print was just over $6.00 NZD.   It would have been slightly higher as super-glow-in-the-dark filament was used (although this is minimal).    We were charging $8.00 for items like this at our School Market Day to cover the entire project and costs.

Timeframe: This is one of the significant Bambu H2D School projects that we are printing - and the purpose of the print reflects that.   While some of the phone stands have come in at the two to three hour mark this print took six and a half hours to print.    

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

We mentioned at the time of the School Market Day but the students would have been able to make more of an impact if they had shown and demonstrated some of the stands prior to the event - we have found that they have had a very positive reception since and tend to be something that has an actual functionality to them (as opposed to for instance being something static or a 'toy').   While this was a remix of an existing project it is anticipated that there will be additional versions of these that will take place in the coming school year, which starts this Thursday.

3D Printed iPhone Stand: Imperfection Project

 

Challenge: To produce a unique iPhone stand.   As this was part of the 2025 School Market Day the focus for our students in this case was on innovation, creation and personalisation.

This task was created by a eight year old student using their iPad and the Tinkercad App.  The student also used the Tinkercad App to AR/VR their design.

Background: This print is going to be used as a teaching point this year - due to its imperfections and details there are a number of points of interest.

Lego Lettering cluster (viewed from the front of the design).   This was designed to be built around a lego brick as the centrepiece.  The clustering of the 'Lego' lettering looks untidy and is overlapping in places.  This needs to be reimagined and discussed with the students about how the lego brick could feature more details and address the spacing.

The lego layering on the top of the iPad.   The spacing between the studs is not consistent, some of them are also not in a line.  By discussing with the students we would like them to think about how they could replicate the stud so that it was even and spaced correctly.

The back of the iPad stand has a lego face figure.  While the figure is distinctive it could have some further adjustment (the eyes are slightly out of balance) the general dimension of the figure itself.

The overall dimensions of the print need to also be looked at and potentially addressed.   This print was obviously printed in glow-in-the-dark filament as a further discussion point for the students.

Level of Difficulty: Medium this task was completed independently and needs revision, so would something that would need a longer timeframe than an a basic task.

Size: The print base at the front measures 120mm across at the front and is 90mm long.  The thickness of the base is 5mm.   The panel at the back is also 120mm across however it is 10mm thick and 120mm high.

Cost: The iPad used 60g of filament to complete the print.   This was identified as costing $2.10 of PLA according to the Bambu studios costing software.   There would be a slight increase due to the nature of the PLA.   

Timeframe: The print took two and half hours to complete on the Bambu H2D.   Given the details of the print this is not something that we will intend to complete using the Snapmaker.

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

This project is intended as a project where we can discuss what needs to be addressed and what could be reworked.  It is printed as such and intended there is considerable level of revision for this print.

We anticipate that we will be updating this print later in the school year.   Our students are currently on their end of year holidays in New Zealand and will be returning shortly to school - we will back from our break next week with the students and should be posting shortly after that.

3D Printed Money Box - 2025 Edition

 

Challenge: For student to produce an original money box using Tinkercad to complete the process.  Student was an eight year old designing independently.

Background: This was the last week of school where the students had time to explore the possibility of what they might be able to create.   We had the students construct, build and develop a range of prints and during the end of year break (which is occurring now) we selected a number of prints that have value moving forward.  In this instance while the design is simple and straightforward we believe that it will encourage other students to develop their creation skills - and for students who will require more of a challenge there is the issue of the student designing a way to lock the box and have a underside base panel for access for what is put into the box.

As can be viewed by the photographs showing this design the print was completed using glow-in-the-dark filament this was done just to give the project a novelty factor, it was not required for the print in general.

Level of Difficulty - Low at present, but the potential is clearly there for an upgrade based around how this print might be refined and reworked.  The student in this case was an eight year old who had been using Tinkercad for the year so was confident to work independently to complete the visible access of the task.  The face design is relatively basic and the details could have been developed further.  The hat has featured a number of times in various prints this year and is available as an item search on Tinkercad.

Size: The print measures 100mm wide, was 75mm deep and 60mm high.   The hat extended a further 40mm from the corner of the box upwards.

Cost: Using the software that is present with Bambu studio the print is determined to use 130g of PLA to complete the project and the cost of these PLA was identified as being $3.27.   Of note as this was completed with the Bambu H2D and there was a minimal amount of waste PLA with the print.

Timeframe: From the dimension of the print and the details of the print it was a significant print - it took four hours and forty five minutes to complete, which makes it using the Bambu H2D one of the larger prints that we completed during the school year.

What we would do differently/next steps for the student: As can clearly be shown left the student has yet to complete the underside base panel to secure items to go into the money box.   This is not as simple as it seems as the student needs to develop a locking mechanism to work within the dimensions that have already been printed.   This would be a task that a number of students could complete.    As noted previously the details on the top of the box, such as a the face could have further additions made to it.   The balance between adding details and not overpowering the print is also an issue that would need to worked out.

This was a 2025 design that was a reworked 2024 money box - view it by clicking on the link here.

3D Printing History: Revisiting Previous Past Projects

 

We have mentioned that the quality and details that are produced by the 3D Printers that we use at school has increased significantly over the course of time.   Even in the short space of the last few years the quality, speed and detailing that is possible has increased significantly.

By using Tinkercad as a design tool for the students and in particular the classroom option the students accounts are still managed by the school - which means the designs previously created by the students are still accessible.

In particular there are designs and creations that previously were created that we are now in the process of revisiting.  An example that we are currently looking at is this design shown left.  Originally it was designed by a student in May 2024.   In both cases the print was completed with glow-in-the-dark filament - however when the two prints are compared to each other there is a clear difference from the quality of the finish.

The original finish is shown left.   The new version was completed by the Bambu H2D while the original (left) was the Snapmaker machine.   We have indicated that in 2026 we intend to be using the Snapmaker occasionally and the vast majority of the prints will be completed on the Bambu H2D.

The difference is particularly clear around the lettering on the print - which is much more detailed and sharp using the Bambu H2D.   The other significant factor is the time concerned.   With the Bamhu H2D the print time is fifty minutes - significantly under the original time.

The process is now to review the last three years of classroom designs (2023-2025) and identify projects or prints that were not attempted previously or where attempted but the details proved to be too challenging for the technology at the time.   We also have limited prints that date back much further than this, with the original .stl files to a number of projects and as a point of interest we will be selecting some of these to run them again using the newer printers.

It is still just under two weeks until our 2026 School year starts with our new classroom, we will be returning to our regular schedule of posting from then, thank you for your visit in the meantime.

3D Printing School Lore 3: Glow-in-the-dark

 

Recap:

#1 You don't need more than one machine to 3D Print with your students and school! In 2026 we are going to complete all of our projects on one machine.

#2 You don't need to 3D Print all of your 3D Printing projects! In 2025 we started moving away from printing every project and a number of times we used the design process, completed the design but used the Tinkercad AR/VR option as the publishing of the project instead of the physical printing of an object.

There are numerous examples of both of these projects on this blog which you can search for by clicking on the link or using the 'search' box in the top right hand corner of this blog.

#3 - Printing Glow in the Dark Filament is easy! This is something that has evolved over time.   In previous years the printing with specific filament other than regular PLA tended to be something that was avoided.   We sometimes had to store the PLA in air tight containers or clean out the machines once we changed the filament.

When we held our 2025 Market Day we wanted to be able to create a range of interesting prints and challenging for our students - 3D Printing was able to be featured significantly but we wanted to do something a little more interesting and hence the use of 'super' glow-in-the-dark filament.   

Having already ordering various combinations in the past we did so again.   A challenge for you as an educator is to consider what combinations, what differences or what adaptations that you can make by using different filament.   Students have plenty of experience with basic PLA but breaking down the different types available and the different kind of material that can be printed.  To further provide some practical example the video below was created to further illustrate and show the process and examples: 

3D Printed Christmas Tree: Junior Example

Challenge: To produce an original and suitable Christmas tree with potential to include LED lighting.
 

Background: Please note school has now concluded for 2025, our students and our teacher will be back at this stage in February 2026.   In the meantime we are finishing off the year with a series of posts wrapping up 2025 and also including some of the 'best of' highlights of the year,

This challenge was set for the entire class with a range of challenges during the last weeks of school based around the creation of Christmas Trees.   Students created a range of Christmas Trees and AR/VR them into cards and also various challenges around the school.

This challenge was slightly different in that the students (this was created by a seven year old student) had to design a tree and then ultimately the goal was printing the tree and looking at the possibility of using LED lights to light up the tree - similar to how we had worked some of the projects related to our school Market Day for 2025.  

The intention was to include LED lights and potentially use glow-in-the-dark filament to pop the print.

Level of Difficultly: High.   This had a number of elements that the student designed working in conjunction with each other.  Key to this print was how would the LED lights be hung from this design - this was the 'ring' that can be seen wrapping its way around the design.   

Size: The print measures 100mm high, has a base that is 80mm in diameter.   This is the base which extends the furtherest, the tree itself extends 50mm in diameter from the base.

Cost: 72g of filament was used in the production of this tree.  The cost according to Bambu Lab with its price point identifying that the $1.72 to produce the tree.

Timeframe: Three and a half hours using the Bambu H2D.  This was used as during the design the detail that was included (in the groves and in some of the decorations).   We would not have attempted to complete this print using the Snapmaker.  A relatively simple design was completed with grooves (which was intended for the LED lighting).

What we would do differently/Next Steps for the students: This is a straightforward print in some ways, in other ways (the LED lights) there are complex elements to the prints.   Some of the decoration on this tree looked fine in Tinkercad but didn't translate really well to the printed version.

We are very reluctant to complete prints that had a large level of rafting (waste plastic).  This print had a notable print support under each of the levels of the tree - which as a result meant quite a bit had to be removed.

We have yet to complete the print using glow-in-the-dark filament.  In doing so we would imagine that it would considerable add a level of presentation to the print.   The cost or the print time etc would not increase significantly.

3D Printing Student Project:: 2014 Revised Edition

 

Over four thousand days ago, in 2015 one of the very first prints or project details on this blog featured this print, which is shown left.   While the print was shared in January 2015 the actual project dates back to the following year - 2014.

The print was designed in 2014 using an iPad 2 and Tinkercad, as part of a senior school student (twelve and thirteen) year olds design portfolio.  At the time students were required to create a range of prints, note the creation process and detail improvements and changes that were made.  

This print formed part of the students digital design portfolio and original student portfolio is shown below.   The prints in the process were completed with the 3D Printers that we had at the time which were the original Ultimaker 2 Machine.    This print at the time was also printed using a basic white PLA that also glowed in the dark.

When the project was completed the student was given a copy of all of their work and additional copy was kept.  This copy was then placed outside where it has been for the past ten years.    It was recently located, identified and examined.   It has been in an exposed position with no protection for the past ten years.

The front of the print has sustained no additional damage as two marks occurred during printing.  There is some evidence of mould growth although there is no actual obvious signs of any wear or damage to the main print, it is more or less as it was when it was produced ten years ago.

The reverse of the print shows more clearly evidence of growth inside the print.  This has occurred as a result of the clips at the top of the print, they were used to attach the print to the wall - as it was a holder for a whiteboard duster.

When these were removed following the printing process (in 2014)  it created three small gaps at the top of the design.   Prints are almost always run using a default twenty percent infill.   This allowed water to enter the print at the top which then would have created the conditions for the growth of mould.  As the print has been outside, exposed to the elements it has spent ten winters outside in New Zealand and would have spent an extended time wet.

The print was printed using glow-in-the-dark filament and when testing was conducted it is still glowing as expected.   

Overall the print has maintained its structure and its integrity, with some small evidence of weathering but is essentially still able to function as was intended.

We are now going to spend some time drying the print out to see if the change in circumstances contributes to an improvement in its condition.

This continues the trend that we have established of demonstrating that 3D Prints can last an extremely long length of time whether they are numbers on display on a wall at school or a keyring that is used by students everyday.

Market Day Exemplar: Minecraft Night Light

 

Challenge: Using creativity, innovation and personalisation students from a Y3/4 classroom create a unique product for our school market day.

Background: This Market Day 2025 item started off early with a combination of Minecraft and the use of glow-in-the-dark PLA filament which we have experimented with in the past.  As noted over time the filament has improved significantly and we have seen improvement in the colour options available and the ease at which printing can be completed (which historically in our experience was not always the case).   You can view previous glow-in-the-dark prints here such as 2018 Glow-in-the-dark horse or 2022 recap of previous Christmas decorations of which the glow-in-the-dark has featured significantly.    You can look on the tab labelled 'Guide/Special Projects' for the full range of these activities or use the search bar for activities tagged with this label.

In this instance the students also wanted to organise objects that they associated with Minecraft and while they initially attempted to recreate some of the designs, and were relatively successful they also quickly located a number of items that were available on public domain sites - primarily Thingiverse

The process involved the students locating the items that they were interested in, considering if it was a viable print or not - and experimenting with different elements.   Originally early versions of the project (in May) had a laser cut box underneath the base.   Later on as the students developed ideas the decision was made by the students to use additional boxes of TNT to raise the base off the ground.   Personalisation which was a major feature of the Market Day 2025 Projects was addressed by having a gap between the TNT and Minecraft logo.  Development in June saw the students experimenting with different PLA for the names and displays and using AR/VR to project additional items onto the stand.

Level of Difficulty: Low - the emphasis was on the layout for the designs, the students were able to use designs that were available and the creation of the names to be inserted into the design was someone that the seven and eight year olds were easily able to create, test for the size for the unit and put it together - there had to be some variation for the number of letters of students in their name, which required larger lettering.

Size: The wooden base for the stand was 140mm across.   The standard sword designs were 80mm and the TNT was a 20mm cube.

Cost/Profit: For a standard nightlight we used four TNT boxes - each one was just under 0.20c to produce on the top and three underneath - a total of $1.40.   The sword was close to 40c as was the Minecraft and name plate.   In total assuming the MDF for the base of the print was $1.00 - the entire print could be produced $3.60.   We used standard LED lights available from a local dollar store which cost $4.00.   This gave the project a total of just over $7.50 - and the students decided the cost per unit and wanting to make a small profit that they would set a price of $10.00.   As we have mentioned throughout the process it was not intended as a profit making process - it was focussed more of the three aspects of innovation, creativity and personalisation.

Timeframe:  The stand took ten minutes to print, the TNT was 45 minutes per box on the Snapmaker.  Each of the three additional elements on the stand took just under one hour - the entire print was able to be completed in approximately seven hours, this was done on the Snapmaker and thanks to the extensive testing that we have been completing comparing machines we would anticipate if this was done on the Bambu H2D we would anticipate it would take half of the time.   Once the elements had been produced we also required to glue them into place using a universal plastic glue.

What we would do differently/Next Steps for the students: The students experimented with creating their own designs however they were never satisfied with the details that they were able to produce.  This product took a considerable amount of time to produce but was sold out in the process and we could have produced more.  The LED lights were sourced locally from a dollar store a better long term plan would have been purchasing them online from an overseas supplier.

Market Day 2025 - General Stock Items

 

Market Day 2025 - Stock Filler Items

In addition to the significant items that the students are producing for this event we are also looking at producing multiple copies of smaller ideas that can be used as a fundraiser on the night.

We have detailed this process in numerous posts on this blog and won't repeat those posts however they are linked here.

In this instance a basic badge design has been created using a regular template for the local rugby club.   To add some extra dimension to the print the print has been repeated in different colours in glow-in-the-dark filament.

The lettering has been sunken down into the print to allow it to be as robust as possible.   The print dimensions are 60mm by 60mm and is 10mm wide.  This has meant that using the Snapmaker machines the print time has been just over one hour.    

The cost for each of the units based on the use of 16.1g of a filament is approximately 65c (NZD) this is based on the use of 5.4m of filament and it being at a regular price of $40 per kg roll.     This would mean that the price point for the product would be set above this and the difference would be the profit.

Based around our experiences with the PLA and previous prints we would expect it to last for a number of years (the oldest prints on this blog still in use are now in use for over eight years as detailed on this blog)

3D Printed Mini Product: School Market Day 2025

 

Challenge: To support Market Day 2025 with additional products for save.

Background: While we've had a process involving our school Market Day with each group creating a specific product.   As we've had a number of pre-orders of significant personalised products which have been significant prints, however we would also like there to be general prints that are available.   

We have been looking at creations that have come from students in the classroom who have created a design that has potential to be a viable product for market day.   We are looking for something that could be produced that is relatively - one of the products that meets this criteria easily is the unique earrings that we have posted about previous, such as the 2023 Market Day business or the recent '101 Guide to 3D Printing: Earrings slideshow.

As we have a group that is working on unique key rings, we also discussed with them producing some generic designs that could be produced easily that would be able to be sold as stock.

The group had a brief discussion and then used Tinkercad to create a design, shown left.

Basic shape, basic generic name - which has been sunken into the design so that it would be more robust.  We have proven that examples such as this can last for a number of years without suffering any wear or damage such as the oversized sports shed keyring.  Designed and created by students in 2018 it is still in (daily) use at our school in 2025.   This has some wear but has maintained its integrity.   

To ensure that something different was also added for the print it was printed in 'super' glow in the dark filament, as a number of recent projects have been.

Level of Difficulty: Low - this was easily completed independently by the eight year old students in the classroom.  As per the brief the intention was to produce a simple design, and given this - the printer intended to be used was the Snapmaker (instead of the newer and  more advanced Bambu H2D was for the prints that would require more detail and a much faster printing time.

Size: The print is 80mm wide, 70mm high and is (in the second print/version) 10mm thick.   The first version which is the first photo shows the version that is 5mm wide.  The difference between the two is simple strength based - the second print would require significant force to damage, the former could conceivably be broken by applying (significant) force.     

Cost: The print requires 7.9m of filament which is 23.5g.   At present prices and assuming that a roll of PLA is full (1kg) 42 key rings could be produced from a single roll.   To ensure that the price could be met the students would need to have a charge of $1.00 per keyring to break even, and charging a larger price would result in profit.

Timeframe: The second more robust version took one hour and fifty seven minutes (on the Snapmaker) as noted previously if this was completed on the Bambu it would take half of the time, however as we have only one at school this is a good project to complete on the Snapmaker while the Bambu is otherwise engaged.

What we would do differently/next steps for students: To determine a price point for the product and therefore for the profit that they might potentially make.  As noted the print was completed deliberately using glow-in-the-dark filament.

3D Printed Earrings Design: Junior

 

Challenge: To replicate jewellery and create an original version for a Y3 student (seven year old).

Background: One of our students brought into school a pair of the earrings with the lightning bolt design which is shown left.    The student wanted to create their own version of these and wanted to make them glow-in-the dark creating something that they thought would be unique.

The creation process was very straight forward and the student was able to create their version of the designs shown left without any assistance.   The student used their Tinkercad account to design and create their own version (shown right).    They used their knowledge which has been developed via their work in class during the year and they were able to duplicate the design to create a matching pair, as shown.   The design would be categorised as easy.

Size: The design measures 70mm long, was 10mm wide and was 2mm thick.   The metal attachments were not able to be duplicated however these are easily available from a local craft shop and are relatively inexpensive (they cost less than forty cents each).

Level of Difficulty: Easy - was completed in minutes by a seven year old independently.

Timeframe: Twenty minutes to complete the project, completed on the Snapmaker.  We have worked on designs like this before including making this a classroom challenge and having students develop this as a market day business in 2023.   Of note we also have a student who completed similar designs using the school laser cutter.

Given the small time frame this potentially an excellent classroom project as apart from the design the only aspect that the students need to master is putting a hole into the earrings which is simple as detailed in this instructional video from our blog in 2016.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: These designs are a starting point for this student to develop their skills and develop their designs.    The switch to printing with glow-in-the-dark filament is a simple matter of changing the rolls.   We have a school disco coming up so making these available for this could be a point of difference.   Obviously we have a bank of designs and ideas which can be accessed by conducting a site search using the bar in the top right.

3D Printed Glow-in-the-Dark Project Ideas

 

As mentioned on a previous post we have been looking at ways to incorporate and include glow-in-the-dark filament with some of our students other designs and creations.   For example this is the bead group that has started experimenting with including some aspects of the designs, the first, second, fourth and fifth letters are glow-in-the-dark.

We have several groups who are looking at some variation of a night light theme. One of the aspects that matches with the glow-in-the-dark filament is to have it glow by absorbing light.

The Minecraft themed or similar swords shown here have been personalised with a name on the blade and are going to be grouped in combination with some of the other objects that the students have located.   The students have been experimenting with the size and dimensions of each item, some taking thirty seconds or so to complete.

Using or creating 'Lego-ish' figures (or figures that feature similarities from a range of plastic figures).   Students wanted to design figures that had the physical characteristics associated with the figures - the block legs/feet, the square body, the hands and the head.

This student design also included an object in the hands of the figure and they had some challenge with the head, which is why they decided to work on creating a hat.    

The concept of lego and mini-figure like figures has been something we have looked at over the years and practical experience was gained this year by the process of creating the figures for the Dolls House.

One of the groups for our 2025 Market Day has been the creation of key rings specific to a range of customers.    One of the point of differences for our students, which has been as simple as altering the PLA that we are printing with (and not the design) to produce something with a point of difference.

This is also allowing all of our students to think again about how they can use the technology and how they might use glow-in-the-dark filament for projects and prints.   Already we have had students look at the previous projects including the Christmas Ornaments from the past.

3D Printing with Rainbow Options - Revisiting Previous Projects

 

Traditionally the projects on this blog created and printed by students over the last ten years have featured a base filament (colour) which we have then spray painted for affects, colour and details.

Recently we have noticed as I am sure many of you have that the there have been a range of prints appearing with rainbow or multi-colours that have come directly from the PLA.

We have previously experimented with glow-in-the-dark filament, which we found to be a little challenging in particular when we then returned to more regular projects.

Recently we revised this approach.  We have located a range of rainbow filament which has different layers and shading to it and have started experimenting with it.

While some aspect of the difference in the print is shown in the photograph this has added some depth and colour to the prints.

We have revisited some of our more popular prints included the flexible kiwi, shown left or some of our name tags and badges shown above.

There is no current deviation for the temperature for the printer required and the filament appears to be as robust as ever, ensuring the stability of the students projects.