Junior 3D Printing: Farm Scene - Progression

Challenge: To design and print an authentic farm scene.

Background: Recently we have been experimenting with a group of students who have designed farm scenes.   To put it into perspective we are in a rural area of New Zealand with a heavy emphasis in farming.

We recently produced a series of Tinkercad designs that we felt were creative but initially we were reluctant to print the designs as we (underestimated) the ability of the Snapmaker printer to successfully print the design, as it had a number of detailed parts.

Each element of the design shown in the photograph was created by the student with the overall scene in mind.   The hay bales for instance were designed from the main grid.   The student also expanded their design skills considerably by adding details onto the digger.   In the original design there was no scoop at the front of the tractor, the student created this and then added it to the existing image.   He also wanted to add an axel at the back of the tractor and did so by using the basic shapes.

The design featured a high level of rafting/support into several places, the tractor in particular.   The student was aware of this challenge and the teacher attempted to remove this without compromising the details in the print.   This was more or less successful (see below).   

The student also used the 'terrain' feature from Tinkercad for the base, however opted to make it still thin, and was considering the ability to laser cut MDF to complete a base for the project.

Level of Difficulty: Hard - this was created by a Y4 student who has just started 3D Printing, however they have already shown an awareness and a creativity that is unusual for this level- it has come from experience and design in Minecraft and other programs, but they have then transferred these skills to TInkercad.

Timeframe: Three hours - there is a question over the purpose of the print (see below) and this will have an impact on the ultimate design.

Size: The current version of this print is measures 120mm and is 85mm wide.   The height of the print is 40mm, at the point of the tractor.   The current thickness of the terrain base is 2mm making it particularly thin, however as noted the student has decided to use the laser cutter to create a thicker base.   Each of the different elements of the scene were relative to the main part, which was the tractor.

What we would do differently/next steps for the students:  The student has created a detailed scene, however the first draft print alerted him to the fact that there were subtle adjustments that needed to be made - to the hay bales and the tractor.   The removal of the rafting of the tractor also caused a challenge - if the rafting cannot be removed with the machinery suffering, then the tractor need to be adapted.   The student is also thinking about the next stages for the design, however the student has been quizzed about the purpose of the print and is considering how they might create a purpose for this, including having labelling on the print.

3D Printed Junior Designs: Earrings

 

Challenge: The new term has started and as a result of this we looked at focussing on a class wide challenge, one that would allow the students a freedom or open design, but one that would realistically be able to printed on a single machine in a short space of time.

Background: The design criteria was to create a pair of earrings.  The earrings needed to original (see details below) created and sized by the students.   The students who are Y3/4 (seven and eight years old) needed to be able to demonstrate the size of the designs, show what they had designed themselves and how they might be displayed.     This allowed the students to be creative and bounce ideas off each other.   The designs were created in Tinkercad where a classroom space has been set up (as detailed previously Tinkercad has an exception teacher/classroom interface for designs and creations and potential collaboration.

The students were instruction to complete using their iPads and bring the teacher the finished product for printing.    Designs were then typically copied or duplicated once complete.  Most had been produced using the basic main Tinkercad interface.

Once the design had been completed the students needed to include a way for the design to be hung from the ears, in most cases this is by introducing a hole into the design, as shown in the photograph.   

Level of Difficulty: Low.  Complete in ten minutes (on average by students who are seven and eight years old).   There are some students who have added additional features to the designs to make them slightly more complex however this intended as a project to get the students completing a design which would be successful and printed in a short turn around.

Once the designs were finished and the first prints completed then the next stage was to ask the students what needs to be changed or what could be adapted.  In the example shown by the ducks left the student made the decision to resize them slightly.  The original was 30mm high and 20mm wide.  the student wanted to make them more 'duck like' so reduced the size from the one in the left to the one on the right which reduced its height to 20mm.

The ducks were potentially the easiest design of the set as they were a combination of two predesigned shapes from the Tinkercad interface 

Timeframe: This design challenge was completed with the intention of a class set being completed in two to three days of school.  The prints all had slightly different print times, ranging from ten minutes for the smaller of the ducks (photograph three), the 'G' for Grandma prints (forty minutes both) and forty five minutes for the circular designs shown in photograph ones.   We were able to use as examples some of the prints that have previously featured on this blog - from our school market day

to our students who have run small scale design businesses and sold the earrings via the public.

Size:  In the three examples shown to illustrate this post - the circular designs shown in photograph one were 50mm in length, 25mm wide and were 5mm thick.   The 'G' pair were slightly bigger, they were 10mm thick, 60mm high and 40mm wide.   There were some dispute over whether these were too big to worn as effective earrings.     The pair of ducks, which is photograph three, were 25mm across 20mm high and were 10mm thick.    These were scaled down as noted.

What we would do differently/next steps for students: These are not a single print but a series of class prints, and they are going to evolve in the course of the next few days.   We would like each student to revise the print, and look at what they could potentially change, for example the reshaping of the ducks to make it more duck like.   

3D Printing Stencil: Developing Ideas Further

Challenge: For student to take one of the basic fundamental ideas or printing project and develop it further into something individually directed.

Background: When students start with a basic task one of the introductory tasks that we use and engage the students with is some form of name badge or plate.  These generally start off very basic and then can be developed further with additional features and designs to advance the students skills, although this can typically be done in a very short timeframe.

One student who has recently completed this task was then asked to look to develop it further.  His idea evolved into the creation of a stencil.   In this example the student deliberately used the name to hollow out the inside of the print, and then applied the design to a piece of wood.   Spray paint was applied (the print was held in place by masking tape) and then the print itself was removed leaving the affect of the design in place.   The student then is intending to look at combining this idea in different ways and formats to continue to refine the design.  The student has been asked to consider the font, the layout, how this has translated to the stencil and what might work differently.

Level of Difficulty: Low.  The 3D Part of the design is very straight forward and has been completed by nearly every student in the classroom independently (with the classroom being the home to seven and eight year olds).  This project requires a specific level of refinement to make it successful (see below).

Size: The print measures 85mm high and is 175mm across.   The print was 5mm thick.   For the purpose of this project these dimensions were correct, although they could be targeted for a specific size depending on the purpose of the pencil.

Timeframe: Two and a half hours on the standard default settings for this print.  The student was using the purpose of the print to convert the badge, hence its current dimensions and the final product.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: This projects emerged out of another area, so the stencil, in its first versions needs some refinements.  The student is intended to use a permanent marker pen to enhance the print and the way it stands.  Because of the position of the masking tape, the bottom line has not responded well to being removed.

The students intend to reflect on the wood that has been used and experiment with the colour, the student wants to change the font to see how it responds to the spray painting.   The student wants to consider a picture that might be possible to link to the design (which has in turn lead to a discussion about stencil art and the work of a particular street artist).   This is one of the projects that shows a considerable level of interest and potential and we will be updating it with further prints of ideas.

We have alerted the art teacher at school to the potential of this, who will also be looking at the potential to complete art projects using this technique and resourcing.

3D Printed Junior School Progressions Part Two

Challenge: For novice and junior (seven year old) students to show progression with designs

Background: As detailed on this blog we have students who are junior in our school system as young as seven years old.  One of the perceptions was that designing using CAD software might be somewhat beyond them, however as has been stated many times over the past two years this is simply not the case.  The students have shown time and time again they they have the concepts and ability to do exactly this.   Using Tinkercad as a design tool  to either design from scratch or taking common designs from the main interface to then take them and personalise and add details to them.   At a basic level for some of the students who are Y3, moving into the classroom for the first time to use the designs that can be created by a single click as a starting point.   The designs shown above left are simple forty minute prints.  Built into the design is the opening and closing mechanism.

The design left came from these early sessions and then the student involved wanted to look at expanding the design and including additional elements in the design.  Clearly this was destined for another family member, and the student wanted to experiment by adding something extra.  Similar to how she was able to select the locket design, she then added the text, added a star and a heart to complete the design.   Once the student had combined all of these elements she made the decision to upscale the design from the two different versions of the same print shown above.  In the above designs each was a forty minute print.   By upscaling the design below, and adding the elements the student design was increased to one that had a two hour print time.

One lesson the student learned from the project was the need to enlarge both portions of the design.  She upscaled the base, which contained the name, but did not do likewise with the top.  This meant that the design was lop sided and needed further adjustment but this is excellent practical experience for the student at a small scale.

The student working on the unique junior dragon as detailed previously on this blog has continued to refine her design.  This is an example of a more challenging project, but again the student involved is a junior, that is a student who is eight years old.  It is her second year completing CAD design projects having been creative in her previous year this project is designed to push her skills.  Each version of this dragon is taking about an hour to print, the initial version, shown left with the adaptation is taking about an hour to print.    

As you can see the student has opted to significantly shift the location of the wings, incorporate spikes into the design.   The student has been encouraged to continue to do so - the design has elements that are evolving and she has been encouraged to look at art and creations in literature to add elements and further parts to the design.  The next stage is the student reshaping and redesigning the head and in particular the mouth area, she is being encouraged to think about the length of the head and sculpting and shaping the teeth, which while it is challenging it is encouraging to see the motivation and the effort that she is putting in to completing this.