3D Printed Flexi Animals - Cat

Challenge: The student responsible for designing the flexi-animals has been challenged to come up with more extensive projects, which she is currently working on.

Background: However she has also been completing additional work as a side project.  It is not an exaggeration to say that she has mastered the art of producing these prints.  She is sourcing a freely made silhouette and then converting it into an svg file.  Following this she is then editing the print in Tinkercad to include the linking of the sections that make up the flexi part of the design.  Once printed she involves herself in checking the flexibility of the animal - refining the design checking on its linking and making sure that it has the right 'feel' to it (such as adjusting the location of some of the links).

Level of Difficulty: Medium.  This student has mastered the art of the creating these designs and having them balanced and detailed.   They are something that she has shown a great deal of skill with.

Size and Print time: The print measured 120mm across, is 70mm high (excluding the tail) and is 10mm thick.   This has equated to a print on the Snapmaker for two and a half hours.   Given the dimensions and size of the print this would be correct for this project.

What we would do differently: Nothing - this is a student working to the highest level.   She is showing creativity and designs of the highest quality.    As a school we are creating a range of the students designs and looking at gifting to those who visit our school - you can see a range of the 'kiwi' flexi-design from the student featured previously on this blog in the photograph.

3D Printed Articulated Animals: Originals

 

Challenge: To produce a unique 3D Printed articulated animal.

Background: When we switched this year to using Snapmaker Printers one of the first objects that the students focussed on producing were a range of articulated animals.  These animals typically are able to be moved repeatedly (hence the articulation) which the students enjoy being involved in moving.    A selection of these were printed initially when we switched printers and the students were suitably excited however the challenge was to create our own unique versions of these.   The solution to this was to use Youtube tutorials for the students to focus on being able to identify the way that the linking could be created and then applied to a unique New Zealand specific animal, the Kiwi.

Level of Difficulty: High.   This project involved identifying the linking, working out how to apply it and then experimenting with using it to make sure that it would work with the design.

Once the linking had been successfully created there are a range of animals that we intend applying it to, over the next timeframe.

Size: The Kiwi measures 90mm across and is 80mm high.   The  width of the design was 10mm.

Timeframe: Using the Snapmaker the total print time was two hours.   There was no rafting with the print, the print was removed from the machine as shown in the diagram with no waste PLA (plastic).   Although there could have been some slight modification with the size it would have affected the overall of the quality of the print, which just felt about the correct size.

What would the students do differently/next steps for students: This was a very positive experience for the student concerned who was intent on completing the linking successfully.   This is going to open up a range of prints from this point.   You can see the original attempt at the linking shown in the above photograph which is placed underneath the Kiwi design.     The student could also consider the use of spray paint to decorate the print as we have done previously.