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 Printed Night Light V3 - Market Day 2025

These night lights were design using Tinkercad and were a senior item for our school Market Day 2025.

Students started with a cylinder design and then used Tinkercads  the scribble function to create the cut outs that were then introduced to the side of the design - this allowed the students who are nine and ten years old to create unique and personalised designs and art for the shapes.

The project was then printed using the Schools Bambu H2D Printer - this machine was able to create the project with the fine details which allowed the limited rafting in each of the inserts to be removed without compromising or damaging the overall print.

The process was able to be completed by a group of students who were able to produce a range of designs.   Students also used the Tinkercad shape menu to add in shapes into the design.

With a light inserted into the design from the top the shapes within the design create a range of light.   

The prints took just over two hours each and were 120mm high and 90mm wide.   For the print examples shown lime and brown Bambu PLA was used.

For the display on Market Day the designs were further developed by the students using crochet to create ways for them to be hung - as shown in the photograph on the left.   

The designs were created independently by students who have had previous experience with 3D Printing whose designs have previously been published on this blog such as these Junior School challenges from 2024.

We held our School Market Day 2025 yesterday and have a significant amount of material related to the event which we will be posting over the coming days.

Market Day 2025 Laser Cut Night Light: Revisited

 

In March last year we were looking at developing the idea of combing the school laser cutter with a set of LED lights to create either a night light or some kind of illumination.     

This year as part of Market Day 2025 one of our groups was looking for an example of personalisation, that could be applied to a project, and we have already a group creating a version of Minecraft themed night light.   We applied the same basic principals to this design, the original of which you can see detailed here on this blog from March of last year.

As this is a prototype version of this print measures 100mm square and is 120mm high.    The current MDF is 6mm thick.    The light affect has been created by using a set of relatively inexpensive fairy lights, which means that the entire unit can be produced for under $5.

The next phase is of course to identify the personalisation of the unit and how that can occur.   The answer to this of course lies in the 3D Printing for the names.   It is conceivable that Sketchup might also be used to incorporate the design into the base of the unit.

The shapes (in this case circles) on the design causes the light to be diverted.  However the students have the obvious, could they locate additional colours (such as lights that change colour randomly) or movement that would affect the display.

In the past we have had groups focussed on light, using shapes to distort the light and using this theme for their projects - including a group who used the 3D Printers to print brackets to hold multi-coloured lights that cycled colours in 2019.

In July of 2024 we looked at producing a small sized light house that was completely created using the 3D Printers you can read that post here.   

Laser Cut Project: LED Light Stand/Combination

Laser Cut Project: LED Light

Challenge Idea: The student who has been working to extend themselves using the laser cutter has been looking online for interesting and creative projects that she can be involved with and develop further, including the possibility of using the 3D Printers or other technology to enhance the project.

In this early example prototype the student has taken a basic box shape, introduced tabs into it so that the box can locked or be held together.   The student has used Sketch Up to design the shape.

As the light which is intended to be exposed by the shape of the box needed additional ways to allow light to leave.   The student decided to experiment by introducing the circles which can be clearly seen in the photograph.    The addition of a basic LED light is intended to be mounted inside the shape.

The design is expected to go through several different refinements and revisions as the student works (independently) to test and look at developing this.  In its present state the box took ten minutes total to print, the dimensions are 100mm across, 120m high.   The wood being used is 6mm MDF.

3D Printed Student Creative Art Projects: LED Jar/Lights V2.0

Above: LED insert and the double rings.

Left: This is an update of a previous print, as it has been significantly adapted.   The project here was for our 2019 School Market Day.  In the original poste detailed on this blog the 3D Printer was used to create a single line for an LED Light/Jar combination. 

Students sourced an LED light online from an online store.   They then separately purchased a set of jars from an online New Zealand store.  A transfer was then applied to the outside of the jars and they were spray painted.   The transfer was removed meaning the light was able to illuminate specific shapes that the students had created.

Above: The 3D Printed component of the light.

The LED light needed a ring placed around it to allow it to drop into place at the top of the jar in the original design.   Students after testing found a fault with this, as changing the LED light meant the ring couldn't be permanently placed on the top of the jar.   The students came up with a solution for this, they created a set of two rings.   The first, as shown left, was super-glued into place on the jar, and fixed permanently in place.  The LED light was glued into the second ring and this ring sat on the first ring, which meant if it needed to be removed from the jar it could be easily taken out. 

The role of the 3D Printer in completing this project was essential - the rings that were produced needed to be a specific diameter to ensure that the light could be held in place, as without them the light could not be mounted to the jar.     The design while it was basic required a specific size to ensure it worked and involved the students testing twelve protypes until one that met the brief worked successfully.   The print time for the rings was relativeely minimal - the students were aiming to produce 140 rings to ensure that the jars were completed and they had back up lights as well.   These were produced in a batch of six rings at a time which took a combined print time of 90 minutes.  Each

Above: The completed project - with light switched on.

ring had a diameter of 10mm and was 50mm high with a width of 5mm.   If it had been printed individually it would have had a estimated time of 20 minutes to complete.

The project was a fantastic example of combining the 3D Printer with other technology/craft to produce something with a meaningful purpose.  It allowed the project to be completed successfully which would not have been possible without it.   The finish of the lights for the Year 5/6 project needed a little refinement, as shown in the photograph, but this was more in relation to the use of spray paint in the finish, and relative to the number of jars that the students produced.   In hindsight the students would have produced them over time and concentrated on producing a clear finish. 

3D Printed Art Proejcts - Completing LED Lights/Jars

Above: Light with additional support in place, blue tacked.

Challenge: As a separate art project students had created a glass jar with an LED light.   The project needed finishing because the area around the LED light was too small for the jar - the 3D Printer was used to create additional support for the light so it would sit perfectly.

Background: This was a project that required the 3D Printer to integrate with what was already produced, the 3D printer was used to produce the finishing.  The student had created the art project but was also a student who had used the 3D Printer extensively so when the light needed additional support to hold it in place she knew immediately that she wanted the 3D Printer to produce the additional support for the LED light.  The design was based around the light, relative to the size of the jar and allowed the extra width for the light, created by the 3D Printer.   The light was then able to sit perfectly in place on the top of the jar.   This is a fantastic example of using the 3D Printer to complete a project in a simple but extremely effective way.    The print was designed by the student and a trial completed by using blue tack to hold the LED light and extra print in place.
Level of Difficulty: This is low - the design is simple, however the concept and idea came from the student who identified that the 3D Printer would be able to complete the job perfectly.
Time frame: Six Minutes - this is possibly the shortest print to ever be featured on this blog in five years, however nothing additional was required - the light was supported to fit perfectly.
Size: The design was 5mm thick which is the minimum that would allow this to be successful, the size of it was relative to the jar and the size that was required to complete the project, nothing additional was required as it.

What we would do differently: Nothing - while this was a very straightforward print it was a perfect use of a 3D Print to complete a project.   The LED lights that were featured in this design were ordered online, as were the jars.   The students then used a stencil and duroseal to create a design on the outside of the jar.   The jar then had spray paint applied to it from an aerosol can.   The final product was a 'Night Light' that was produced - the light was concealed in the lid of the jar.  The students were intending to experiment with different stencils for affect on the jar itself - although this would not change the 3D Printed aspect of the design.

The fully completed design (with 3D Printed element obscured by the lid, which is in place as intended) is shown on the left.