3D Printed Projects in Action: Weekly Summary

 

Five and six year olds at Auroa Primary School are 3D Printing, well they are with the assistance of the experts in our classroom.   We are continuing to buddy up with a range of younger students and start the CAD design and creation process with these 'new' students.    Our students are taking on a mentoring role and starting with the basics.   The students are of course using Tinkercad combined with the Tinkercad App and either our Bambu H2D or P1S to complete a range of short term original projects such as the one shown above - with a thirty minute print time and a $0.35c price point using regular PLA.

We've also starting exposing students to using AI in a positive way as a filter - by taking the Tinkercad design of students, AR/VR the design and then posing with a photo, of the design before the final touches are applied using a filter, in this case Pic Collage however of course Chat GPT is also a viable alternative.

In the example shown left the 'hearts' featured in the design is the 3D CAD Design via Tinkercad.  It has then been projected into the arms of the student who is on the slide in the playground.  Of the playground the only part of the image that has remained is the slide and the poles either side of it.  This is the same slide that was featured in another range of AR/VR work that featured the Ooshie stand although in this example the background was completely different.

We also have set our students another design concept or challenge one that involves the school laser cutter.  Our senior students (Year 7/Year 8) have their Design Education Production (DPE) and as part of it produce this Monster Box.   the print has space for an insert and so the challenge for our students is to use their 3D Design skills to create something that can form storage or an inside of a box.  It needs to be obviously measured accurately and carefully.

It could potentially used to store smaller objects and items (currently thinking is based around jewellery, Ooshies or earrings).

Our students have the MDF chest and will be again using Tinkercad, the Tinkercad App and their iPads for the design.

Finally we're always encouraging the students to bring in objects that we might be able to personalise or adapt not just because they make interesting projects but we also have in mind our upcoming School Market Day (which will be held next in 2027)

One such project under consideration is the moment in replicating this rugby kicking tee - as it is plastic it is close in composition to PLA however the students of course have realised that they can produce their own kicking tee with their individual players name - designed into the side of it.  Further updates for all of these projects will follow.

Laser Cut Halloween Box - Maker Design Lab

 

One of the challenges for the DPE students is ways to unpack designs created by using the laser cutter.  In our tech time students have a range of prototypes that they can unpack and then design their own version of.  An example of this is the 'Laser Cut Halloween Box'.   This item is located here on the Maker Design Lab.  

On this site there is a full list of the equipment required, all the different parts etc.

The laser cut design measures 100mm across and 70mm across the design is 100mm high.

The design when the laser cut was completed was then put together with a combination of wood glue, sandpaper (for the finish).   In the example provided online the stain has been used to made the cut look more finished - our design has not.

While the design has a high decorative value it should be noted as MDF laser cut the design needs to be handled with a bit of care (ie it would be in trouble if it was dropped.   There would be potential to use a 3D Printer to design feet or legs.

The design was completed using 3mm MDF.   The site where it was located from has a full design page devoted to this print, its process and completion - detailing every stage of the process.

Our students have used boxes like this Monster Box as part of our 2025 School Market Day.

Special Event: DDR Dance Machine K-Pop Special

 

Having just held another school event - our DDR/Step Master Machine Livestream of K-Pop Demon Hunters we wanted to share the details and explain how the tech that we have at our school is used for this event.

The livestream and the videos are located at Mr Bloors Youtube Channel, this has everything including his amazing video that details the building of the Step Master Machine.

This video is located here and his Youtube page is located here.     The school laser cutter and Roland Versa sign maker were both used extensively in the creation of this machine.    For the purposes of the broadcast you can also see the filming rig.

As explained in a previous post on this blog we used the school laser cutter to create these MDF blocks which were 130mm square.

The blocks then had applied to them a sticker from the Versa studio sign maker.   This was made up of the poster that had been produced for the event which then in turn created a puzzle for the students to solve which became one of the challenges in the video.

You can click on this link to see the portion of the video that first used the blocks in the form of the puzzle.   The second challenge involving the blocks was the tower stacking challenge that can be viewed by clicking on the link here.

To produce something special for the students who won the competition these clickers were produced.   The clickers were sourced from a commercial location and are equivalent of a fidget toy.

The unique aspect of the design was the fact that the Bambu H2D Printer was used to produce the top that made something unique to celebrate the event for the students.

The template for this was provided online and was personalised for this event.

Student who won the competition were rewarded by receiving the clicker as shown above and also given a sheet of stickers from the event that were themed around the 'K-Pop Demon Hunters Show/Movie.

These designs were located online and were made available for the students.

The stickers were printed on the Roland Studios Versa Signmaker.

The paddles that were given to each of competitors to wave and support their team.   These were produced by using the school laser cutter and the labels for each of the paddle was produced by using the Roland Versa sign maker.

Credit for the design and work on this post needs to be given for the amazing Mr Jason Bloor (Sonic Vision Studios).   You can click on the link to his amazing Youtube page here.

Laser Cutting: Resource Cube

 

Laser Cut Resource Cube: This cube has been created as a resource for the Step Master Competition that is taking place in School on Monday morning.   Its purpose will be revealed during the livestream.

Initially the idea was to locate this locally but finding a set of them, with the dimensions that were required seemed a bit of a challenge.

The answer was the school laser cutter which was used to custom make these MDF boxes.  They have then been assembled and glued (with a wood glue).  Our Roland Versa Sign Maker will then be utilised to produce a sticker which will then be applied to the box.

The boxes each took approximately ten minutes to cut the six side on the laser cutter.   The dimensions of the boxes are 130mm wide, long and high.    The MDF used to cut the boxes is 3mm thick.    These could be used for a variety of tasks and tools in the classroom from everything from a dice to a resource.   While there would be the option to paint or glue something on the sides of the box a much superior finish would be provided by using the sticker machine.

We have used it extensively for producing media for our students examples of which include the market day labels from 2023 or the decals and finishing on our school pinball and dance revolution machine.

Laser Cut Truck: Market Day 2025

Laser Cut Market Day Project (Seniors) Construction/Dump Truck.

As we approach Market Day 2025 not only do we have the students from our classroom working on products and items some of our senior students are doing likewise.

One of the groups is featuring the school laser cutter which has been used to produce these trucks.   They have been cut from MDF/Bamboo 5mm composite wood.   Cutting each of the trucks takes just over half an hour.   Students did not design this truck the file for it was sourced online.    As one of the main components of our market day is personalisation - we have designs where there a logo or a name is designed into aspects of the truck.

The truck needs to be wood glued once the component parts have been cut out and removed from the sheet of MDF.   Some of the truck has to be held in place with masking tape until the glue has set.

The dimension of the laser cut was 400mm long from the front to the back of the print, is 130mm wide at the base of the bed and 200mm high at the mid point.    

The project could potentially have some additional features added to it via some of our other school technology such as the sticker machine.    The wheels are currently not working off an axel they are being held in place by glue - it could potentially for the students to investigate further.   We also have the ability to produce additions to the truck using the 3D Printer.

As a long term project we also have the ability to produce rubber tyres using the 3D Printer if we wanted to look at extending our students further.   Currently the latch on the back of the bed of the truck works and can be fastened and unfastened.

Laser Cut School Tokens

 

We have a reward system for our students based around our school values.    Students are rewarded for behaviour and participating in school events, receiving a token in exchange.

This item is then put into a bank when it can be counted for the assembly on Friday.   This was produced on the laser cutter and cut into perspex.

This is something that measured 50mm across was 5mm thick.

It was able to be produced significantly and in large numbers.

Y7/8 Project: Using the Laser Cutter and 3D Printers to Upcycle

 

We are always trying to think outside the box about projects that we can use the technology to rebuild or develop.

We have done this in the past and this year we saw an opportunity to complete this again, as we found what would be described as a vintage/old dolls house.

The house is built predominantly of wood, with some metal fixtures for the windows etc.   It was destined for a skip, to be thrown out as rubbish.

We were able to identify this, and have assigned it to some of our senior students as a project to rebuild it.    The first step is obviously the cleaning as shown in the photograph.    We have roof and exterior paint available from general repairs that have been carried out around the school.

We want to allow the students to brainstorm the opportunities and think how about we could use our major machines - for instance we could use the laser cutter to create framing for the walls and the windows, such as the photo-framing details previously created by our students.   We can use the sticker machine to create details and decals for the walls - and even the floors, as we have previously created as a floor for a basketball court.    We have the 3D Printer that could be used to create fixtures, such as a dolls chair previously designed by our students.

The dolls house currently is a shell, it has the bones and it will be an ongoing process that will take sometime and the intention is then to gift the dolls house to the junior school.   You can follow is progress during the year using the tag "dollhouse 2025"

Laser Cut Chest - Senior Exemplar

 Challenge: To utilise the Laser Cutter for a senior student for a significant long term design.

Background: Our senior students at School have one day a week completing DPE (Design Production Education) also known as Technology at some schools which is typically one day a week.  At Auroa School we have supplied this to our senior students for nearly ten years now.  As part of the rotations our students have a laser cutter option.   This project based learning takes six weeks - although some students can complete the project in a slightly earlier time frame.   The six weeks when the work is being completed the students are able to focus on the project from 9am to 1pm in the afternoon.

The projects takes a number of stages.   At the core of the project is the students use of the laser cutter.   This is responsible for the shaping of the chest, as each of the slats needs to be cut from the template for the design.   There are various templates of similar chests that are available (freely) online via a simple search,

Once this has been located and the parts that form the base of the chest have been cut out the next step is to glue the chest together using a specific wood glue.    The box was left to dry overnight.

The next step is to work and construct the hinges.   The hinges at the rear of the box (see photo), the latch at the front of the chest while they are spray painted silver are also laser cut.

The wood is 5mm Bamboo MDF mix.   It is also possible to complete this process using different thickness of MDF and also different type of MDF.     The design was completed using Sketch Up.    The handles of the chest are also completed in a similar way. 

There are two layers of storage trays inside the chest.  The first layer, shown left in the photo contains three storage sections.  It has been lined on the inside with yellow felt.   The felt was sized up again using Sketch Up, and then cut on the laser cutter.    Yellow was chosen to complement the colour of the wood.

The wood glue used to construct the box was also used to place the lining and hold it in the correct place.    Holes were placed at the end of the draws and the holes had a insert to allow them to be lifted up.

The inside of the lid of the box was also lined with the same fabric felt.

The bottom layer of storage can be seen here.  With the first drawer removed the second storage consists of a draw divided into two long rectangles (for storage or pencils as shown).   The draw has been again lined with the same yellow felt that has been used for the other parts of the box.    The tray has been glued to the bottom of the box to hold it in place.

The internal hinges were purchased from a local hardware store.    

Level of Difficulty: Extreme.  This was a project that took a Y8 student who was twelve years old several weeks to complete.  It had a number of elements that needed to be completed to an extremely high level.   This design was not for the faint hearted and required skill, patience and detailing to make it complete.  This was a long term project for the student.

Size: 220mm long 130mm wide and 190mm high.  The storage inside reflects the dimensions of the inside of the box.

Timeframe: The laser cutting of the individual pieces including of the box, the handles, the sides, the detailing and the felt took approximately an hour to complete.  Given the dimensions of the box this is considered a minimum and does not include the time to construct the box, glue it, have the glue dry etc.  This was a project that took several weeks (working once a day) to complete, test and be happy with.

What we would do differently/next steps for students: Potentially the student could have 3D printed the handles (which are the part of project which are touched the most) or had a different choice with the felt for the lining however these are minor issues with this major project.  There could have been a different selection of wood for the outside 

Laser Cutting to Produce Game Cards

 

Challenge: Student wanted to create a unique game based around a special theme to them.

Background: As the person was a fan of Star Wars they wanted to create a version of Monopoly that they could customise.   There were aware that there is a commercial version available however they did not want to use this as they wanted to have more control over some of the locations that were in place.   The student decided to look at using Laser Cutting to produce the cards that were available for the game as it would make them memorable and also durable and they could include specific detail that could be researched and looked at for the purpose of the game.   Each of the individual cards took around sixty seconds to laser cut out so the entire set for the game was not too labour intensive.  The student used Sketch Up to design the cards which were then printed on the schools industrial sized laser cutter.

The design process took minutes.  The dimensions of the cards measures 50mm across and are 80mm high.   The cards are 6mm thick which is the width of the MDF.  

The student was also considering how to use the sticker machine to help with the game presentation as either the way to product the decals for the board or to enhance the presentation of the board.

Laser Cut Basics 101: Phone Holder

 

Basic Project Laser Cut Phone Holder

Once again the challenge for a student using the school laser cutter is to look at projects that could be completed and completed using design (Sketch Up) for the base and the back of the phone and Gimp to locate the karate kicking figure that provided the balance for the stand.

The stand measured 80mm across at the base and is 150mm high.   The design in its current form took two minutes to laser cut out.

A revision of the form is required as the student discovered that the stick figure while providing balance and looking humours and eye catching also was quite fragile.  The design was only 6mm thick as it had been cut from 6mm MDF wood.   Testing showed that if it was dropped that the weight of the base could easily cause a crack in the figure as the legs were quite.  The intention to address this issue with the print is to 3D Print the figure and combine it with the base of the laser cutter and then spray the two elements to link them together.

Basic 3D Printing Projects: Labels and Tags

We have in the past provided extensive details about the process where prints are created, because of that we are going to supply a link to previous years work here and further examples here.

One of our most popular posts on this blog is a 'how to beginners 3D Print' created by some of our students.   This video is linked here.

This design here shown left is a Y3 student designing something for the first time with Tinkercad.   The design measured 65mm across and 50mm high in addition to being 5mm thick.   This print has a total time for completion of just under two hours.

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.

Laser Cut 101: Plant Wall Stands

Challenge: To extend a student using a Laser Cutter during independent work time.

Background: This students has shown a considerable talent to independently work on design projects using the school laser cutter, GIMP and Sketch-Up to design project, material and works.   In this instance we were looking for short term projects, ones that the student could complete easily and use as a starting point for something further.

In this example we used a common search engine to look for 'interesting laser cut projects' and saw various hanging stands.   The student took the concept and used Sketch-Up to design a three piece laser cut with the intention of using it to have a small pot plant placed upon it.    The project was cut from the MDF and then glued together using PVA wood glue.   

The next steps for this student are the key.   The project works, the time is exceptionally short (less than five minutes to laser cut the design) - the questions posed to the student: how stable is the design? How much weight can the design hold? How can they add details or features? How can they increase the impact of the design? Would a different wood make a difference? 

Left: The final design shown left having been spray painted and then mounted on the wall.   Given that the design is MDF the decision was made to mount LEGO plants on the holder to act as a test item.

Laser Cutting: Earrings

Challenge: To extend a senior student at our school with the use of the laser cutter.   

Background: This student has completed a number of projects during the past few years, starting with Tinkercad using an iPad and has advanced to working with a laptop and using Gimp and Sketchup.  

The challenge for the student at the moment is to use the technology to work on projects independently to extend herself further.  With our recent (the end of 2023) School Market Day one of the significant projects that was created was using the 3D Printers and Laser Cutter to produce earrings.

The student has combined some of the ideas that they saw last year to work on original ideas for a series of earrings.   

There is the option of using the 3D Printer which produces the PLA/plastic designs.   However this student wanted to use the laser cutter to produce something along similar lines.    The student has started creating a range of ideas.   She has used some online software primarily Sketchup to create a range of geometric shapes - which are shown on the left.  

Once these have been designed and created they have then been printed out using the industrial sized laser cutter.   Each of the individual prints has then been removed from the main sheet of plywood.    When the prints have been removed in these examples they have then had coffee stained into the wood.   The final aspect of the designs has been the attaching of the earring metal clips to the pre-made holes in the shapes.    These have been purchased locally from a craft shop for a minimal amount.

The second kind of design potential was created by using Gimp to convert a freely available picture and to use the image such as shown with the cactus designs on the left.

Level of Difficulty for the Project: The individual earrings are low - however this is intended to be a long term project with a number of aspects to it with a variety of designs.   For instance a challenge for the student is to produce original laser cut stands to display the earrings for instances when they are going to be displayed.

Size: These are a variety of standard earrings sizes depending on the design of the individual objects.

Timeframe: Each of these individual laser cuts are approximately thirty seconds in length.   There is a slight variation depending on the depth and width of each print.

Laser Cut Market Day Projects

This was another project from our 2023 School Market Day.  In this example students combined their interest and enjoyment of Basketball and the NBA and designed items that were small enough to work in conjunction with Croc Shoes - jibbitz.  

These items were produced easily on the laser cutter and didn't take more than a few minutes to produce which the students were able to use by using the GIMP. The students created an NBA style jersey and then put a number associated with a particular popular player from that team.

We also had a another group of our senior students who used the industrial laser cutter to take a series of images and pictures and engrave them onto MDF as display pieces.   Some of these have local importance or significance to the students.

Once cut on the laser cutter the students then needed to wipe down the prints and prepare them for sale.  They opted to sell these as shown, without packaging or presenting them further.