Further Tilt Table Details: Avatar Themed Tilt Table.

Our students have been working on a significant project which we have featured on this blog, being the Marble Maze Tilt Table.   We have previously detailed the process and the details of the 'Star Wars' themed table.   

The second table is the 'Avatar' themed table based on the movie franchise of the same name.    As we have mentioned previously this year long student creation project has been an opportunity for students to combine some of the hardware options that are available to students at our school.

Shown in the photograph on the left is the 'tree' that is the centrepiece from the movie which is a feature of the table.  It was designed by students (using Tinkercad) and then subsequently spray painted.  

Left: The laser cutter has been used to create the MDF pieces that are shown on the left (which have been then spray painted turquoise).    The 3D Printed aspects in addition to the tree include a tilt table (which is in grey) and then the parallel bars which have been printed with the dark green filament.  

The background media which is shown below the different items has been printed on the school sticker machine.   This will allow the 3D Printed items to be mounted onto the base, with the MDF then added to supplement it and guide the ball throughout the maze.

We have previously shown the bridge aspect of the design and the table which is another major feature of this table.  You can view the details about this part of the project here.

All of the parts of the project have been designed by the students (with the exceptions of the bridge as has been detailed in the seperate post).    These have been all measured, designed and investigated by the students with prototypes created first in cardboard or paper and then having test prints completed.  In nearly all cases the test prints have morphed into the final project prints.

The final aspect of the technology that is being used is the sticker machine.  This has been used to produce the media on display on the table.    You can see examples shown in each of the photos with this post, with the characters of the movie/franchise layered onto each other to show details - the sticker machine is extremely important as the surface that the board travels over needs to be robust enough to allow continuous play without there being a worry about the layer of the playing surface suffering damage.

There will be additional posts about this process and product as it nears completion later in the year.  Further construction details are available if you require them as we can put you in contact with the teacher who is responsible for this project.   You can also view more of his incredible work via the Youtube page that houses his projects here.

Advanced Teacher Led Projects Using 3D Printers

 

This project is a significant project which students have been working on for the past six months.   A small group has designed a marble maze, which will work in conjunction with a laser cut board.   The theme of the marble maze is Star Wars based.   The 3D Printer has been used to make the stormtrooper heads shown in purple on the design.  They have been printed translucent with an LED light mounted into each of them.   The centre of the Death Star in the middle of the maze was printed by using a 3D printer to create the model.    This is a significant school project (previous projects have included a working Pinball Machine, video located here - competition finals are live streamed each year you can view the 2022 finals here).  These designs were sourced from Thingiverse and are freely available public domain.

Turbine for Hydro Project - This was designed by a teacher as a prototype for the students to use.   We are engaging in a project related to hydro flow and water flow - so this instance was a working model to encourage the students.

A twenty eight hour print the turbine was to use with an axel with the idea it could be used with additional software or material (such as Arduino Kit) to measure the rate of water flow at a particular location.  By 3D printing the model the size of the turbine can be customised for a number of locations.   In this instance the turbine has proven to be surplus to requirements.   Because of this it is going to be used in conjunction with Sphero Robots to provide an opportunity to turn the robots into the motor to run a boat.   We are going to use technical lego to connect the turbine to a boat that is powered by the robot.  We will post further about both projects as they develop.

Advanced Marble Run: Engineered Parts

Challenge: To create unique pieces for a marble run.

As part of our school we are always looking for extension activities for our students, sometimes created by our staff.   

One example is that in recent years our students have produce a pinball machine.  This machine has been full scale and is digital.  The parts of the machine have been made and engineered by students and each year the school has a Pinball Competition featuring the students, which is streamed on Youtube.    This is a major undertaking for our school 

The project which is the teacher is now involved in, which is estimated to take a year is a marble run.  As part of it there are are number of unique and individual parts that are being engineered.    The first of which is shown above.

The print is designed as a corner to allow a large ball bearing to drop down into another section of the marble run - this is a design from an adult which took eleven hours to print.   It will allow for a permanent part of the machine to be built, to potentially be modified using screws and tools.

The eleven hour time from is considerable however this part is unique to the design. The video below features the Pinball Machine - you can see the broadcast from 2022, which starts at the eight minute mark.  The competition proper starts at the twenty two minute mark.