3D Printing: Barn Printing Replacement

Challenge: To replicate or replace the broken parts to a farm barn toy building using their iPads, Tinkercad and 3D Printing.

Background: Last year we had a major school project - the Dolls House where the students spent a year remodelling the furniture for a play set.   You can click on the link here and view the summary from last year.

This year as we have noted the focus is on the barn play set as originally detailed here.    Recently we've started zeroing in on various aspects of the design with a focus on the doors.   As part of this process the students were heavily involved in using measurement and measuring in centimetres and millimetres.    Students used a variety of rulers and measuring tapes.

Students also used the Tinkercad App to AR/VR to test the viability of the design by projecting it into the place where it was to be placed.   In this instance shown left the orange door is the virtual version - the 3D Printed version is the top photograph on the right hand side.

Level of Difficulty: Hard - while the door is simple and straightforward the hinge is something that the students need to master and is proving very problematic.   We have looked at the doors in the classroom and used other examples - looking at the shapes and the design and how the door works in relation to the hinge.  The size of the design proved to be excellent for this task.   Printing the door was relatively straightforward and the time was easily completed.

Size: The print was 60mm wide and 70mm long.   The print was 4mm thick.   The hinge at the top left and the top right of the door needs a small adjustment.  It needs a small adjustment with its width to ensure that it can operate with the hinge successfully.

Cost/Price: The print used 21g of PLA to complete.   This had a price point of $0.54c.   Regular PLA was used for this task as it was completing a door and could be colour matched with spray painting or having 'barn door colour'.

Time: The print took forty one minutes to complete.  This included the time to heat up the printer and have the print set itself up.

Wheat we would do differently/Next steps for the students: The issue is again with the hinge and the ability of this door to swing in and out.   The students were successful with the measuring part of the task as were the majority of the classroom.   As we have mentioned we are going to use electronic callipers moving forward for accurate and detailed measurement.

3D Print School: Home Building Assignment

3D Print School Building Assignment: Home Repair

Learning Challenge: Create a replacement part for a working piece of machinery at home using a 3D Printer to create the piece.

Background: The local Cricket Club, who have a close association with our school came to see us because they had a BBQ Knob that need replacement.  Rather than replacing the entire BBQ they requested that we be able to manufacture a replacement part that would be functional and would allow them to continue using the BBQ without having to replace the entire BBQ.

Task: We had the original part and were able to make an accurate copy of it as a result.   The students had to make detailed measurements of the replacement piece. 

Level of Difficulty: Low/Moderate - as we had an original part we did not need to experiment with the measurements or the details.   We simply used the existing measurements (so in this example the students did not carry out a written plan first, we were also on a restricted timetable).

The replacement part, mounted on the BBQ next to the original piece.

Issues: The students were able to complete this repair by the following day.  The only issue came with the width of the internal gap to allow the knob to be connected to the BBQ.  Students had to work out a way to identify the circumference of the internal gap and the depth of it.   The gap also featured a sleeve which was metal as a heat protection feature.  This sat inside knob.  

Timeframe: The students were able to complete the task following a sample print run.   Using Tinkercad they were able to produce a prototype the same day.  It had to be corrected to allow for the internal gap to connect it to the BBQ.  Once one had been printed and the students realised that the gap needed to be adjusted they were successfully able to do so.  The second print worked.

Above: The replacement piece in action

Size: The finished product took approximately half an hour to print and measure 5cm by 5cm and had a depth of 5cm.

Process: The students had an original piece on which to base their designs.   This meant that instead of creating an original piece they were replicating a replacement piece.   We are going to pay close attention to the longterm success of the part - currently there is no apparent damage to the 3D Printed part as a result of the cooking process however overtime we need to continue to monitor this.  We could look at manufacturing the inner sleeve to protect it if required, however at this stage it does not appear to be an issue.  The fact that this worked and the students were able to turn it around so quickly was a strong bonus.  

Problem Solving: Measurement - specifically in this instance the depth required from the internal part and  the circumference of the internal circle.  The concept seemed to be understood clearly by the students but the process involved proved a small stumbling block.   While generic ones could be ordered online it allowed an opportunity to ensure we could design an individual piece that was tailor made for the BBQ.

How Can You Contribute: 
Have you used a 3D Printer to repair something at home? Have you designed or repaired something at home that needs replacing and can you send us the details so we can share and use your examples to encourage others?

3D Print School Building Assignment

3D Print School Building Assignment: Classroom Repair

Above: Some of the first attempts
to solve featuring the spring version

Learning Challenge:
Repair part of the classroom and produce a working replacement part using a 3D Printer.

Background:
This was the very first task assigned to our class of Y7/8 students upon the initial delivery of the first 3D Printer to our school - May 2014.  It was completed with the delivery of the Ultimaker 2 to our school - November 2014.  (Had the Ultimaker 2 been delivered first the timeframe would have been one to two weeks from start to finish. Y7/8 is 11-13 year old.)

Task:
Students brainstormed a part of the classroom that needed to be fixed or repaired.  Students were briefed to look for something that fitted the size of the 3D Printer and could easily be replicated.   A resource cupboard in the classroom had two latches, both of which had been broken and bent as a result of constant use.

Level of Difficulty:
Introductory, possible extension. 

Original Design using older style print

Students to solve problem depending on the state the classroom, the more modern the classroom the more challenging this would be.   We also looked at hooks, holders and various resource creations.

Issues:
First time the printer was used.   The mechanism in the original latch featured a spring mechanism to lock it, which couldn't be replicated.   Students tried 5 or 6 regular versions of the print before one of the group came up with the 'ball and socket' approach.   Students didn't consider attaching the latch to the door which caused them to increase the depth of the base of the latch.

This was the original video created by students in my class that explained the process - please note the clip features a 3D Print from our original Printer, which has now been replaced by the Ultimaker 2.

Details:

Later version using Ultimaker 2

This task was completed by Y7-8 students (11-13 year olds).   The initial designs were completed as sketches by one student, by hand, then refined using Tinkercad  The school at this stage had a Diamond Mind 3D Printer.  This caused delay with the print as it was our first time completing a 3D Print Project.  The time frame was two months.   The second go at this, with our Ultimaker 2 saw a time frame of under twenty minutes for the first print (from design).  Students used Tinkercad for the first run with its pull and shape design.   The design had already been determined by the initial prints - the students had realised quickly that they couldn't replicate the spring mechanism of the 3D Printer and so developed a ball and socket approach.  This worked fantastically.

Timeframe:
Short: 20 minutes from design, print time in region of 20 minutes to half an hour.

Size:
The finished print was approximately 7cm by 7cm with a depth of 5cm.

Above: This Slideshow was created to explain the process to solve the cupboard problem - it shows the progression and the development of the designs - the original idea of the clips being replaced by the socket design.

Process:
Identification of problem that needed to be resolved - in this case it was a broken part of the classroom that needed to be repaired.  Students initial designs were reshaped during the process.  

Problem Solving:
Measurement.  Extension: location and strength of the screw holes.   Students also needed to determine the diameter and location of the screw holes.   By using a ball and socket approach students needed to consider the depth, diameter and circumference of the latch that they were creating.  When the latch was mounted there were issues related to the door.

View of socket with later design

Further Reading:
This slideshow was created by students from Auroa Primary School.  The photographs that accompany it relate to the Diamond Mind Printer/Print.   Our School no longer has this hardware and is now printing exclusively with Ultimaker 2.

How Can You Contribute: 
Have you used a 3D Printer to repair something in your classroom? Have you designed or repaired something in your classroom/school and can you send us the details so we can share and use your examples to encourage others?