3D Printed Mouse House - Extended Version

Print showing the entrace to the 'Mouse House'

Background: Student to designed a container that would contain a working mouse trap.  This would protect a domestic animal or young child from setting off the trap accidentally.  This is the second version of this project, with the first featured here on this website (although this was considerably larger).
Background: This was students first individual attempt at 3D Printing by the student who was nine years old.   It was for a showcase (which has featured on a number of projects that have been featured on this site).
Level of Difficulty: Medium.   The design was significantly large (see details of the Printing Time).  The basic shape was from the Tinkercad interface wtih the addition of a hollow out section for the placement of the trap.   This design was printed with an extremely large amount of 'rafting' to allow the shape to be completed.
Timeframe: Twenty-Seven hours.  Given this fact this was a 'one off' print this was acceptable, the print itself could have been resized given the design brief, which would have leant itself to a considerably shorter print time.

Size: The dimension of this print were considerable - 15cm at the height of the roof structure.   The print was 15m long and 12cm wide.   The width of the walls was 5mm thick. 
What we would do differently: The print allowed a student to have his first experience with 3D printing and great a significant design.  The student could have personalised this design with thier name either externally or internally.   The shape/size came about as the result of the students experience with 3D Printers - while it worked it could have had considerable redesigning.
Next Steps for Students: As above - redesigned and personalised.

3D Printed Mouse Trap House

Mouse House with trap insert visible

Challenge: To produce a 'Mouse Trap House' that is a structure built to hold a mouse trap to ensure that it can still activate but isn't able to be accessed by a third part such as a pet or young child.
Background: Student was producing a 3D print for the first time as part of the a class project for a showcase that is taking place involving a group of local schools.   Class and students had been looking at mouse traps and determined that if an animal was able to access them or a child was able to access them easily then they could be dangerous.  The solution was to create an orginal design that was capable of housing the Mouse Trap itself, allowing the mechanism to fully operate but would not allow the trap to accidently set off.

Level of Difficulty: Medium.   The design was complicated by a significant internal aread that needed to be able to house the mouse trap, with enough space for the trap to be able to spring, with the trap fitting inside it.  This required the removal of considerable rafting from inside the design.
Timeframe: Ten hours of total print - the design could have benefitted from slight revision, however the internal mechanics of mouse trap and the housing goal determined a lot of the shape and size.  There could have been less infill with the design.

The Mousetrap used in conjunction

Size: The base of the design was 7cm across,   the height of the design was 6cm, the thickness of the sides throughout the design was 5mm (which is pretty much the minimum required to make this print successful).   The length of the design was 6cm.   The variations and specifics of the design were based to house and keep the mousetrap - which was a 'The Better Mousetrap By Intruder' brand of plastic, spring based mousetrap.   This mousetrap is quite sensitive and one of the issues with it is that it could easily be set off by movement.
What we would do differently: The challenge for the student was to build something that works in conjunction with a particular  brand of Mousetrap.   Testing is required to ensure that enough space has been produced/created to allow the spring and the trap to fully set and then release when the pressue plate is touched by a mouse.
Next Steps for Students: This project is going to undergo testing as described above to ensure that it is still able to function.  The idea is innovative and creative and addresses a specific problem related to the use of the mousetrap and has been student driven, created and produced - a great result.