Novelty Initial Design: Donut

 

Challenge: Junior student to produce something unique and functional in Tinkercad.

Background: Its the start of the school year after two weeks of challenges and design ideas the students are working on several projects.  A number of students have taken the initiative and started to create and work on their own designs.   While it isn't possible to print all of these there are some that we have selected as being functional or having potential so we have followed through with the process of printing them for the students.   There is a very loose criteria for this - it is presently depending on the availability of the printer (and what other projects are under consideration, available PLA etc).   In this case the design was from a first time student and it met a number of criteria.

We are hoping that it will inspire others, get them thinking and then lead onto other things, designs and creations for the students involved.   The student who designed and created this is a Y4 student who is eight years old - designing for the second week and as noted created this in their own time, obviously using the basic Tinkercad interface,

The design has proved popular in the classroom and has been passed around from students to provide a range of fun that are creating some provoking questions.

Level of Difficulty: Low - this is created independently from the teacher by someone in their own time making something 'fun'.  It involves one specific shape followed by some additions.

Size: The donut measures 140mm across from tip to tip and the sides are 40mm wide and 40mm high.

Cost/Price: To produce this item took 98g of filament.    There was some rafting that was associated with the sprinkles.  Using the Bambulab sim information we can determine that the print cost $2.50 to make with regular filament (in this case Bambu 'Orange Glass').   

Timeframe: This print took three hours and fifteen minutes to complete.   Relative versions would need to take the size required into account depending on what the purpose of this would be.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: 

We have experimented with the donut in the school pool.   Over the years we have become aware that a standard print with a twenty per cent infill is essentially able to float in water.   Last year when we had our school Market Day we had an entire product and group business based around this fact.

We also allowed the student to have it in the classroom and have 'fun' with it by trying it in different locations.    It was suggested that this could be used to tie a bag together (as the knot or bow could be tied around the donut holding it all together).

Another student used it as the base for a water bottle and students identified that they would be able to use it to hold a water bottle in place.   They were considering using it with a student who might have trouble balancing it and have it fall over.   To complete this purpose the design would need to be resized to meet the diameter of a bottle.   It was used as it was to play tag (particularly in the pool) however the students wanted to make it available as some form of ring toss game - but again it was considering that it would need to be resized and remade.

Although it might not be particularly obvious from the shots that can be seen with this post the 'sprinkles' part of the design sort-of kinda-worked but didn't really.   A number of them didn't survive the printing process, they were either removed when the rafting was taken off or fell off when completed.  There are several that appear to be attached to the print but not securely although this week the student didn't report any additional loss with the print.

The biggest consideration for a change would be the student going smaller or having more of a specific purpose.   One of the things that the students realised is that by having a 140mm wide donut there was a tendency to use it as a bracelet - or that they could have easily included a name or a description on it by utilising the skill that they learnt with the stencils - making a hole in an object.

3D Printed Chicken with Sword

Challenge: To produce something unique, with a purpose.

Background: This student has worked in the classroom for just over a year and has shown some design skill.  As she was able to produce a variety of regular items she was challenged to come up with something different that would have a purpose.

These designs were originally created and then AR/VR into the classroom so the students could determine if they would succeed as a print.  You can see the original design here.

The unique part of the design was achieved by having her use the chicken feet from the main Tinkercad interface and then create the dimensions for the bird/chicken independently using the main shapes.  As she wanted to have a different shape with her design she decided to include the sword as shown in the photograph.   The sword was intended as something of a joke, however when she was designing the print she started to consider how this part of the print might be used - for storage or potentially as an ear ring holder or for hair ties.   She also decided to consider the colour and how the final print would be presented.

Level of Difficulty: Low  at present - the student has yet to push herself with this design however once she has identified what might be the purpose of the design then it will require refinement and adapting the print.   Those specific alterations should increase the difficulty of the print quite considerably.

Size: The print measures 100mm from wing tip to wing tip, is 80mm high and is generally 50mm wide.  The sword extends 60mm from the base of the wing.  Adaptations of the design to further expand on the purpose are likely to affect these dimensions.

Timeframe: This print has overhang in several places, under the sword, the wings and the beak of the 'chicken' as a result of which the total print time for this print was six hours, on regular default settings.

What we would do differently/Next steps for students: The obvious answer for this is purpose based, while the print is amusing at present it lacks a particular focus that would be desired, however the student has already started having these conversations regarding its use to including either storage or holding of particular items.

3D Pritined Novelty Stationary Holder

Completed design with assigned ears and name

Challenge: Student wanted to create a personalized storage holder for storing stationary items to assist her in the classroom.
Background:

Student was looking to venture towards creating something that was significant and would require extensive design and finishing to create a finished piece that the student would be extremely proud of.    The student has proven time and time again in the classroom to be a student with artistic design and creation.   She was adamant right from the onset of this project about the colours and the design.     She oversaw the entire project which had little or not input from the teacher (other than suggestions about the size).   The design came from a prepared source - the hat was a standard Tinkercad design as were the rabbit ears, the student was responsible for the name.   This is the design before final finishing.   The lettering in question is held in place by blue tack and requires finishing including the use of sandpaper.   The ears are also in place in the photograph as a trial as the student wanted to experiment with the placement of them relative to the design and placement of the name etc and consider whether or not to add additional features to the design.

Design shown from above

Level of Difficulty: Medium - despite the scale of the project and the finishing the 3D Printing element of the project was straightforward based around the three key elements - the name, which is very straightforward, the hat - which came from the main Tinkercad interface, as did the ears.   The difficulty with this project has come with the finishing, given its scale it required significant rafting, and rafting removal, which left some damage to the hat (which was not particularly visible as it was produced, deliberately in black).  The student is intending to have it spray painted to touch it up and was to use sandpaper to improve the finishing on the name and the ears.

Rafting shown for this print

Time frame: This print is not for the faint hearted and was never intended to be anything less.  The ears and the name came in at a hour and the hat as a single piece took twenty two hours to complete as a single piece.    This was at a 20% infill with the usual 8mm nozzle.
Size:   The piece was 140mm high and 100mm across.  It was particularly thick with a significant depth to its sides.   This came as part of the design from Tinkercad and the student choose not to alter this to affect the overall design.
What we would do differently:   The biggest issue of a print this size would be the amount of rafting that it produces which is excess or waste plastic.  In this case the lip of the top hat, which creates the entire affect of the design.  There was a significant amount of plastic that ran the length of the design that needed to removed - it caused damaged to the hat.  Ultimately it could have been designed in component pieces that would have allowed it to minimize both but the student wanted to simplify the process.