3D Customised Art Insects

Challenge: For an art design project/sculpture project created by the students to create and 3D design an insect that would work in conjunction with the art display.

Background: Using an Ultimaker 2+ as a printing tool, using Tinkercad as a design tool the students first sketched a diagram of an insect that was related to a plant that they were making that was constructed from wire - for instance a dragonfly with a cactus.    The students in the classroom were confident with using the 3D Printer having completed the introductory tasks that are listed on this blog.   The insects were designed by the ten and eleven year old students using the basic interface design and additional tools.    Students were concentrating on producing a print that was to scale so the print time for all of the insects or animals described here did not exceed twenty minutes and some of the smaller ones were under ten minutes.    

The students brief was to use the 3D Printer to design the insect/animal and additional features of the insects would be added once the creations had been spray painted.    Some of the smaller aspects of the insects are going to be added using additional media, such as wire for the antenna.

Level of Difficulty: Medium there are a variety of designs and creations in this sequence all of which have slightly different aspects.   These designs were all created by students who have used Tinkercad before and were confident in their abilities.   The final design of the plants themselves (such as the cactus shown on the left) is still to be completed so the size o the plants may be altered.   

Size: All of the prints were as close to the possible of the size of the actual insect - so they ranged from a few centimetres to the largest in this sequence which was the dragonfly.   This was 10cm long.  Some of the smaller designs, such as the Ladybugs shown on the left were only two or three centimetres across.

Timeframe: These prints did not take the typical length of time that are listed on this blog, this is primarily because of the scale of them.   By far the longest in the set was the dragonfly which came in at fifty minutes, as mentioned the smaller ones in the series were under ten each.

What we would do differently/Next Steps for the students: Using spray paint to decorate a number of the insects will be key to finishing their details and design.    Once a base coat has been applied additional details can be added to finish the designs.  The students also have been challenged to produce the insects to scale to complete the art design so there is potential to adjust some of the prints - given the length of time for each one and the PLA involved this is not a particularly major deal.

3D Printed Spray Painted Keyring

Design shown from above

Challenge: For a student to produce a unique personalised key ring.
Background: At times we are looking at ways to challenge students to produced original versions or variations of existing projects or projects that students have previously completed.   In this example this student wanted to produce a key ring that was uniue.   She wanted to use a 'dice' or cube design and have the five letters of her name.    The intention from the student was always to use spray paint from a spray can to decorate or change the presentation of the PLA.   The original PLA was white.     The print was completed essentially in two seperate parts. 

The first was to produce the dice which provided the basis for the print.   This was gained by selected one of the shapes from the Tinkercad main interface.   One this was completed the student measured up the results and then selected lettering.    While the concept was simple the execution of the print was also well thought out.   Once the lettering had been completed the two elements of the print were put together with superglue (by the classroom teacher).

Degree of Difficulty: Low - simple and effecive.
Size: The cube that is the base for the design is a cube that is four centimetres across.   The lettering varied slighlty in siz but was essentially a 20mm by 20mm regular sized font.   The students name was five letters long, so having it on the cube with the base blank or empty worked effectively.
Timeframe: Combined for the entire print was just over two hours, reflected in the design.
What we would do differently/next steps for the students: The long term viability of the print will be related for the ability of the lettering to remain in place.  As a high use item the super glue will need to hold.    The student only opted for a single coat of spray can paint to decorate they could have used two coats and used making tape to control the decoration.

Misc 3D Printed Projects - Term 2: 2020

The return to school in New Zealand this term, and a return to regular classroom programs has allowed the students to be back designing and creating in the classroom (the 3D Printer used to create everything on this site is a single Ultimaker 2+ which is why there are colour themes for particular print runs.   We felt to due every print justice that we would feature a few individually and also put up a sequence of some of the others.   These are a selection of prints that our students are currently working on.

A basic design, with plenty of examples and exemplars on this site, allowing someone to create something (following a tutorial created last year as a 'Flipped' video by ten year old students) which is functional and allowing someone to be successful and design something at their first attempt.

The print took two and a half hours to print included a small amount of rafting (which was just the outside outline as shown.   No refinements etc were required.

A second student designed something similar and independent of the other student.   The student is nine years old and working with Tinkercad for the first time. 

They were given a 1:1 explanation of how to use this by another student who was able to follow these verbal instructions and produce this print.   The print took two and a half hours to complete was 100mm across, 90mm high and 5mm thick.   The student was extremely pleased with the design and wanted to use white as a base colour and then spray paint at least two colours over the top.

This student has shown an interest in design and creation and wanted to customise this design to hold stationary.   On production of the print and trying it with various items of stationary the student made the decision that it would be more suitable for a container that allowed her to store her jewellery and in particular her earings, so had a change of purpose for that.

Design took four hours to print and was done so with minimal PLA.   The student was extremely pleased with this design and creation which was her first independent design.

3D Printed Badges/Key Rings - 2020 Edition

The next batch of these designs have followed a similar format and process as detailed on this blog.  As such other than a brief update about the size and details of them they have followed the previously described pattern and so will remain relatively static in description.

'Mum the best cook ever' - is 5mm thick was 90mm across and 120mm high.   This had a print time of three and a half hours with the default settings.   This was designed by a student at their first attempt using Tinkercad and using the tutorial that is featured in this blog as a beginners guide, otherwise the student had no formal training or assitance.

The process was perfect wtih the exception of the 'v' as part of ever in the bottom right hand corner which came as a result of the lettering being too small.   Student used pre-created available lettering and imaging to produce result.

Left: 'C & L' Star.  Sometimes the best learning can be accidental, in this case this is a print that didn't work and the student was to redesign it.   If you view the star you can see that the circle at teh top of the star is too large relative to the size of the design.   This had the consequence of preventing the design from being successful, although the student was able to adjust it with some quick and basic design fixing.   It was a one hour print time reflected in the dimensions of the design which was 5mm wide/thick and 70mm high.  Student was looking to increase the size to the 120mm range. 

Left: 'Hunter Dad' came in at 90mm high, 90mm across and was 5mm thick.   The student based the design on freely available images that involved a simple Tinkercad search.  The lettering was available from the main template, the only additional features were the hole to allow its use as a badge/key ring and the addition of the surname of the family on the side of the design (not visible in photograph).   The design took fifteen minutes for someone using Tinkercad for the first time, and was produced with zero waste PLA/plastic.  Three hours to print at the regular default settings

3D Printed Keyring Using Scribble

Challenge: Using 'Scribble' option from Tinkercad to produce a unique 3D Print.
Background: As a new school year has started in New Zealand we are looking at ways to use the creation process involved with 3D Printing for students to create new projects and cover new ground.   As some of the students in this years class cohort have already mastered using basic Tinkercad design we wanted to use another tool to help encourage them to create something individual.

One of the key Tinkercad design tools is the 'scribble' icon, which can be seen in the bottom right hand corner of this screenshot.    The student concerned was challenged to use this tool to create something unique.   She was wanting to create a gift for another student and work independently to create a design.

By utilizing the scribble design she kept the design brief and was able to create the cat that was featured to the left.   The 'scribble' option allowed this Y5 student to create something with an easily recognisable design.   To ensure that the print was personalised she added the students name to the bottom of the design (which indeed is spelt with a single l).   Finally to allow the item to have a purpose she used the ability to easily put a hole into the design in the top right hand.

We are previously created detailed step by step instructions to complete this sort of task as we would appply it as a basic introduction to 3D Printing for students who are in the Y5-6 year level (independently).
Degree of Difficulty: Low - there is a variety of tutorials and assistance to complete projects like this.  As an introduction to 3D Printing we usually find students can complete it successfully after watching videos such as this.

Size: The design measured 110mm across from end to end and was 90mm high.  One of the key elements to reduce the print time but to also ensure that it was manageable was to ensure that the thickness of the print was 5mm.    Given the purpose of the design, the size ideal for the project.
Timeframe: Three and a half hours.   The printers that we are using for this project are working on a 4mm nozzle and are nearly five years old (although they have been reconditioned).
What we would do differently/next steps for students: 'Scribble' is a basic design to allow students to create more unique pieces of work.   The icon and nature of the design tool does not suit every design, however it is something different and it allows for something unique to be created by the students involved.   Result.

3D Print Customised Speaker Holder

Challenge: To customise a original 3D Printed Box for a speaker.
Background: Since last school term our students have been involved in a significant sound lure project.   This has took a considerable amount of our time and focus.   For this project which is developing at a rapid pace we have recently completed the prototype of the speaker system that we will be using. 

The 3D printer has a crucial role to play in the successful completion of the project as it involves creating an opportunity to water-proof and allow the combination of speakers and parts to be put together.    In this example the speaker (which was a 0.5 watt speaker) was placed in a box that was previously designed as a potential housing box for the speaker system.   The addition of a lid for the box had a significant circular hole

that was built into the lid of the box.   This lid was for positioning of the speaker, which allowed the speaker to vibrate and project a sound that was clear and auidble. 

In this example the lid of the box was only two mm thick as the students wanted to spend time considering whether or not it would work and its acceptable.

This print took fifteen minutes to complete and will be detailed shortly in more depth.  The speaker shown is a recycled speaker.

3D Printed Sound Lure - Version 2.0

Above: The sound chip and the first stage of box protection

Challenge: To produce a box to allow a sound lure to be deployed outside - the box needs to be water proofed to reduce the chance that water can damage the electronics contained within the box.
Background: This is a significant project for the students in our classroom utilizing the 3D Printers to produce custom made boxes for sound lures that we are producing to work in conjunction with traditional traps for pests.   These pests are significant in New Zealand - as introduced initially to control rabbits they subsequently turned their attention to preying on native New Zealand bird species.   As a result of our work with local agencies we have looked at using technology to make these traps more effective - by using electronics to lure the predators towards traditional traps.   These sound lures require basic or medium level electronics that need to be deployed outside in the elements - we already know from repeated testing that the 3D Print filament will not be weathered the issue is whether or not the students can successfully soundproof the box while also allowing the sound from

The middle of the design to project the sound chip

the box to be heard to allow predators to hear it.   This is involving all students in the classroom, who are ten or eleven years old, to design boxes to hold the electronics.   This is not as straightforward as it seems as we have not completed the electronics project part yet - so the designs need to be flexible so that they can be adaptable for different sized chips.   In this design shown the chip is a greeting card sized chip that would produce a sound similar to a one watt speaker.   The balance between water proofing and adding the ability to disperse sound is providing challenging and once the electronics are confirmed the challenge will need to be adaptable to be completed successfully.  This is an ongoing project that our student will continue to be working on for a considerable length of time (the project
itself it is not anticipated that will be completed before the end of the 2019 Calendar Year.   The designs at present represent the students understanding of 'waterproofing' and need to be reflective of moisture as opposed to rain, as we have a 'roof' design shown in this process which does not overlap the base.

Middle Design - Showing the holes: are these two large

Level of Difficulty: High - this concept while it appears straightforward has a number of factors involved in it the most difficult is the balance between allowing the sound to be emitted from the box but not to allow water or moisture in particular to enter the box and have an affect on the electronics.   Traditionally designing the holes in 3D Printing design programs may ultimately not work and we suspect at this point that we may have to look at drilling into a solid box base with a drill with a small width to have the best results (this will be tested in the field later in the year to confirm).
Size: This print was completed in three main component pieces which are shown in the three main pictures with this post.   The base of the design which contains the part where the chip is located is a simple box design.   It is 80mm long 50mm wide and 10mm high.   The width of the sides of the box is 5mm.   The middle stage of the box, as shown in the second pictures has similar dimensions as listed above with the expectation of it being a solid block (with of course the five holes that are thought it).    The third component part is the roof.   This design was devised on the basis of a traditional sloping roof, with a basic triangular shape and four columns that were for the roof to be placed on the middle section.  The roof is 30mm high at its top point and the columns are 20mm high.   The dimensions of the roof are designed to work with the base.
Time Frame: The print, in its three component pieces were printed as a single job which took six hours.   There could have been a little additional attention paid to its dimensions (see below).
What we would do differently/next steps for the students: The roof does not extend over the base of the design - so the practical attention to detail would be if this was effective (obviously as we know that rain does not fall straight down, but when wind is included can come in from the angle, this provides limited protection).   The five holes that were introduced to allow the sound to come out from the microchip were not co-ordinated with the columns to hold the roof up - some of the holes underneath were covered completely by the support for the roof.   Sound testing will lead to this being considerable redesigned.

3D Printed Possum Trap Adjustment

Above: The commercial trap with container

Challenge: To add an extra component to a commercial Possum Trap to increase its efficiency's.
Background: This is a possum trap that is deployed on a farm belonging to a student in the classroom.  The Australian Brush Tailed Possum is a horrendous pest in New Zealand causing terrible damage to the New Zealand environment.   A number of our students are actively encouraging pest control and assisting their parents on running of farms.   This trap is a commercial trap with a bar that is sprung when the possum reaches into the trap to take the bait contained on the inside.    The student concerned with this trap wanted to protect the bait which was removed by a possum before the trap was sprung.    He wanted to house the bait inside the trap, which was a combination of Cinnamon and apple, which would attract the possum by the smell, causing the Possum to spring the trap but not to be able to actually get to the bait, allowing the student to replace the bait and re-set the trap.     3D Printing allowed the student to modify the trap by producing a custom component for the bar to complete the project easily.    Testing of the trap once the bait container was added allowed the student to see clearly that the bait would be held in place and the trap mechanism would not be affected.   The trap is now going to be re-set on the students farm to monitor its effectiveness to see if it would complete the project.

Above: Design showing the attachments to the bar

Level of Difficulty: Medium - the piece that was produced to protect the bait needed to be measured carefully as it needed to work in conjunction with existing pieces.    The student also created two connection points so that the container could be attached to the bar.
Size: The box is 80mm high 55mm across and 15mm wide - these dimensions are all relative to the box being fitted to the existing bar. 
Time frame:   Three hours to complete, a basic design project that is more about its practical application than looking good.  Conceivably this could be refined to incorporate storage etc, but the intention is for the smell to still be possible but not allow the animal to access the bait so it does not need to be replaced as often as is currently.    There is potential for refinement but the student just wanted this to work.
What we would do differently/next steps for student: Minimal.   The student is going to deploy this bait container with the trap and test it for its effectiveness, which should be straightforward.  There has been some discussion about creating small holes in the base of the design to see if this would encourage the smelling of the bait, but it will be trailed as is first.

3D Printed Sound Lure - Draft

Original Design on left, student 3D Print on the right

Challenge: To produce a box (water-proof) that could be used as a sound lure.
Background: Our students have begun to undertake a significant project, the creation of a sound lure to be used in predator trapping in New Zealand.     We have been supplied an original device (see photo) and the students were challenged to use technology to produce their own version.   The 3D Printer is a s key component of this project as the sound lures ultimately are intended to be deployed outdoors in the New Zealand environment, this means that they need to be water proofed, which the 3D Printer is ideal to do.     The design is very straightforward as it is essentially a box shape, and so students who had the original device were simple looking to copy this design.    The sound lure requires it to be drilled and mounted on either a trap or a location close to where a regular trap is deployed (essentially the idea is that the sound lure is more effective than a meat or bait lure and it will attract the pest from a larger range making the trap more effective).    The 3D Printer is crucial in this design as it will be more adaptable - in this case if we have to modify the size of the speaker for

Design with lid

instance, to increase its effectiveness, then we can simply take the 3D Printed design and modify it.   The PLA has proven to be durable and long lasting and weather proofing is a simple matter, and this crucially meets this need.    This will be a significant ongoing project moving forward with particular input from 3D Printers to allow our students to produce something that can be used in the outdoors successfully.   
Level of Difficulty: Medium - while the initial design appears for all intent purposes to be a basic box design (which it is at present) there is considerable design features that will need to be added to the design.    (see the what we would do differently section below).
Size: The current size of the box is 80mm long, 50mm long and 30mm high - these are the specific dimensions of the current sound lure that the design was looking to emulate.

Above: the completed project

Time frame: Three and a half hours for both parts of the design, the box and the lid.  These are specific to the component parts of the sound lure and the flexibility of the printer allows them to be easily changed to modify to the respective size of additional speakers etc.
What we would do differently: Next steps for students.   The original design featured an ability to have screws mounted in the lid and the base to secure it closed.   We experimented with making these options available, however made the decision to drill directly into the print when it was completed to allow perfectly adjusted screw sizes.   We have completed this task in the past and the PLA has maintained its shape without damage.   We will be experimenting with this with the next phase of the print and also including screw options and locations into the design.   This will involve considerable testing at this stage to move forward.

3D Printed Fridge Magnet: Improved Version

This print featured on this blog previously.   The intention was always to add additional details onto the cat, which was to include the whiskers and the nose.

The addition of these features was a simple design and a twenty minute prints.   The eyes of the print were using the yellow magnets, which allowed the magnet to hold itself in place.   

All other information on the print remains the same.

3D Printed Projects: Various Updates

Left: Stationary Holder.   These prints have been attempted and completed before and a number have featured on this blog.   This student designed an original one using basic geometric shapes.  During this process when the printer was in operation and the print was being produced the print 'slipped' producing an effect which is shown left where the layers of the print instead of being smooth were layered.  The student concerned felt that the result (which still worked perfectly despite the appearance) was exceptional, so much so he was keen to try and replicate it (which is not been possible as it always been an accident when occurred and at times has wrecked the print.  This was a major print of significant time - twenty six hours by a ten year old who is developing his 3D Printing Skills.   No further changes needed.

Left: Name Tag/Badge/Key Ring.   These objects have been detailed significantly in the past on this site and can be located by the label menu on the left.    This one was particular pleasing as it was the students first ever 3D Print and there was really positive composition and layout to the print.   The print design was relatively straightforward with some peer mentoring and the student was thrilled with the result.   No further development required a two hour print with the regular settings (4mm nozzle/20% infill for).

Left: Signs for Market Day.   One of the recent significant projects is for a Market Day taking place this coming week.   One group of students are producing inspirational signs on stained wood, where the lettering on the signs has been 3D Printed.   The students are still experimenting with the font size and appearance but some of the developed signs are shown on the left.   This process has been previously detailed on the blog.    The lettering typically is 45mm high and 5mm thick with two hours a sign print time.

 Left: 3D Print Stamp results.   Previously on this blog students have identified and created a stamp by 3D Printing.   This prototype has undergone significant development as we have identified that we can Laser Cut the Rubber and order it online to produce a quality finish close or as good as a commerical stamp.   In this example shown a 3D Printed stamp, detailed here, has been used with regular poster paint (not ink) to produce this image.

3D Printed Stamp

Above: The finished design from the lettering side

Challenge: Students wanted to produce a working stamp using the 3D Printer to produce a template for a stamp.
Background: This was part of the students process of designing for a Market Day that we are having at the school, where students run a business.   The students in this group have formed a group with the initials 'FBT' they were selling items in a regular paper bag, and as part of the presentation for the bag they wanted to create a stamp that would allow them to mark their work consistently.   The students were a mix of ten and eleven year old students who had a mixture of experience with 3D Printing.   The process to produce a stamp was extremely easy - the lettering was produced with the main Tinkercad interface, the lettering was introduced into the stamp and then the students started to investigate the need to reverse the lettering.   As with a lot of options on Tinkercad there was already icon which allowed the students to flip/reverse/mirror image the print on screen - this was simply done with a two click process which took the students in the region of three minutes to design.  The last aspect was simply designing something that would work with regards to the size, which the students had been aware of from previous projects.
Level of Difficulty: Low - the only issue here was the identification and the selection of the flip/mirror image icon, which is in the main interface of Tinkercad the rest of the design aspect was simply about selection a concept or design idea, which the students were able to come to the teacher and identify. 
Size: The print measures 120mm wide/across is 80mm high and the base is 5mm thick.  The lettering that is featured as the print font is 10mm high, 80mm across and 50mm high.  This task is all about creating a working stamp that can mass produce some individualized lettering.  This print was completed with a 4mm nozzle and printed with a 20% infill.
Time frame: This print came in at two and a half hours.  This was all about the lettering and the size of the stamp that the students wanted to produce.
What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: Students need to look at producing a handle on the other side (reverse) of the stamp to allow them to stamp effectively - it currently has a block at the back which while it will allow the students to operate the stamp on a pad would be better suited for handling if one was produced.    This is potentially a very good idea as it would allow the students or others a very easy way to customize something that could then have a practical application.  Testing with the students will show how successful the print is with ink - and paper, then we will also look at potentially changing the PLA or the thickness of the print (which is at a default of 4mm).

3D Printed Personalised Magnetic Memo Holder

Challenge: To use a common stationary item (in this case a magnet) and combine this with a 3D Print.
Background: Looking for students to be introduced to 3D Printing by starting with something straightforward and basic the students could easily produce.   The student was ten years old and was producing for thier first time.   The object that they were given were two pin-magnets.   The student decided that she wanted to create a 3D Print linking her name with space for the magnets.   The basic design is familiar to everyone who has seen the main Tinkercad Interface.  The name of the student and then the production of the holes inside the design follow a very similar format to the design of the name badge and key rings.  The total design time for this student took five minutes (for her first print) and this was the complete successful print.
Level of Difficulty: Low this student was able to work this out with minimum input (ie none) from others and worked to complete the finished product independently.
Size: 110mm long, 30mm high and 5mm deep.   This was perfect for the design.
Timeframe: One hours and twenty minutes - given the design the idea was to get someone to produce something in a short timeframe that was going to be successful.
What we would do differently: This student was wanting to produce something in a short time frame.  the hole where the magnets went could have been more precise but worked with the intent.  The student is going to move onto more complex and difficult projects.

Project Update: Art Letter for Market Day

Project Update: As detailed previously on this blog the students from this classroom have an upcoming Market Day project where they have to run a small scale business.  The students were keen to adapt the 3D Printer to provide a means for producing word art of phrases that they could then mount on wood.   They wanted to use the 3D Printer to produce the lettering.    In various testing and trialing the students attempted to print various phrases and lettering as detailed in the previous print.   After deciding to use pallet wood as their backing wood, the students then used sandpaper to take away the rough edges of the wood and then used a commercial staining wood stain that was available to produce a finished affect on the wood.   The last stage was then to determine which colour PLA worked with the stained wood and the size of the font and lettering used.    The students made the decision to focus on the "Dream & Achieve" phrase.   The font Dream measured 130mm across and was 60mm high as well as being 5mm thick.   The ampersand in the middle was by far the smallest of the three

measuring 30mm by 30mm.   The final part of the design was the "Achieve" this was also 130mm across but in contrast to the 'Dream' was only 30mm wide but also 5mm high.     This lettering was designed to sit on wood that was 450mm long and was 50mm high.   Originally it was thought the 'dream' would be in a different colour, such as the purple PLA.   However as is shown in the test print on the left the 'Dream' part of the print has a dark stain created on the wood and while the 'achieve' stands out the 'dream' part of the project is hard to identify at distance.  The next step for the student is to work through different colours contrasting to the dark background to see what stands out and is effective at making the print be more of a display piece.   The students have already identified Glow-In-the-Dark Filament as important to this project.   The teacher has given feedback to the students related to the print and how best to attach the lettering to the wood (currently experimenting with wood glue).   The teacher has also spoken to the students about the mounting of the 3D Printed lettering.  In the last prototype shown above the students have not spaced the lettering evenly, and although it is not obvious from the photograph they have not removed the excess PLA from the lettering meaning that some of the lettering is not sitting flat on the wood.

3D Printed Part for a Composite Bow and Arrow

Above: Final draft with the 3D Printed end point visible.

Challenge: Student had a composite hunting bow.  He wanted to produce a replica for a tip of an arrow so he could use it to shoot his bow and arrow.
Background: This came about as the student who is ten years old had purchased a bow and arrow.  As part of this the arrow heads had a plastic attachment and covering.   The student wanted to 3D Print this to allow him to modify it to improve his aim with his bow and arrow.   He had the design in mind when he first had the bow and arrow and thought that by 3D Printing the top of the arrow it would allow him to customize it for his own use.    He experimented with the size of the top of the arrow and by measuring and adjusting it was able to quickly produce a piece that fitted extremely well with the arrow.   The second step was to consider changing the variables.   In nearly every post on this site we've used three consistent - regular PLA and a infill for the print of 20% as well as a 8mm nozzle.  This has been reflected in the need to produce a class (thirty student) set of prints.   This targeted print needs to see these things addressed as we are dealing with something that potentially would benefit from having the variables

Above: The design shown separated.

changed.  Given the print times the student is able to produce a variety of prints quickly that he is then going to test to determine the best fit that produces the best result. 
Level of Difficulty: High - this student while producing a small print is creating something that has a very specific target and he is doing so with a high degree of accuracy needed.   This also needs to be adapted to improve his accuracy and work to improve the use of his hunting bow.
Size: The component pieces for this as shown are relatively small, but need to work in conjunction with the arrow itself - it was relatively small 5mm across by 20mm long.  This is entirely dependant on the length and width of the arrow relative to being able to use it to fire.   The student is going to experiment this with differing length and design.   His key task to identify the best and most accurate way to fire the bow.

Time frame: This print is currently coming in at twenty minutes.   We are expecting this to be considerably altered when the final design has been determined by testing.   This also needs to again address the issue of the variables that are regularly
What we would do differently: Most of the issues that have been addressed with this project have already been mentioned in the other details of the print.   Those things will be working on conjunction with extensive testing and creating of this print.

3D Printed Art Lettering for Market Day Project

Above: the 20mm 'STAY' lettering

Challenge: A student project team are working on running a classroom business for a market day want to utilise the 3D Printer to produce lettering for words and phrases that could be then combined with wooden blocks/lettering to produce a finished piece of art.
Background: The students of the school have a project this term for them to run a business.  A number of the students groups are producing art based projects.   One group was interested in looking at producing signage on wooden blocks of themes or sayings.   To produce the lettering part of the art project the students wanted to utilise the 3D Printer to produce the lettering and then mount it onto the wood.    This involved the students selecting a design that they were happy with and producing a font that reflected a design and style and that could be combined with the wood.  For the wood the students selected a wood pallet and used the school Woodwork room to cut the wood into blocks.    The students were dealing with a block that was

Above: Live featured as 30mm design

50mm high and 500mm across.    They had the potential to shorten the length of the block dependant of the length of the words or phrase.    The students were able to trial print the lettering and then work out the dimensions of the wood that they wanted to use.   The students started with a basic design and font, worked out the dimensions and then develop an idea of concepts related to that.  They also identified key areas to move forward successfully with the product - that they would need a Wood Glue to mount the lettering onto the wood and also for the wood to be stained to help enhance the look of the lettering.   The colour of the PLA will be contrasted with the staining of the wood.   Once completed the price of the design was minimum - the PLA for the plastic for the 3D Printing and the Wood Glue and stain were the only expenses that the group needed to account for.   The students also are keen to experiment with different PLA relative to the stained wood and look into using different filaments with the potential for the use of glow-in-the-dark PLA.

#3DPrintEdu - 120mm x 60mm

Level of Difficulty: Low - the single challenge for the production of the art block and combination with the 3D Printing.    The font selection from Tinkercad is significant the only aspect that the students needed to determine was the size of the font that they were printing.
Size: As shown in the photograph the 'Stay' font measured 20mm high and was grouped (clustered) as 60mm across.   This font was designed to be 5mm deep.   The 'Live' font shown in photograph was 30mm high, 70mm across and 10mm deep.    The #3DPrintEDU chat font was 120mm across groupd and 60mm high.   The depth of the print was 5mm.    The largest print that was run in this run was the 'LAUGH' print and font - this font was larger that the block of wood that it was intended for.    This measured 130mm wide and 70mm high.  It had a depth of 10mm.

Above: the final trial design

Timeframe: As this was a series of prints the lettering itself varied significantly.   In the four featured prints here the 'Stay' print took thirty minutes.   The 'Live' print was forty five minutes.   The '#3DPrintEDU' print took one hour.    'Laugh' was the biggest print of the series (as noted it is essentially oversized) which took two and half hours.     This would vary depending on the size of the block that the students would anticipate using - that had a measurement of 50mm high (but again could be cut to size). 
What we would do differently: The students have a lot of potential development to come relative to the size of the wood that they had produced and cut.    The colour of the wood that is produced from the staining will influence the final design and PLA choices by the students.   The students are also looking for a 'wow' factor and want to experiment with different PLA options and choices including Glow-In-the-Dark filament.

3D Printed 'Cat' Themed Magnet Fridge Holder

Above: Complete Cat 3D Printed Fridge Magnet

Challenge: To use two magnets in a way that uses them in conjunction with 3D Print.
Background: Student who had limited exposure to 3D Printing.  She was given the challenge of using a common item and tasked to 3D Print some aspect of it.   This task has been used repeatedly to create the students an opportunity to design something with a 3D Printing theme.   Previous examples of prints in this series featured on the blog include the Robotic Pencil Sharpener and 3D Printed Magnet Holder which are detailed on this blog.

In this example the student choose to concentrate on creating a note holder that could be placed as a reminder on a noticeboard or the fridge.   The design was available online from a simple search from Tinkercad main interface.  Following that the students only task was to check the dimensions of the print and width of the print.   The final task was the introduction of two holes that were cut into the design, these formed the eyes of the design. The student measured and attempted to replicate the diameter of the holes to ensure that the eyes were securely attached to the base of the design.  The student involved in this design is nine year old.
Level of Difficulty: Low - this was an introductory task for a student who wanted to learn and develop her skills with 3D Printing.  This was her first independent project despite contributing to other projects that students have worked on.
Size: 80mm wide, 90mm high and 5mm thick.  The purpose of the design was based around a print working with the eyes, which initially were two different colours, the student wanted to switch to using two yellow pins to convey the theme of eyes. This was about the right dimensions for this product - which was intended as an introduction to showcase 3D Printing without the print project taking to long to get to the finish.  The weight of the product is also dependant on the thickness of the design, there have been other prints using similar magnets that have been too heavy which have caused the magnets to slide down their intended surface.   This was shown by the previous magnet challenge.
Time Frame: One hour twenty on our typical default settings - using 8mm nozzle and 20% infill.
What we would do differently: While the student was particularly happy with the design and finished product there are obvious extensions that could be completed.   There could be the potential to print, in a relative short space of time, whiskers or additional basic features.  The fact that the design could be completed relatively easily would also lend itself to a series of similar kinds of designs that might then be completed in large numbers over a few days (ie monsters etc).

3D Printed Art Proejcts - Completing LED Lights/Jars

Above: Light with additional support in place, blue tacked.

Challenge: As a separate art project students had created a glass jar with an LED light.   The project needed finishing because the area around the LED light was too small for the jar - the 3D Printer was used to create additional support for the light so it would sit perfectly.

Background: This was a project that required the 3D Printer to integrate with what was already produced, the 3D printer was used to produce the finishing.  The student had created the art project but was also a student who had used the 3D Printer extensively so when the light needed additional support to hold it in place she knew immediately that she wanted the 3D Printer to produce the additional support for the LED light.  The design was based around the light, relative to the size of the jar and allowed the extra width for the light, created by the 3D Printer.   The light was then able to sit perfectly in place on the top of the jar.   This is a fantastic example of using the 3D Printer to complete a project in a simple but extremely effective way.    The print was designed by the student and a trial completed by using blue tack to hold the LED light and extra print in place.
Level of Difficulty: This is low - the design is simple, however the concept and idea came from the student who identified that the 3D Printer would be able to complete the job perfectly.
Time frame: Six Minutes - this is possibly the shortest print to ever be featured on this blog in five years, however nothing additional was required - the light was supported to fit perfectly.
Size: The design was 5mm thick which is the minimum that would allow this to be successful, the size of it was relative to the jar and the size that was required to complete the project, nothing additional was required as it.

What we would do differently: Nothing - while this was a very straightforward print it was a perfect use of a 3D Print to complete a project.   The LED lights that were featured in this design were ordered online, as were the jars.   The students then used a stencil and duroseal to create a design on the outside of the jar.   The jar then had spray paint applied to it from an aerosol can.   The final product was a 'Night Light' that was produced - the light was concealed in the lid of the jar.  The students were intending to experiment with different stencils for affect on the jar itself - although this would not change the 3D Printed aspect of the design.

The fully completed design (with 3D Printed element obscured by the lid, which is in place as intended) is shown on the left.

3D Printing - Junior Art Moulds

Above: A collection of the art mould 3D Printed designs

Challenge: For Y2/3 students (seven and eight year old students) to produce a 3D Print Art Mould which they can then use for an art project for the school market day.
Background: This class of students are from our junior school so they are younger than the usual students who start working with 3D Printing.  In this case each of the design were created with the assistance of a mentor who was a senior student from the school.   The students needed to create a regular three dimensional shape and that shape could be of the students own design.    The students were designing for the first time using Tinkercad, so the designs were limited to shapes that the students felt comfortable with.   The idea being that a production of thirty moulds for a class of thirty students would be possible in a week.   Once the moulds were completed the idea is for a mixture of wax and crayons to be poured into them and for them to then be combined to produce the art piece.    The students had some variation as is show in the photographs.   There is a student who opted to include his name, in the left middle, although this was completly separate from the print itself so it was just free lettering.   Another student opted to design a cat head and did so by creating the ears that can be seen in the top right.  This was also a positive opportunity to involve a teacher in using 3D Printing in a meaningful and creative way.
Level of Difficulty: Low - the idea was for the young students to be successful and for an entire class to produce something that could be individualised, tutored or mentored by older students.   The shapes are all from the main Tinkercad interface and so the key aspect was the selection and sizing of them to ensure that they could work as a low level (ie not higher than 25mm-30mm range).    It was also about planting a seed with students who
Timeframe: Given that there are so many prints in the set and series the timeframe varies somewhat.  As a general rule most of the shown prints are clocking in between two and two and a half hours.   The purpose of the art project is involving having shallow moulds so anything of a higher depth would prove difficult for the melted wax and material to be removed. 
Size: The designs varied in size but generally were in the region of 80mm-100mm across and as designed were 25mm high from the base.  We limited the base of the designs to 5mm as this was what was required to support thier purpose and enable the removal of the moulds.   Likewise the moulds couldn't be too large as that would affect the desired art project that they were part of.
What we would do differently: We are always looking for opportunities to expose new students to 3D Printing and this was a good starter for the juniors although we would usually try and personalise them there was little opportunity given the aim of the design and challenge.

3D Printing - Scanning an Object with Qlone

Two of the hands - the left is an incomplete print

Challenge: For a ten year old to scan an object and convert it into a 3D Print (using Qlone).
Background: This started as an art project and genuine question from one of the students - how could they scan their hands for a print idea that they had for a Mothers Day Art Project.   This involved the student concerned conducting research into an app that could be used (in conjunction with an iPad) that was inexpensive (see below) to scan an object and then convert this to a .stl file and then print the result.   There was an assumption before this process was begun that there would be multiple apps for an iPad that might fit this bill, but upon using search engines and investigation there aren't too many.   The student read a review for an App called qlone which is featured on this website.   When used in conjunction with an iPad there is an interface that allows repeated scanning of an object to produce a 3D Copy of the model.   This was produced by ten year old student taking multiple pictures of the object (this is explained in a video that will show the entire process, it was involving taking several shots to complete the scan of thier hand (close to fifty would be a basic estimate).    The student then went to convert the 3D image to an .stl file for the purpose of ensuring a 3D Print could be completed.  This is when the pay scale for the app revealed itself.   The purpose of this post is not to criticise a product but the license to convert to an .stl is based around a sliding scale that bottoms out at $50.00 for unlimited conversions.   As a school we decided to proceed with this purchased on a single device so that the scanning could be completed.    This allowed the student to produce a series of scans of the hands of herself and two of her sisters.

Level of Difficutly: Medium the scanning itself is straight forward and was able to produce a pleasing replica of the students hands.    The conversion from here to a 3D Print was very straightforward however the time taken to take the photographs for the scan was time consuming.
Timeframe: The hands that made up the series of prints went for six hours or so each.   Given that they were intended to be part of a gift and to scale there was little ability to reduce the print time, with the standard thickness settings and a 8mm nozzle meaning this would be the minimum required.
Size: Its the hand of a four year old student featured in the black PLA her sister is four years old in the example shown in white as a size comparison.   It was all relative to the object that was scanned as the student did not want to reduce the size.
What we would do differently: We are interested in hearing if there are other apps and opportunities to easily scan objects for 3D Printing that would be available to our students.   There are a number of objects that we are intending to replicate over the next few weeks to test the reliability and accuracy of the scanning using the app so we can assess the results.  We also want to balance the app with having to purchase additional hardware.