Project Revisited: Non 3D Printing Tinkercad related projects

 

Recently we've been publishing a series of revisions from project work from the past that has proven to be popular or has involved work over stages and time.

This is because we've had two significant events in the past two weeks, the NZAIMS Games in Tauranga and an additional week of being unavailable.

Next week, which is the last week of school for Term Three, 2026 we will be back in the classroom working on ongoing projects.   

The final showcase that we wanted to highlight was our Non-3D Printing, 3D Printing slideshow.   The idea is that we apply the same context, the same design ideas but the end result would not necessarily result in a physical 3D Print to go with the work.

Primarily we are using Tinkercad and its apps' AR/VR function for this purpose.   In each case we have a highlighted link to another post about the project with further details and information.    In nearly every case these are activities that have been carried out with the classroom here in Auroa, New Zealand.  Thank you for your visit.

Ultima Ration September 14th-21st 2026

Thank you for your visit - this site is currently taking a break for unforeseen circumstances and there will be no material published in the week coming up from the 14th of September until September 2st.

During that time we will be publishing some 'end of year material' but there will be no new material which should start again in the following week.

3D Print School: Regular Service Returning Soon

   

We are completing our obligations in Tauranga for the 2026 NZAIMS Games Tournament. Although it has had but a parting mention on this site (which has a small link in via the 3D Printing we've done for other schools as gifts) and we don't usually post about non related tech matters our little school (that is a school with 50 Y7/8 students) has managed this week to defeat St Mary's College (Auckland), Pinehurst College.   

In addition that that we had a close pool game against the amazing Koromatua School before a run of three legendary results defeating Murrays Bay Intermediate, Kura te Koutu and Northcross Intermediate.   We also lost to amazing schools like Baradene College and Northcross Intermediate at the time of writing the 3rd/4th playoff game awaits against Murrry's Bay Intermediate, but regardless of that result a small rural school from South Taranaki has outperformed students/schools with 1500 Y7/8 students and been playing and competing against some of the top schools in New Zealand for an entire week.

What it means for this site is that shortly we will again be posting new projects and students work.  Thank you for attention to this matter and see you round.

School Holidays New Zealand: July 2026

 

Thanks you for your visit.  It is currently the first week of the school holidays in New Zealand between the second and third terms.   This coming term we have lots of exciting learning planned using a range of technology.

The view shown left is taken by our teacher outside of our school in South Taranaki.   It is the Mountain (Maunga) that dominates our landscape.  We are extremely respectful of such an iconic and important local landmark that has huge significance to our area.  Earlier this year we started the year with our 3D Printed copy of a map that we located online from Thingiverse.

We wanted our students to be able to increase their knowledge of this landmark and also make sure that they recognised details about its importance and dimensions.

By bringing this 3D Model and importing the file into Tinkercad it allowed us to rotate the model look at some of the physical spaces - such as the smaller peak that is primarily visible only from our side of the mountain.

We also had discussions about the source of rivers for the area, its height and the fact it has such a unique peak.   The 3D modelling aspect also meant that we have a physical copy in the classroom so when we are experimenting or looking into views of the mountain and where they are taken from.  An example was when we were recently using AR/VR prompts with our Puanga and Matariki work the view of the maunga typically was not viewed from our direction so our images of the mountain 'didn't look right'.

The AR/VR tool aspect of Tinkercad is in our opinion vastly underrated and it is surprising the number of educators who are not familiar with it.

As an app on the iPad Tinkercads AR/VR ability allows any design in Tinkercad to be projected without the need for green screening etc with a single push of a button.   Rotation and manipulation of the design either a premade design or a student created design can then be projected onto nearly any surface of any size.

If you want to see a huge range of the ways this app is used by our students with their iPad then please use the search bar in the top right hand corner of this blog.  We have been regularly using the feature for several years now and tend to use it more in some ways than actual 3D Printing.  We use it with our class of seven and eight year olds but have also used it as mentors in a Y1 (five year old class).

Goodbye from 3D Print School

 

Term Two has now concluded and we are on a two week break.    Our students will be completing work and adding posts during this break time.

Some of our staff, from Auroa Primary School,  will be present in Australia for the Apple Education Summit.   If you are a visitor to this site and you will be attending this event please say hello if you meet them.

In the meantime as always thank you for your visit it is very much appreciated and we will see you all later for some additional work.  Exitus acta probat.

3D Printed Bottle Lid and an Engineering Challenge

 

This is the companion print from the bottle exemplar that one of the students has been working on in their own time.   Having spent a crash course on design and Tinkercad in the past four weeks (in the afternoon)

Shaping of the matching lid to pair with the bottle was relatively easy, although the student got the size perfect by putting a hole into the top and then using Tinkercad to remove the hole, make it into a solid object and then use this as the basis for their design.

The challenge is coming the shape of the 'thread' that is on the inside of the bottle top and prominent on the top of the bottle.   Both of these elements need to work in conjunction with each other to allow the bottle to seal.  At present the lid sits on the top perfectly.

However the lid is sitting in place, rather than being screwed down.   The bottle itself is eye catching but the student need to identify a way to solve this engineering challenge.

The lid in its current form has a 40mm and 45mm version, and is currently using 11g of filament.   It is costing $0.28 to print and taking sixty seven minutes to complete the print.

The student responsible for this design is an eight year old working independently in their own time to complete the project.

The Last Stand - Thank you and Goodbye for 2024

 

The intention was to conclude this blog this year, with it marking ten years since it had started and also reflecting on a change in circumstances.

Due to a change in, a change in circumstances this blog will be continuing next year as well, at least in the short term.

We have finished for the school year in New Zealand and are currently on our school holidays - we will start school again at the end of January 2025.

There will be some project work from our students who are in holiday, but some of the students will continue to produce work, which we will continue to print.   We also have some work that was completed in the lead up to Christmas.

As always if you would like to contact the teacher who supervises the site you can do so via email at myles.webb@gmail.com.    The teacher is still on Twitter/X (just) @NZWaikatp).

3D Priting: Christmas Decorations 2024

 

Challenge: For a junior student to design, create and print a unique Christmas decoration that could hang from a tree.

Background: This is the latest classroom challenge for my junior class of students.  The students brief was to have something that was original, had a aspect of personalisation and was able to be realistically hung from a tree.

The first example shown left was produced by a Y3 student (a seven year old) in under five minutes.   The student took a design element from the Tinkercad main interface page (the snowflake) and then applied their name on the bar linking the snowflake and the ring.  All of these three features were available from the basic design template and the student was familiar with using them to create something.   They were able to submit this to their individual student Tinkercad account.

Level of Difficulty: Medium - the student created something using three basic interface tools to create the design, then link them all together and group them.   This student while new to 3D Printing this year has now spent nearly twelve months in the classroom using Tinkercad to design this.

Size: The print was 140mm long.   The snowflake measured 60mm across, the name bridge aspect of the print was 10mm wide and the design was 10mm thick at the snowflake and the lettering for the name was 15mm high.  The student is going to look at these dimensions moving forward.

Timeframe: Two hours - this was something that would be improved (ie shortened) by refining the design to ensure that it was all consistent with the size.  Although the link bridge with this design is narrow it is something that is intended to be hung from a tree for display and not something that needs to be robust to be handled.

What we would do differently/Next steps for teh students: As noted the design is currently a little uneven in places - the design could be improved that way.   The name of the designer could potentially have each of its letters flipped so that it could be read down the spine of the linking pin.   

The design was printed using 'sheen' PLA which we are continuing to experiment with, so was not spray painted.  You can read additional Christmas designs from previous students by clicking on the link here.

3D Printing Term Four in New Zealand

 

In New Zealand the final school term of the year has started, with a finish time of early December for most schools.  At our school we are starting to wind up the year with various projects.

One of the lessons that we have learned over the year, particularly when looking to have a class set of anything completed, when we are running on a school set of printers, is to start early.   Hence we have started looking at Christmas themed decorations again and focussing on smaller designs that can be mass produced easily by the printers at school.

Firstly we have tasked the students with looking at a typical decoration that might hang from a Christmas Tree.   The criteria for this is something that the students might design, have some level of personalisation on it and have elements that the students have created.   We have inserted this requirement because some of the students using Tinkercad were aware that they would be able to use a design tool like the search bar and locate an element like the snowflake shown below.   

This by itself can be printed directly, but the student in this case has opted to introduce their name to a bar and link that with a ring to allow the design to easily be hung from a tree.

We are also looking at creating labels such as the one shown in the photograph above.  In this example the student has taken their name, used a basic text design and added a linking ring.  This student was a Y3 who is using Tinkercad for the first time and was able to do this independently.   They add to add some blocks into the design to ensure that everything was linked (in the example between the capital A and the o you can see it in the bottom right hand corner of the A.

These labels are 60mm by 25mm and 10mm thick and currently taking just over 45 minutes to print.   We are currently using a 'marble' filament which has produced the affect shown.

There are many, many examples of Christmas Decorations from the last few years on this site, you can locate them by using the search bar icon or clicking on this summary post.   We also have examples of the labelling

Junior Classroom Challenge: Student Cubes

 

Challenge: Students were given a class wide challenge to take a 3D Object, which was a dice shape and then create six different shapes to this shape.  Students were instructed that the design aspects of the shape needed to be sunk into the design, not to have the details facing outwards.   This was a continuation of some of earlier classroom term design projects pencil sharpener holder, ear rings designs and a boat.

Background: This was a classroom challenge for the entire classroom.   The task was pushed out to the students for them to complete their design.    It was a short time frame for this design, but the emphasis was for students to design into the base of the shape - as typically the students add external details which can be effective, but by inverting the process it develops the students design abilities in this area.

We allowed the students the ability to create an individual project with a different size depending on what the students wanted to work with.    A range of the designs and shapes can be shown on the left.  In the series of prints students typically used the various shapes that were available and easily inserted from the main Tinkercad interface.  

Level of Difficulty: Easy for the students who have used Tinkercad for nearly a calendar year

Size: The smallest of the three shapes shown left is 20mm by 20mm.   The larger red shape was 35mm by 35mm.   The largest gold shape was 50mm wide and was 60mm long, it was 50mm high.   These designs were all 

Timeframe: The smallest of the shapes took under twenty minutes, the middle shape took ninety minutes and the largest of the shapes took four hours.   In retrospect for this design the smallest shape would have worked perfectly for this project and given that the intention is to transfer the skill of the designing into the base of the shape.

What we would do differently next steps for the students: We would like to see the students transferring this ability to other designs such as the badge or name plate.   This has proven to be a simple design task that was easily printed in a time frame that would mean it potentially could be a successful classroom project.

3D Printing with Rainbow Options - Revisiting Previous Projects

 

Traditionally the projects on this blog created and printed by students over the last ten years have featured a base filament (colour) which we have then spray painted for affects, colour and details.

Recently we have noticed as I am sure many of you have that the there have been a range of prints appearing with rainbow or multi-colours that have come directly from the PLA.

We have previously experimented with glow-in-the-dark filament, which we found to be a little challenging in particular when we then returned to more regular projects.

Recently we revised this approach.  We have located a range of rainbow filament which has different layers and shading to it and have started experimenting with it.

While some aspect of the difference in the print is shown in the photograph this has added some depth and colour to the prints.

We have revisited some of our more popular prints included the flexible kiwi, shown left or some of our name tags and badges shown above.

There is no current deviation for the temperature for the printer required and the filament appears to be as robust as ever, ensuring the stability of the students projects.

Junior School Students Unpacking Commercial Designs

 

Recently a series of fidget like designs have started arriving at our school, which were initially purchased by students from an online commercial seller.

The student concerned purchased the design shown below.   When they had this delivered they thought that they would be able to locate this design online and did so by using Thingiverse.

The student located a basic print, was able to download the .stl code and then supplied it to the teacher for printing.   The student concerned did so without any teacher input, was able to simple hand it to the teacher and then request it would be printed.

The material that was used for the PLA for the design has meant that we have changed focus with our prints.  In the past we have used PLA and included the spray painting as part of the decoration process.  We wanted something that would engage and excite the students so we have opted to order a significant amount of rainbow PLA from our supplier, the first prints of which will be completed later in the week.

The design above was completed in three and half hours, had a small amount of PLA support at the base and the spiral measures 60mm across the base and is 70mm high.  There are no adjustments required for this print as the student concerned simply located a print that was otherwise available and wanted to be able to duplicate it.   By gaining possession of the .stl code the issue is simple whether or not the student wants to resize the design, although changing it would not necessarily by on the agenda given how snug it needs to be to successfully work.

Repairing a commercial Print:

Another favourite that has flooded the classroom at this point is the various animals that have been located.  Initially these came in the forms of animals and dragons that were ordered online.   Some of the commercial prices that were charged for these items were interesting given the context that our students are able to work out the amount of PLA included into a design and therefore work out the profit margin (yes even at Y3/4).

Some of the items that have been located are less than robust, particular in areas such as the linking.  An example is shown left, the lizard here in particular has very minimal linking for each of the legs.

The students solution to this is to locate the original .stl file, which is easily available online.   The student has then loaded the image into Tinkercad and has started the process of strengthening the linking at the points where the print has broken consistently.

Finally we have students who are continuing to use the filters that are available to combine with their iPads to take 3D Designs and images and add layers to them.

A recent example is shown left - the student wanted to locate a copy of a figure from the Monopoly game.   Once this had been located the student downloaded it into Tinkercad and then wanted to start manipulating the image using some basic AR/VR features.  As we have mentioned in this blog students have been using both Tinkercad and PicCollage for this purpose.

In the example shown left the original .stl 3D Print design has been then filtered through distinct filters to increase the appeal and the presentation of it.

3D Printed Boats: Catamaran

Challenge: For a student to create an original boat.

Background: As part of the challenges that we are giving the class of students this year we recently gave them a 'boat' making challenge.    Experience has taught us in the past that the 3D Printer is able to produce an object that will float, due to the typical infill that is present in most printing.   This has meant that students have been able to produce themed prints (such as bath toys which we used as part of our school market day, which was last held in 2023).

We also had our senior students attempt to create Catamarans in the past (due to their balance).   You can see examples of this that were originally produced in 2017 and later variations and expanded updates from 2019.

This is the first attempt at a project like this with our current classroom which consists of junior school students who are seven and eight years old.

This project was open ended in that it was presented to students and they were encouraged to come up with an original design.   The students were provided a very basic example to help guide them, but were also encouraged to push themselves to look for real life examples that they could draw inspiration from and have details that they could mimic with their designs.

The teacher also demonstrated to students that Tinkercad, which was used for the designs,  includes as part of its object interface a hull option.  In this design shown in this post the student was able to use the hull from here as the main basis for the twin hulls.  He then made a third copy of the hull which he flipped/inverted, shorted and hollowed out which is the shape that he used to make the cabin.  Having located various Catamaran photographs he then added additional details such as the sides, the sails and then used various shapes to build a steering wheel.

The student from start to finish was able to complete the design within a thirty minute period of time.

Level of Difficulty: Hard - this students is a Y4 student however he was able to use Tinkercad to manipulate and make a Catamaran in a short period of time, this is by far the most complex and detailed project from the class as a whole, for this task, and also that this student has attempted.

Timeframe: Eight Hours.   There was considerable rafting that was present with this print, as the base of the boat, between the two hulls and the floor, needed to be printed with support which had to be removed.

Size: This is a large print, 140mm long, 120mm across and the base (the cabin area was 60mm high).

What we would do differently/next steps for the students: There were some issues with the print that were not apparent when this design was completed.  There was a very small hole that was at the base of the boat where the hull joined the floor.  Although this was only 1mm or less it allowed a small amount of water in, which overtime caused the boat to list.  This was an awesome teaching experience as the student tried to work out ways to plug the leak.  He applied blu tack the first time, without success and then started to look at water proofing - he was also concerned that part of his print was not water-proof, and has begun the process of taking the boat, placing it in a container and then checking on it to see if it has taken on any water.   He has already discovered that the boat itself isn't going to sink, as the cabin ensure it remains afloat.   Again the learning experience from this is rewarding and the student will be looking at several aspects of this.   The steering wheel which is clearly visible in the AR/VR version of the print (photograph shown above) did not survive being robust enough.   The student is also looking at what he can add to the overall design to improve its presentation.

3D Printed Desk Storage: Pushing the Smaller Details

Challenge: For a student new to 3D Printing to challenge themselves with the design details.

Background: Its been ten years of 3D Printed designs from students featured on this blog.  During this time the the machines that the students have been using to print have continued to evolve and improve.  Ten years ago the first machines that we used produced prints that were functional but lacked details.

Our upgrade from Ultimaker to Snapmaker took place in 2022.   These machines have continued to allow the students to come up with creative and interesting designs which in the past would not be possible.   An example is shown above.  This student is a junior student at our school, a Y3 who is working on 3D Design using Tinkercad for the first time.   The student has produced several prints that have already featured on this blog from this first year of designs.

In this design you can see the first version of the print prior to the removal of the rafting, and with the removal shown left.   The student wanted to develop a person standing outside of their house, with the house being used for storage.  The student created a house and then designed a figure at the front left.   They added additional details such as the fence shown at the front, and the dog house shown at the front right.   The student wanted to make a door and a window, allowing the storage at the rear of the house.

The issue was potentially if the rafting could be removed without compromising some of the smaller features of the design.  In this instance the teacher involved used a small pair of pliers and a small screw driver to remove the additional plastic PLA from the design.   

Level of Difficulty: Medium - while this student is a relative novice to 3D Printing this design has a number of aspects that make it detailed and creative.    This was completed independently and the student was thrilled with the aspects of the design, the composition etc.   The teacher was not so sure as he felt (incorrectly) that the fence would not be successful.

Timeframe: Five hours.   The dimensions of the print were not overly large, the amount of storage possible is reflected in this.   The student with hindsight wanted to print this on a larger scale but as noted the teacher was dubious with the features, the nozzle and the timeframe if they would be successful.   This will be revised on a larger scale now that we know it will be successful.

Size: 80mm across and 60mm deep - 50mm high.  These dimensions allowed the print to be completed and then tested for its viability.   The student has already planned to upscale this design to ensure that it was able to hold more material.

What we would do differently/next steps for the student: On many levels this was very successful.   The students has used other tools in the past but this is his first design that he can be really excited about which he felt was his.   He should continue to be motivated to work on ideas and designs which we will do our best to make.   He worked independently which also challenged the teachers thinking as he didn't think that he could complete the design and it would work - however it was more than successful and also allowed the teacher to look at the progress over the past ten years and see how the ideas have developed.

Christmas Decorations: Starting Early for 2024

Challenge: For student to create a unique 3D Print.

Background: The student concerned here wanted to play around with Tinkercad and is designing a range of whimsical original designs.   She has shown with her work to be creative and interesting.   In this instance she was playing around with the shape.   When it was presented to myself I assumed that it was a Christmas Decorations.   We have previously completed a wide range of projects related to Christmas decorations.

However the student thought that it most represented a person wearing a cloak, which could be seen when focussed on and tilted.   She had the idea to put a box at the bottom for the shape to stand on (which is where the Christmas Tree first became a thought.

Also of note this is an original design from a seven year old who is in her first year of creating using Tinkercad.

Level of Difficulty: Low - this is the student making shapes and putting a group of them together, and while she had an idea in mind for the design, as stated we felt it closely resembled something else - hence the reference to Christmas Decorations.   Typically each year we produce unique ones but this can take some time to produce a range for the classroom, so starting early is also a positive.

Timeframe: Two and a half hours.   There was some rafting that was produced with this print however this was at the base and therefore was not significant, although in hindsight it could be reduced.

Size: The print is 120mm long, was 70mm wide and 50mm deep.   Given that it is looking at being converted to a Christmas Decoration as described, these dimensions are perfect.   Also of note is the loop that is visible at the top of the print, which is perfect for hanging string to have it on a tree.

What we would do differently/next steps for the students: The students design was a source of pride for them, and while it was not intended as a tree is being converted to such.   The student is now thinking about what else they can convert or design for Christmas decorations.   

3D Printed - Personalised Animals Tag

Challenge: For students to create something that was unique and personalised.

Background: This task came from a brainstorming sessions with the junior school students about projects that they could work on related to the use of the 3D Printer.   The students identified that the pets they had that they were interested in producing something for.   When they looked at what they could potentially do one of them mentioned an ID tag or some form of identification to be attached to the collar.  The 3D Printer is ideal for this as we have identified that the prints do not weather over the long term (instead of something like the laser cutter and the MDF which would not last).   The early prototype of the design shown left had the student opting to use scribble to create the shape, the name of the animal (in this case Rosie, a dog).    

The students are intending to complete numerous print runs to ensure that they can attach to the animals collar and do in a way that is secure.

Level of Difficulty: Low - the students are working form basic designs with a small number of pieces and additions to the print.  These are junior school students who are eight years old who are working independently to complete this task.

Timeframe: As these are small prints the time taken to produce them is reflected in this, by their nature they cannot be too cumbersome for the animals.  Both prints are under forty minutes.

Size: The early version of this measures 65mm across and is 90mm high.  The current design measures 5mm wide.   The Trouble design is 50mm across and 50mm high, and is 5mm thick.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: The students have some questions about the finished product.  They need to complete testing to ensure that it works correctly, and that can feasibly work in conjunction with a collar etc.   Given the dimensions the project will stay manageable and small scale, but it will remain independent and be resolved.

Sticker Machine: Creating a Playing Board for a Game

 Challenge: Students have been looking at developing an individualised project to use the sticker machine, the laser cutter and the 3D printer to integrate them together.

Background: This was very much a student conceived and driven project.   The student in this case  was a basketball fan and wanted to come up with a game themed around basketball, the NBA and their specific favourite team.  The base for the game consists of a large decal which was converted from a .gif file that the student found online.  The court measured 30cm high and was 60cm across.  It was printed onto a sheet of MDF which was cut the correct size using the schools laser cutter.

The conversion of the file was very straight forward.  The next step was for the student to create hosts for the hoops for the basketball hoops.  These were constructed using the laser cutter and cut to size.

In conjunction with these the hoops for the backboard and the basketball ball stands were built.   These were designed in Tinkercad and 3D Printed.   The base was then produced in conjunction with this, and was designed to support the hoops by having them inserted into the MDF and then allowing them to stand independently.   

Level of Difficulty: Low.  The base for the court is essentially a single print, file and image which did not require any alteration from the design.   The hoops and stands were straightforward basic shapes to work in conjunction with each other.

Timeframe: The 3D print aspect of the design was two hours, the sticker printing was minimal as was the laser cutting. The Roland Versa Sign Maker was essential to complete this task successfully.

Size as noted - 60cm by 30cm for the court, the other elements were relative.  A modification of the size would depend on the purpose as described below.

What we would do differently/next steps for the students: The idea is to create a game which the board and the pieces are related to, the next challenge for the student is how to process and produce this.  The game is currently a board, with hoops and ideas it needs to have additional features to make it functional. 

The student is very pleased with their results to this point but is currently assessing ideas in how they might progress the project further.

Refining and Working: Junior School Badges

 

Challenge: To take a badge design and redefine it further, extending and expanding on it.

Background: We have a class of students who are refining their 3D Design and creations.  As part of the process a series of students have been exposed to the 3D Printers and projects for the first time.   

We started the students with the basic designs and have then asked them to challenge themselves with the next step - what can we do next? What have we learnt to develop our designs with unique and creative creations?

This design came from a student who had a farming background and wanted to incorporate a tractor design into his work.  While he could have looked to have have imported a pre-made design into this, he instead decided to represent the shapes by using a round of geometric shapes to create the tractor design.  The ability to do so is one of the key components that make Tinkercad such an excellent tool for a class of iPad students.

Level of Difficulty: Medium to low.  This is a straightforward design idea, that shows a students ideas developing and starting to increase the scope of designs.   The student is just starting to push himself in creative and innovative ways having just started working with 3D Printing and Tinkercad - in the last three weeks.   There is clear and obvious potential to improve and refine this design further.

Timeframe: Five hours - this could potentially be refined further as a reduction was possible.

Size: The print measured 165mm across the front and was 85mm high.  The print was 5mm thick.  These dimensions produced an oversize key ring or badge that would work for certain keys (such as a door key) or the kind of key that you would not want to loose (as its size would prevent it from easily being put into a pocket or misplaced.

What we would do differently/next steps for students: We are attempting to encourage this student with his designs and creations and this is shown clear progression from his first designs.  When he completed his initial print he was being helped by another student, which then led to him working independently to complete the stencil.   This then led to there being a progression through to this design and it should be a signal of things to come.

Laser Cut Storage Box - Senior Project

Challenge: For student to design a storage box, using the laser cutter.

Background: Our senior school students take part in what is called DPE once a week.  This allows them to focus on a particular subject including a focus on producing a project using the school laser cutter.

This storage box, shown left, was produced by a student in one day.    There were a series of instructional videos that were created by a teacher.   These had instructions for the students to follow, allowing them to complete the process independently but also allowing the student to introduce a degree of personalisation of the design, as some of the features could be modified without causing significant problem to the creation of the unit process.  This box is intended as an introductory task.   Followers of this blog will recognise that the boxes, which were also decorated  and sold as part of our school market day.

Once the process was completed (five minutes) the student was then required to take the individual pieces that made the box and glue them together with wood glue.   The wood used in this instance was 5mm MDF bamboo.   The box was then given time to set/dry and was complete within four hours of the project starting.

Level of Difficulty: Medium.   While this was completed independently it was completed by a senior student.  The senior students at our school are Y7/8 so twelve and thirteen.  This would be challenging for younger students, also of note that SketchUp was used so this requires a laptop.  

Timeframe: Five minutes for the laser cutting, while the entire project was four hours but this was related to the fact that the project needed to be glued, have the glue set and have the box complete.

Size: The dimensions of the box was 80mm across the front and all the rest of the sides.   The height was likewise 80mm as was the depth.

Next Steps for the student/What we would do differently: The obvious next follow up is to decorate the box by spray painting.  This project is designed as an introductory task, and the intention is to use this as a starting point, which will allow the students to apply the knowledge and think how they might create their own individualised boxes and projects.   As noted the time of the printing of the box parts is five minutes, which when compared to 3D Printing a box of this size which would be measured in hours.   The student will be working on a range of laser cut designs in the following weeks which will be detailed on this blog.

3D Printed Dragon: Developing a 'Junior Unique Dragon'

Challenge: For student to create a original, detailed and unique 3D Printed Dragon.

Background: This is the follow up project following on from the unique smaller scale dragon that has previously featured on this blog.  While the student in this case has not completed the project she is working on multiple versions of the same family of dragons, her intention being when she has finished to have a complete family with a range of different characters.  She is a Y4 student who is developing her shapes.  She has a focus to complete this work so that she can complete the project before the end of the year as it is a major undertaking.   While she is more than aware of the multitudes of versions of dragons that are available online the student has spent a considerable amount of time wanting to put together her own completely unique and original range of dragons.   She has a large base of literature and illustrations and these have shaped her designs and ideas.   She has prototyped each one, then spent time identifying any problems that need correction, looked at an AR/VR version before taking the step to print.

The printing process also revealed a couple of points of weakness on her design that were not obvious or not able to be easily detected by viewing the computer generated version.

The student has taken onboard the feedback directed towards her, and as a result is currently reworking this design.   As with the smaller version she has been debating and looking at the mouth/face area in particular so she can complete it 'just right'.

Level of Difficulty: Hard.   This is a long term project but also one that requires refinement, detailing and introducing a range of solutions to the problems that have arisen by its creation.  This is going to continue to be refined and will take skill and patience until the student is satisfied with the final result.

Timeframe: Ten Hours.  This was a significant print that was designed to be detailed, to have significant size to it and have a number of feature areas that are going to be developed further.

Size:   The dimensions of the print measure 150mm long, is 120mm high in places and is 90mm across.  This is designed to be the biggest print in the range and therefore its dimensions are intended to dwarf the others.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: The student wants to redesign the front of the dragon as detailed and also wants to make the tail a counter balance by increasing its size and its weight.  The wings are a further area that the student has ideas about putting more details, designs and indentations into in the future.   This has developed into a real passion project for this student so the student is being encouraged in the instance of printing an earlier version which she can then use to guide further developments.