3D Printing: Student Engineering Soultions

 

We are always looking for practical engineering tasks which we can pose a problem to our students with and then look at how they might apply the technology available to the students at Auroa Primary School to solve it.

One of these tasks recently involved a process attempting to limit or prevent bird nesting.   In New Zealand it is currently nearing the end of spring.  One of the issues that we have at the moment is that there are a number of birds, that are common house sparrows attempting to nest in areas around the school.  As our buildings have awnings and shelter as part of them the birds like to nest in these small confined spaces by gaining access to them and building their nests.   Not only does this pose a potential fire risk the birds droppings can be problematic not only for how they look but how that relates to a student use area of the school.

The area shown left has the student lunch eating area immediately beneath it.   As a solution to this initially bird spikes and bird netting was used to deter the birds.  Neither of these were successful as the birds nested in the bird spikes and also forced their way into the netting.   Other options such as foam etc can be worked away by the birds overtime, which then leads to them causing further mess.

The schools solution has been to engage with some parents to produce plywood wedges to deter the birds at the main location where they were gathering.   However the final part of the puzzle is the last part of the awning where the cover connects to the building.  At this point in a join or a connection that while small is large enough for the birds to access.

In this small area here (shown left) you can see the birds entrance points above the plywood wedge.  The area is relatively small but still needs to be restricted to stop the birds using it as an entrance point.

The solution is for the students to use their iPads and technology to produce a 3D Printed wedge to seal the remaining entrance point.   The students have been shown the problem and asked - how can they measure accurately the entrance point.

The first challenge to the students is how can they measure accurately and safely the size of the wedge that they need to construct to fill the gap?

The answer is by students using the measure app to do so.  Our students frequently use this tool with their iPads to measure a range of objects and in this case it is ideally suited to do so, so they don't require access to the location.

Once they were able to identify the correct dimensions of the wedge they need the design was the next follow up activity.   As per their use of Tinkercad this was a very straight forward task.

We know from experience that the PLA using in 3D Printing is robust and can last over ten years in exposed circumstances as demonstrated by some of our long term project reviews.

In this location we believe that the birds will be unable to damage or remove the prints and that they will be sheltered and there will be longevity with the designs.    The first step after the measuring was students considering basic design ideas and how they might apply them to this problem.   Once a basic shape had been created students needed to consider the design size of what they had created and attempt to AR/VR it into place.

This allowed the students to apply the design to the location where it is needed to be deployed.   Using the AR/VR function in this location took a considerable amount of care and precision to get it into the correct place where it needed to be, by doing this, such as the example shown left,   This AR/VR function is built into the Tinkecad App so students who are operating via their iPad only need this as the equipment to complete the virtual application of their CAD design.

The challenge for this activity was that the work area was something the students could not easily access - so the first students response was to produce a range of shapes that they felt would meet the brief and then print them out.   Once these have been size up the students will have a practical example that they will be able to work with that will allow them to successfully complete the task - we will detail the final print design from the students once it has been completed.

Currently these early examples are 45mm by 20mm by 20mm and the wedge is 40mm long and 40mm high.   As with the other designs the width is 20mm.

As a friendly reminder for everyone we are working with students from New Zealand who are seven and eight year old students (in New Zealand that is Y3/4).   The younger students are designing and creating for the first year, the older students have completed one year of using Tinkercad and their iPads for design tasks.

Junior Masterclass - Pushing a Tinkercad Design

 

We have spoken at length about a number of reasons why our students use Tinkercad (on iPad) as part of class designs and challenges.   We have used it, in its free form, for ten years with a range of students, which date back to the very first posts on this blog.

We continue to find it manageable and creative - and an example of this is shown left.  This has been created by a student using Tinkercad to design a significant Christmas project.  

This student opted to design a Christmas Sleigh themed design.   He wanted to build the entire design by using Tinkercad to include the main shapes and the complete design.    The student has worked on this over a considerable period of time, refining, reworking and adapting to the design until he was happy with it.

This student has worked on a number of projects this year, which is his first year working with 3D Printers and CAD (Tinkercad) design.

We have yet to print this 3D Design - we have used Tinkercad to create an AR/VR version of this project, which has been placed outside our classroom.   The student has determined that he wants to create a Christmas Card based around this design.   He has begun the process of using different filters with the image that Tinkercad design created.

An example of the process of using filters, as supplied on Pic Collage, is shown left.

The student is continuing to experiment with this - ultimately we would like to experiment with the process of using the design, although the question is whether or not this will make the process of printing remains to be seen.

We are nearly finished for the school year in New Zealand we will be completing our final run of prints prior to school completing on December 16th 2024.

Tinkercad - 3D Designs with PicCollage Filter

We have mentioned this activity in the past - and I have also had some questions recently from someone asking me if we print all of our 3D Printed designs.  The short answer is no, as a result of experience we sometimes get creative ideas that look amazing but need to have the realisation from the students that they may not be able to print their designs.

An example is the design shown left, created by a Y4 student in our classroom.   The student is eight years old and has put time and detail into creating a house for a pet (the Poppy) that is shown on the turret on the right hand side.  The student has used the main Tinkercad interface (as shown in the screenshot) to create a series of regular objects and shape them into the walls, roof and parts of the building.   The student has then added windows and other features to their designs.   

While the practicality is that this design is currently too complicated or large to print on the schools printers (the printers are not allocated to the classroom they are school wide for everyone in the school and we are mindful of the use of the amount of PLA for something like this) as we have regular hobby printers, there are some additional activities that can be carried out with this.

Firstly the student is able to use the Tinkercad design and apply various filters to it to alter its appearance and design.  Obviously using their iPad and the Markup tool the student can apply filters to the design.

There are also additional tools available to the iPad which can filter out an image.  A particular favourite of the students at present has been to use PicCollage and the 'magic camera' app, which is a free addition from the main interface.  It is able it AR/VR an image in seconds either a live shot or one from the students camera roll.  What the students from our classroom have been able to do is use the Tinkercad image, screen shot it, and then bring it into the Pic Collage filter.   An example is shown left, this is the original image (design) using the 'Festive' filter from PicCollage Magic Camera.  The student has not had to do any of the alterations themselves they have use taken their design and applied the filter.  The filter is responsible for the lighting, the festive aspect of the design which presents the original concept in a different setting.

A second filter, which again is also freely available is the Sakura (Japanese Cherry Blossom) filter.  Again available on Magic Camera from the updated versions of PicCollage.   This is the same image from the original design and the same image which the festive feature has been used with.  The students enjoy comparing the difference between the two - identifying what changes have been made to one, and then the other and the contrast.   This example left while it shows the shading in this example also has additional features that can be highlighted depending on the design (trees, vegetations, flowers etc) and the students can also manipulate the filter by creating aspects of the design which specifically attract the colouring and the shapes, and experimenting with what provides that or what encourages it to AR/VR.   The class of students are seven and eight years old using the two Apps in combination and are easily able to use both create this process and output. \

Exploring AR/VR and 3D Printed Designs and Creations

 

Challenge: For students to combine a 3D Print design with an AR/VR version of the design.

Background: Junior students at the Y3 level means the students are seven years old.   They are developing ideas and prints for the first time and coming to grips with the difference between a fun idea and a fun idea that will make a practical 3D Print.   We have already starting exploring this idea with some of the students who have started to use the Tinkercad AR/VR button to take their designs and place them in the classroom and around the school.   The next logical step for this process was to find some prints that it was possible to print out and then place them next to their virtual likeness to see how they compare.   For this we deliberately chose a design that was going to be smaller to ensure that the timeframe was limited.   In this example the student had used the main Tinkercad design interface and chosen a character (the Snowman) and the guitar linked together by a small bar that they placed between the designs.

When the original design was then AR/VR in Tinkercad, it was dropped in the classroom next to the print so the student could compare the differences.  The intention was then to ask the student to consider what had worked, what didn't work and what changes that they would make to ensure that the print matched.

Level of Difficulty: Low - the idea behind this project is to get someone started and then make sure the concept or idea of the AR/VR can be applied to their print.

Size: The main figures measured 45mm high and were 30mm across.   The design will require reworking that will affect it addressing the issue of its stability but the intention is for the size to remain static.

Timeframe: Forty minutes for the project.   Refinements are required for this to be successful (see below) so there are adjustments that need to be made to make the process successful.   

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: Elements of the original design of the print were not successful.   The guitar at its base was unable to stick to the printing plate, as the student had not assigned enough rafting - the same was true of the top of the instrument.   The student also has produced a link which is light and would be suspect is much pressure is applied, as it will almost certainly break.  Finally there is the functionality of the project - as always we encourage the students to have a purpose for the object that they are printing, rather than making a one off object that is disposable - as a refrain to this is if you would like a plastic toy you can buy one at a thrift shop.  However as an example of AR/VR an object the student is positive and looking forward to completing a second print on the topic.    

Using AR/VR and Combing it with TInkercad and Icograms

We are continuing to work with our junior school students who have been developing for the first time with Tinkercad.   Students who are able to use the creative process typically are working from two fronts.   The first are the prints that make it from the concept stage forward into the creation.

The second significant portion of prints are ones such as shown left.   In these examples students are creating for the first time - however our experience as teacher shows us that while the creation process can be exciting the reality is that some of these designs can work as concepts but not actual prints.  For instance the design shown left was made by a young (Y3) student using Tinkercad.  The design was something that she was very excited to create, however aspects like the pins in the head of the students meant that it would not practical to print it.

By using the VR/AR aspect of Tinkercad the student was able to take her design and then use it to place her creation at a number of locations around the school.   The student was then able to write about these examples.   This has led us to a discussion about the creating designs and then using the design by testing it such as putting it in place (the student who is designing ear rings could AR/VR them into place so they could see how the design looks).   

This allows the student to have a practical experience using the AP and while the student cannot follow with a 3D print for the project it still has an active use.  Another aspect to consider is how filters might be applied to creative projects such as the one above.

An instance of this would be using iPads with the Pic Collage App.   A recent addition to this app has been the 'Magic Cam'.   This filer can be applied to any media and then AR/VR the result to change the image.

An example of this can be shown with the use of the Icograms 3D map maker.   In this example (shown left) the student in the classroom has used Icograms to create a farming scene.   Our school is a very rural based school and there are students here with predominantly farming backgrounds.  Icograms has an American-esq theme to its farming options.   

The student who is Y3 was able to create this map within a relatively short time frame, further time could have been spent sizing up all of the aspects of the farming scene (so for instance the cows should be close to the horse and the farmer similar.  In this example as well the student has not completed the floor plan for the grass as there are considerable areas of white on display.

However as an example this student then took a screen shot of the design, and decided to put it into the Pic Collage Magic Camera Filter.

The filter applied left is the Sakura (Japanese Cherry Blossom) filter.  In this the students original design has a series of changes automatically made (the creative duration is usually under ten seconds).  

This filer from the basic version of the App is one of a series that have recently been available.   There is an additional watercolour and Christmas variation.   There are also a multitude of further variations that are available for users of the APP who upgrade.

In our classroom the students have the ability to use their iPads create using Tinkercad and then apply the filter to media that they have created (it also has the ability to use the filter on photographs that they have take or have already on their camera roll).

The process to alter the photographs usually takes seconds to add details and create an engaging experience for the students.

Using Tinkercad AR Feature to Add Depth to Prints

 One of the challenges to consider is ways to continue to motivate students using 3D Printing, particuarly when they have worked with the material and design features before.   We also have had considerable experience using Tinkercad to design the prints that we are making.   Last year we had students who started to experiment with using the AR feature that is available via the Tinkercad APP (this feature is not available with the desktop).

This allows us to look at designs prior to printing them to get a feel for their dimensions and to consider where they might be placed, and if there are any potential faults with the design with the design is enlarged.

A design from scratch, from an eight year old in the classroom, shown left when enlarged and then AR into the students hand in the classroom showed a clear issue with the front left leg (which is here on the right hand side).   The student prior to printing was able to use this feature of Tinkercad to determine that the leg needed to be better attached to the design and also the placement of the leg would suggest that it would need to be strengthened to ensure that it was robust, as once the rafting was removed there was a good chance that the design would really struggle.    By using the feature at this stage it meant that a print would be redesigned and therefore would occur when the print had more chance of success.

Other examples can be shown left - in this example a student designing for the first time using Tinkercad, this is the badge design, which is a typical first step for students to create.

There are tutorials including step by step videos on this site created by students from our school.

This design typically can be completed in a short time frame even by a student that could be described as a novice student.

In the design shown left, while aspects of it look comparable to the design above the student (who is an eight year old student) needed to look at the hole in the top left hand corner, the aspects of the design which is the soccer ball - comparing the difference that it was anticipated to look like, and how it could be redesigned.

The print took two hours to complete and the dimensions of the print measured 100mm across, was 75mm high and 20mm wide.   The student is intending to look at making changes to the design to streamline this.