3D Printed Glow-In-the-dark Earrings

 

Challenge: For students to produce an original part of earrings.  

Background: This has been a staple design idea from our students - the size of the prints have meant that its something we've been able to produce in details with volume (such as a class set).  Its featured many times over the years from Market Day projects combining both the 3D Printers and the laser printing.

If you want to see a slideshow with an overview of the entire process and a summary of our projects related to this topic you can click on the link here.  In addition as always there is a search bar on the top right hand corner of the blog - this has the keywords for each of our posts or projects which include the keyword 'earring'.

The decision to print the earrings in glow-in-the-dark was made to pop the designs.   The student concentrated on a single design and then duplicated the design when it was completed.  

Resources uses to complete this print: iPad, Tinkercad App, glow-in-the-dark, Bambu H2D.

Level of Difficulty: Medium - as always this task has elements that makes it appear somewhat simplistic but this is not always the case.  As this was tasked as students to be original the students needed to come up with an original idea that would work and have a high recognition factor - the ice cream idea certainly ticked those boxes for the student.   

Size: Each of the prints from this project measures 45mm across at the front and are 50mm high.   The print is 5mm wide.  The ice creams are 40mm in length height wise.   

Cost/Price: The pair of earrings used 18g of PLA to complete the print.  Using the calculations from Bambu Studios the print had a price point of $0.35 for the pair.

Timeframe: To complete this print the printer took 41 minutes to complete both.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: There are a couple of obvious issues with the prints as they stand.  You can see clearly the hole that is visible in the Tinkercad design (the first image) did not translate into an actual hole in the finished print (essentially it was too small and as a result did not register as part of the process).   The two shapes on the side by the ice cream are a little random and the student will evaluate how to wear them.   The print should be robust enough for a hole to be drilled through the design.

Working in Miniature with 3D Printing

 

We've got a range of prints our students are working on at the moment.   While some of these are somewhat on the larger scale in terms of scope and size its also important to highlight that the 3D Printers are able to sometimes print detail into prints.

We have blogged with the students work on this site for over ten years during that time the printers have evolved at an increasing impressive rate.   We've previously also identified that now thanks to companies or sites like Kiwifil its possible to use recycled PLA or have prints, projects and rafting reused.    The machines that we use are using an increasingly accurate and detailed such as recent prints for the pencil topper that featured yesterday.

The examples that we are showing here have been produced by a student designing independently after two months in the classroom, working with their iPad, Tinkercad App and were printed on our Bambu H2D.

The prints shown are as they were removed from the machine without any 'rafting' or waste plastic - the prints took twenty two minutes to complete.   They used seven and a half grams of PLA filament to complete and this had a price point of $0.18c to complete.  The prints were not project with AR/VR (using the Tinkercad App) but they could have been as we have been doing regularly on this blog.   This was completed by a student who is seven from cohort one, 2026.  For visitors from overseas from this blog please be aware when we quote prices for the filament and prints we are discussing the price in NZD.

This example of the same project is representing a students creation of another pair of earrings.   This student is from cohort two, is eight years old and was able to produce this again independently without the need for teacher input.   The design was completed in Tinkercad and the student then duplicated the pair to have a matching pair.  As someone who is a regular wearer of earrings and who intends to wear a pair of these once she is happy with the finished design she is intending to make adjustments to ensure they hand in a way that she is happy with.

The dimensions of this completed print can be seen from the screenshot of the Tinkercad work plane (left).  A pair of the earrings took forty minutes to print (on standard settings) and used eight grams of PLA to complete.  This had a price point for the pair of $0.20c.   This student is also going to revise the design to include more details (on the arms).

The student has already started the modification process (as shown left).   The left had figure has revised arms, the students name has been put on the design and an adjustment was made to the eyelet.

This site has a number of projects that feature miniature sized prints.  You can search for them using the search bar top right hand corner of this blog or you can also look at examples such as miniature bees from November last year, our series of prints on miniature jugs and vases which evolved into a forced perspective digital photography task from March of this year,    We also had an entire years project based around a Dolls House where our students made miniature furniture for the inside of it, see this project summarised here.

3D Printed Projects: Mothers Day 2026 Summary

 

We are approaching Mothers Day for 2026 in New Zealand and we have several students who have targeted projects based around this event.

The 'couch' which has been developed extensively and featured on this blog twice.  In its first form it was an idea for a project as a regular phone stand as detailed in this post about the print.

The print was further developed by the student from a generic project into one specifically focussed on a Mothers Day gift.   The print has evolved again as it has been now spray painted and has now a charging point included into the base of the design where the phone will be based.    This is now completed and ready to be presented as a gift.   This was completed independently by a seven year old student designing for the first time this year (for three months) and used their iPad, the Tinkercad App and the Bambu H2D.

This print shown left was completed by a middle school student in 2017.   At the time that this print was designed and completed we were using Ultimaker 2 machines (which we then replaced with Snapmaker machines before moving last year to Bambu Machines).    Despite being a number of years ago it was also designed using Tinkercad and iPad.

This was a significant print however in the years since it was completed the technology has moved on significantly and we would imagine the printing time and other aspects of the design would be improved.

You can also view this personalised Key Holder themed for Mothers Day from 2019.   In 2020 We created gift key rings/utility rings.  You can view all of these potential projects by clicking on the link and we would also suggest as a point of ideas you could view the Market Day 2025 ideas from our students as a number of those projects could easily be converted.

We've had a number of projects for personalised creations at the moment that offer a perfect example of something that could be created for Mothers Day.

In some of the examples the students have put the initials of the person that they were designed for.   In the instance shown left the prints used 32g of PLA to complete the print.     This has a price point of $0.33 for the pair.   The prints took thirty three minutes to complete.

There are a large number of examples on this blog from this activity which you can locate by using the search bar in the top right hand corner and the search bar phrase 'earrings'.

This would be an ideal project with a minimum printing time that would allow a class of students to complete the task in a relative short order.   We have also produced a slideshow dealing with this specific lesson, designed for a teacher taking their first steps in 3D Printing you can locate this by clicking on the link here.

Finally we have offered students the opportunity to create an original design which we are intending to print prior to Mothers Day.

An early design has come from this seven year old in the classroom who wanted to create an original and unique trophy that they could award to their 'number one Mum'.   With this design the student has used a combination of the main Tinkercad interface shapes and used 'scribble' to rate the handles and design the top of the trophy.   We printed this as an example to show the class and the student is intending to refine it.

The design at present is 70mm high, 60mm wide at the base.   It used 51g of PLA filament to complete with a price point of $1.27.    The print took two hours and twenty two minutes to complete using the Bambu H2D.

3D Printed Teacher Project: Earrings - Updated 2026

 

The slideshow, shown below, is the updated version of the earrings step by step guide to 3D Printing.  It was designed last year with its intention being it could be used to show a teacher how to work a classroom program or project from a very basic level moving forward.

It has now been updated, and will be updated with further material from 2026.

If you want to access a powerpoint version of this post you can do so by visiting the Facebook page which is associated with this page - this has powerpoint versions of each of the project work (such as the Minecraft Slideshow) you can access that page by searching for 3DPrintSchoolNZ or clicking on the link here.

3D Printed Earrings - Cartoon Exemplar

 

Challenge: To create a pair of earrings that are original and related to a students design ideas.

Background: An eight year old using iPad and Tinkercad.   The student was completing the earring challenge and looking to create something that was recognisable.   They decided to challenge themselves by selection two cartoon characters with an extremely high recognition factor among students.   The student was able to colour match both characters and add details based on their knowledge of both characters.   The student created multiple versions or pairs using these as the base design.  There are versions involved both characters on the left and the right as a identical pair.

The first run of both prints is shown left.   The print has obviously been completed on a basic grey PLA and would benefit from potential use of the Bambu H2D ability to have multiple colour in the print.

Level of Difficulty: Medium/High.   The context of the challenge is relatively easy however the student chose to undertake a detailed print of a high profile character.   The print shown left is the first attempt from the student to do so and revision would be expected in this case.

Size:: As can be seen from the screenshot of the Tinkercad design screen in the top photo the figures are 45mm across and 50mm high.  The prints are 5mm wide.   For a pair of earrings these would be the most common size.   

Cost/Price: Two print both of the pair the printer used 7g of PLA to complete the print and this had a price point suggested by Bambu Studios Lab of $0.17c to complete.

Timeframe: The print took twenty two minutes to complete.   While the prints have a pleasing level of detail it can be seen that the finish on the top right hand side of the right figure looks a little rough.  When the print is revised the figure in this location would need some refining (perhaps to increase its width).

What we would do differently/Next Steps for the students: Refining of the top right hand corner of the print colour matching, ensuring that details like the legs on the left hand side are both equal.   This is something that could be repeatedly printed to ensure that it is completed to a high standard as the print itself is able to be completed easily and has a small amount of PLA ussed.

School Holiday Challenge: Earrings 2026 Edition

 

Challenge: For students to use their iPad, Tinkercad (app or web browser) and a 3D Printer to produce an original pair of earrings.

Background: Due to the nature of the design, the simplicity that it is possible to complete the task with and also the printing time - this has evolved into a standard creation, production and printing task for the students.

As the term was coming to the end we used this as a challenge where we spoke to the students - we also wanted to make it clear to the students that if they continue to design, create and make in the School Holidays here in New Zealand we will be able to print their designs during the break so they will be ready for their collection after the break.

In this instance having being regularly posting on this site for many years this is one of the tasks that we have a wealth of examples from - from one off basic designs to students who have created entire micro-businesses with the concept and used it for previous school Market Days.   You can view the links to all of these posts on this blog or use the search bar top right and use the term 'earrings' to see pages and pages of potential examples.   You can click on this link to the 2023 project which started as a design task  and then evolved into this 2023 Market Day business.

We also had students switch to the laser cutter in 2024 or you can view the Pac-Man super slim examples from 2021 by clicking on this link here.  This summary slideshow created in 2025 contains all of the steps from start to finish in the process - aimed very much at a teacher carrying this out as an activity with an entire classroom.

Size: As shown from the design plate on Tinkercad is 80mm long and 30mm wide the print are also 10mm wide.

Cost/Price: Using the Bambu Lab studio software we are able to determine that to print both of the pair would take 14g and has a price point of $0.33.

Timeframe: To print both of these it took twenty three minutes to complete using the Bambu H2D.  This task would be ideal to print using a slower printer or a printer that was not able to create the detail that more complicated prints require.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the student: This is a very basic introductory task that the students in the classroom could complete easily and we have had student complete some basic designs after being shown the app and how to create basic designs.   This task also leads to more complicated designs from the students.    This is designed for the students to be successful in a short space of time.

We have a slideshow as described - on our Facebook Page we have included a copy of the slideshow as a downloadable slideshow in powerpoint format.  You can click on the link to that here.

Independent Junior Creations 3D Prints

 

Challenge: For a 'new' design student to create something unique.

Background: We've mentioned a little about our set up previously and how we are operating with our digital technology.  Essentially we are a 'normal' state school in a rural area with 'regular' students.   

Our design time is part of one of our key themes of innovation as is the fact that we are a Apple Distinguished School (ADS) and we also have a 1:1 iPad environment (from when the students are five years old and enter our school).  

Design usually takes place in the afternoon block, depending on other commitments - and can be as short as ten minutes or sometimes the better part of an hour.   One of the things that we have experienced in the past and has started happening again this year is students designing and creating in their own time and then bringing a potential project into school for printing.   This is something that we tend to encourage where possible and make sure that we can print files or designs that have potential or promise that can be advanced further.

This project is an example of this process.  The seven year old student who has started designing at the start of this year is currently experimenting with a range of original designs - the donut being a previous one that she was responsible for.  In this example here she has explored the basic designs and shapes template and started experimenting with making various shapes - and done so in her own time.

This will hopefully lead onto further designs - once the first prototype was completed and printed we started asking questions about it, such as what would it purpose be, what it might be used for, how could it be changed and what modifications might be needed.

One the potential uses that came out of this discussions was that it might be able to be used as a pair of ear-rings or other item (counting toy to help with number bonds).   The student also put their name across the design (which is upside down in the photographs).

Level of Difficulty: This is an introductory task completed by a seven year old working with CAD design, their iPad and Tinkercad for two weeks.

Size: The larger of the two designs measured 100mm by 70mm and was 20mm wide.   The smaller design was 50mm by 40mm and was likewise 20mm wide.

Cost Price: Printed on the Bambu H2D the larger design used 22g of PLA and cost $0.54 to produce according to the Bambu Labs summary.   The smaller version used half of the PLA.

Timeframe: The larger of the figures took just over one hour, the smaller figures were two thirds of that time.   This would be modified depending on the purpose of the projects.

What we would do differently/next steps for the students: Technically there is very little that we would change from the project.  We want to encourage the students to be completing the work, in this case the student went to the extent of completing the design independently and in their own time.

3D Printed Miniature Bee Challenge: Earrings

 

Challenge: To use a craft bee to create a print that interacts or complements it

Background: As we have now completed our 2025 Market Day projects and our follow up work it is allowing us to concentrate on other projects that we have been exploring or looking at during the term.  One such example was the previously detailed 'Miniature Bee Challenge' at the time we used the Tinkercad App and the AR/VR option as many of the design as possible as this was the 'publishing' for the students in this instance once their design was completed.

One such instance was the ear rings that are shown above.  The student worked on the size of them on the basis of the bee, which was only 10mm long and created a honeycomb themed earring, which was then duplicated to produce a matching pair.   As part of the project in general the student had researched honeycomb and was looking at the different shapes that are associated with it.

We have featured earrings several times this year as a way to produce something in high quality that the students can personalise that is also realistic to print in quantity - ie for a classroom.  You can search for many examples on this blog by using the search bar top right and including the words 'earrings' in the keyword.  We also have created an overview slideshow and video detailing all of the elements of this process (from a teachers perspective) which is located here.

As per nearly every design crated by students this year the process was using their iPads for research, then using the Tinkercad App to create the design, followed up by AR/VRing the object into place (again by using the app (Tinkercad) and the students iPads).  In this instance we also followed it up by printing the design on the Bambu H2D.

Level of Difficulty: Low - this is an entry level task for students which was completed by an eight year old completely independently of the teacher using the materials listed above.  

Size: The earrings measured 40mm across at the wide point were 50mm high and were 7mm thick.

Cost: According to Bambu studio on their detailed cost analysis the print used 8.6 grams of PLA filament and cost $0.21 for the creation of the print.

Timeframe: 37 minutes - ideal given the potential scale of the project.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: With some slight modification this task would be ideal to feature as a potential item for the 'Christmas Cracker' challenge.

Updated Teacher Explanation Basic 101

 

This slideshow is intended to be a series of suggestions and ideas for a teacher who might run a 3D Printing project in their classroom.   The teacher who created it has Y3/4 student although it would be a suitable introductory task for someone wanting to explore starting.   This was previously published and has now had additional material put onto it and also I have included an explanation video at its conclusion which is a project overview.

The purpose of this site when it was initially set up was to share ideas and projects for potential 3D Printing the classroom, and the first few years were exclusively about this.   Overtime as we expanded our technology at our school to include resources such as the laser cutter and sticker machine we have added material around the use of these machines.

It was never a site to have the .stl files for projects (although we have supplied them via email at time) and while it has always been teacher and student focussed we are aware of general interest in some of the projects.  As always I would like to point out that the material that is published here is very much the collective efforts of a number of staff and of course the students from our school and I would like to make sure that they get the proper credit when it is due.

3D Print School - Ongoing End of Term 3 Projects

 

In New Zealand we are approaching the end of the third of four terms in our school year.   It is an extremely busy time we have our 2025 Market Day approaching in October, Term Four.  We have also a significant number of class projects and general 3D Printing projects going on.    We are documenting as much of it as possible at the moment, and on this blog - we have also after ten years created a body of work that includes the most posts now in a calendar year for this site.

We are still, as always, interested in making contact with other schools, student and teachers who are posting about similar topics.   We have expanded our online posting to include Facebook and are going to expand out digital footprint in a number of ways.   

If you want to directly contact us you can do so by emailing myles.webb@gmail.com or visiting Auroa School Website.

An example is shown above left.   Thingiverse was used to download a generic public domain .STL design cake topper.   Tinkercad was then used to personalise the topper by adding an individuals name between the rods that connect the topper to the cake.   The design was then printed on the Snapmaker and took three hours.   The print was 5mm thick, 140mm high and 90mm wide.

We are continuing with our classroom challenges, where our class of 25 students are given a design task to complete.   Although the task can sometimes vary the usual progression is a challenge, a design in Tinkercad, followed by a VR/AR test, and finally test prints of selective project before revision.  We have recently documented this process and project with a basic 101 slideshow which is aimed at beginning teaching and delivering something to the classroom.   We would also like to point out that this is being completed by the four printers that we have school wide, our three Snapmakers and our Bambu H2D.

The earrings shown here are a final version measuring 60mm long, 30mm across and being 5mm thick.   The print time on the Snapmaker was 45 minutes - we also tested these with inserts to ensure that they hang well and that the prints have a small wow about them, in this case the print has been completed with glow-in-the-dark filament.  You can read further details about this process and view the slideshow by clicking on the link here.

DPE is Auroa Primary Schools Tech program with a range of rotations for the students.   During one of the blocks students use the School Laser Cutter to complete a bluetooth speaker which is then embedded into an MDF speaker box.    The students then have the option to personalise or create a unique project.   You can read further information about some of our projects here, or click on the link here to view some of our ideas from previous years including some of our students unique and creative designs.

Anyone wanting to travel to our school and witness this program first hand or contact our DPE teachers directly can do so via the email above.

Our Principal has set a challenge to our students to create a unique trophy for the end of year prize giving.   In this instance one of our class students (who is eight years old) has been working on a design, the latest version of which is shown left.   

There is a significant degree of precision in this project as ultimately the intention is to present a permanent trophy to our prize giving students, and is currently undergoing its fifth version as the student is meeting repeatedly with the Principal to look at options.

Currently the latest version is being produced on the Bambu H2D and is taking three and a half hours.   The print is measuring 120mm across is 120mm high and 5mm thick for the top and 80mm thick at the base.  You can view more details on this project by clicking on the link from its inception here and see further progress here.

Market Day 2025 is approaching fast.   Each student in our senior school (four classes) and our Y3/4 classroom has been divided into businesses of around four students.

Each business has been tasked with creating a product or series of products that has the key driver of innovation (one of our school values) and personalisation.    Although groups have varied a large number have opted to use our 3D Printers, laser cutter or sticker machine as part of the production process.   You can click on the tab located here or use the search bar top right to find projects tagged for our 2025 version of this event or look back on our last event in 2023.   We are more than happy to provide these ideas for you if you are a student or teacher for a school event.

Another of our class challenges is to produce a physical set of geometric shapes, labelled and identified as belonging to our school that could potentially be used to help students with their Mathematical shape identification

We have asked students to design eight of the core shapes, ensure that they are labelled correctly and have information on them.  You can read a more detailed description of the projects and see our first examples that the students have produced here.   Again this is a class run projects of twenty six students which we are attempting to complete while we also focus on our other projects.

As we have mentioned we are very much happy to discuss any of the projects that we have detailed here on this blog, we are happy to help out with anything if you want to drop us a line or need advice etc.   We have a number of students and teachers who have directly or indirectly contributed to this work and we can also put you in touch with the relevant person responsible.

3D Printed Earrings Design: Junior

 

Challenge: To replicate jewellery and create an original version for a Y3 student (seven year old).

Background: One of our students brought into school a pair of the earrings with the lightning bolt design which is shown left.    The student wanted to create their own version of these and wanted to make them glow-in-the dark creating something that they thought would be unique.

The creation process was very straight forward and the student was able to create their version of the designs shown left without any assistance.   The student used their Tinkercad account to design and create their own version (shown right).    They used their knowledge which has been developed via their work in class during the year and they were able to duplicate the design to create a matching pair, as shown.   The design would be categorised as easy.

Size: The design measures 70mm long, was 10mm wide and was 2mm thick.   The metal attachments were not able to be duplicated however these are easily available from a local craft shop and are relatively inexpensive (they cost less than forty cents each).

Level of Difficulty: Easy - was completed in minutes by a seven year old independently.

Timeframe: Twenty minutes to complete the project, completed on the Snapmaker.  We have worked on designs like this before including making this a classroom challenge and having students develop this as a market day business in 2023.   Of note we also have a student who completed similar designs using the school laser cutter.

Given the small time frame this potentially an excellent classroom project as apart from the design the only aspect that the students need to master is putting a hole into the earrings which is simple as detailed in this instructional video from our blog in 2016.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: These designs are a starting point for this student to develop their skills and develop their designs.    The switch to printing with glow-in-the-dark filament is a simple matter of changing the rolls.   We have a school disco coming up so making these available for this could be a point of difference.   Obviously we have a bank of designs and ideas which can be accessed by conducting a site search using the bar in the top right.

3D Printed Ear Rings - Refinement and Adaptions

While we are continuing to work on the various projects that are running at school as we head into the last week of term for term one, 2025, we also have a number of students revisiting some of our previous projects to ensure that they have mastery of the task or in some cases have further refined their designs.

In the case of the ear ring task that was detailed previously as the students have been using Tinkercad we have a classroom space set up via the website.  This allows students to have multiple projects running up also allows us to think about the events that are coming up later in the year - specifically our school market day.  

Realistically this type of project would allow us to print a range of individual designs for the market day and allow each student to have their own creation that could be used to showcase their creativity.

There has been no input from the teacher with these students designs they are creating them independently and identifying for the teacher when they can be printed.   As the size of prints tends to be in the 30mm to 40mm range the print time for a pair of ear rings tends to be under one hour.   They are an ideal task for students to be creative but also have a realistic about printing, including designs that do not work or need to be reworked.

We also have allowed students to use the search bar from #tinkercad to alter and adapt the pre-made designs.   Usually this is something that we restrict with the students ideas having more of an emphasis placed on them, but in this instance as the designs are relatively small we want to be able to allow the students to create something, have it successful and be able to celebrate this.

A good example of this line of thinking is the monster feet design shown left, this has been accessed via the search bar, the student was required to just connect a ring to the shape, group it and the design was finished.

We have in our classroom on display the Dolls House which is the actual rebuild that we are attempting.  We have been completing prints, adding them on and then discussing with the students how they look and what else we can make.   In the photograph left you can see early examples and attempts at flooring, currently just created by laminating basic screenshots however the intention is decals and vinyl coverings of the wall and the floors using the Versa Sign Maker.

We also have encouraged the students to think about their designs during the upcoming New Zealand School Holidays.    It will allow us to print a volume of material and projects and do to also consider some larger scale projects that students have worked on that will potentially involve a longer span of time.   It is too early for students Market Day projects at this stage although we want them considering and thinking about the possibilities coming up.

3D Printed: Ten Minute student challenge

 

Challenge: Y3 and Y4 classroom students using Tinkercad are given ten minutes using their classroom student account and their iPads to create a pair of ear rings that would be suitable for someone to wear.

Background: We have created these before, using the same process with the idea that the print time varies between fifteen minutes and half an hour.  Students in this instance had to develop them independently from the teacher, the teachers role was simply to arrange printing of the designs when they were complete.

The students needed to asses their designs in terms of suitability for hanging/wearing and needs to ensure that it is robust particularly the connection or join point between the ring or the loop and the design itself.

While each of the designs are somewhat unique and their size and print time varies in most cases it was under thirty minutes and the length of the prints in total and including the loop was no more than 60mm.

Each of the students was able to put their own spin and design on the ear rings.

We are also mindful of a significant event that is taking place later this year, that is our school market-day.

This event is significant for Auroa Primary School we have an expectations that our students are creating, innovating and designing and making something that would have value in the community.

We have had businesses run by students who have to look at something that they could potentially sell.   One of the things that make this activity ideal is that the printer can produce something that is unique and student created and can be produced for a minimal cost, as we have with the laser cut ear rings.

With such a relative short print time the entire class can realistically have their designs completed over the space of several days (that is a class of twenty six students). and then printed out.

This allows the students to check their design, check their viability, run tests and then finally make adjustments.

There are several pairs that will be printed later and there will be a second run of prints which will be posted for additional ideas.

3D Printing: Junior Projects Ongoing

We have students looking for opportunities to complete individualised projects that are not otherwise available.

In this case shown left a basic design was created by a student, using a previous available tutorial on Tinkercad.   When the design was completed it was then passed to a senior student with which to complete the spray painting of the design.    The student was extremely pleased with the results.

There were a point that the hole for the attachment of a cord or drawstring was slightly too big or too close to the edge of the design, however the student opted against a reprint.

The print took five and a half hours to complete and was 140mm high, was 100mm wide and was 10mm thick.   It was designed to be as robust as possible as it was for a gear bag.

We have continued to allow students to experiment with the develop ideas related to Christmas Decorations.  This is something that we have done each year as it has allowed each design to be created and also has a realistic print time for the project to be completed and allow each student to progress from a concept, to an idea, to a design and then refine the design as required.

In the example shown left the students basic block shape has been further refined by inserts for the name and shape and a ring inserted in the top left to allow the decoration to be hung easily from a tree.  The design measures 90mm by 90mm and was then subsequently spray painted by a senior student.   The print time was two and a half hours.

You can read a presentation about ten years of Christmas Decorations Projects.

Christmas Gifts/Unique Designs/Earrings Business for Students.    When we held our School Market Day last year we created a range of business that featured and used all of our technology opportunities for our students.  The laser cutter was used for various market day projects, the sticker machine was used for packaging and labelling and we had several 3D Printed based businesses.   One of which being run by a Y3 student was based around 3D Printing Earrings.  This student is now a year older however we have made the decision to feature some of these designs for sale from the school office for Christmas gifts given that they are unique and we can produce them at a rate that is achievable and quickly (typically the pair of earrings as shown in the photograph can be printed in thirty minutes or thereabouts).  We will be featuring these in an area adjacent to our school office with the intention that they can be designed. created and marketed by our students.

Christmas Projects: Something unique, something personal and something created by a student.

This was a relatively straight forward design from a Y3 student in the classroom who was creating and designing for one of the first times.   

It was easily achievable to complete a Tinkercad design that the student was intending to complete with spray painting.

The student was extremely proud of this intending to use it to label for the family pet.    The design was 120mm long/across, was was 10mm high and was 50mm wide at the ends and 40mm wide in the middle for the print.

Junior Evolving Christmas Print: Decorations

Challenge: To produce a unique and original Christmas decoration.

Background: Again this year we have challenged our students to create an original Christmas decoration - which we are printing in time for the festive season.

As an overview we have published a slideshow which shows ten years of Christmas based Tinkercad designed prints which is located on this blog here.

One of the things that we have challenged the students with this project to do is to think about how we might be able to change the print or reshape or design it and include it into something else.  In this case the design shown above was created as a tree with the intention of it being used to hang from a traditional tree.  As can be seen from the photograph the design is missing a hole.  There was an insert put into the design, however the student did not make the hole in the design big enough and as a consequence it was not successfully printed.   

The design took fifty minutes to print - and a pair was printed as the student was interested in investigating the potential to convert the design into a pair of earrings.

Previously we have students who have produced an entire range of 3D Printed unique earrings - these were initially created for various projects but have proven popular when we have our school Market Days.

The other aspect of the project that has proven to be positive is that the student concerned has completed a project, it has had a very reasonable print time and has then adapted and developed this idea, this project and this work (completely independently) further.

The final earring design is shown left.   Again while the details are clear they have been created by the main Tinkercad interface and designed by a student in a very short space of time.

Size: The first version of the tree was slightly larger being 50mm tall, 30mm wide and 5mm thick.   The finished earring shown left was slightly smaller to make it a more realistic earring size - 30mm high, 10mm with and 5mm thick.

Timeframe: The original print was forty five minutes, as this was intended as a ornament the revised version which was the earring was twenty five minutes which reflected in its reduced scale.

What we would do differently/Next Steps for the students: The student has already indicated that the design maybe refined slightly, the circles to represent the baubles in the middle of the tree are not refined enough and the student really wants to explore the use of metallic PLA so they don't have to use spray painting with the design.   Examples of how this has been used to produce finished work can be shown here.

3D Printed Earrings - Part Three Additional Designs

 

Challenge/Background: As detailed in a series of posts that have been detailed on this blog the students have started the term in New Zealand with an individual design challenge to customise a pair of earrings designed using Tinkercad.

In the designs shown left the student created two seperate designs, one for themselves and another which was intended as a gift.  They had similarities in design featuring a heart, a name and a star design on the base.  Each of these prints measured 60mm high, was 50mm across and 10mm thick,   As a consequence of this the print time of each of the prints was forty five minutes.  A discussion was made about whether or not these earrings were in fact not suitable for purpose as they were too large.   The student did not think so however it was commented by another student 'that they would make a great Christmas star' which was a reflection of its size.    The student is at this stage not intending to redesign the project as she believes it has been completed.  The student concerned is a Y3 student who is seven years old who is 3D Printing in her classroom for the first time this year.

A similar design was completed by the student who design the pair on the left.   They were crated in the main Tinkercad interface

Again as the design above there were three main components to the design.   The background or base of the design, the name that was applied and the hole that was inserted into the design to hang the earring.  Significantly the time to print each of these designs was reduced by nearly half of the ones above as they were 5mm thick.   The student who design these prints was a Y4 who has worked on a number of projects in the classroom this year and last.

She was able to complete this task independently from any teacher input and the result was just printed by the teacher.   

In the third example shown left this student opted to create a minimalist design - she had experience with earrings and wanted to make sure that they were as small and thin as practically possible.  

The print time for these designs were only 12 minutes for each earring, they were 50mm high and crucially 5mm thick.   The student used the 'scribble' design to make the shape of the star shown left.   The student enjoyed the fact that these were unique.  She considered putting additional details into the design however was very concerned with applying a basic level of detail to ensure that the design was light-weight and was able to be printed in a extremely short time frame.  Again a student, in this case eight years old who was able to complete the design independently and the teachers role in this instance was again to just print the finished product.

3D Printed Junior Earrings Design: Part Two - More complex and Revision

Background: We detailed the process yesterday and shared that we were looking at producing a range of designs from a class of students (the class of students being currently twenty seven students in the classroom).   The details of which are similar.

Design Shown Left: a heart design with an 's' linked into the bottom of the design.  The design was 20mm across and 40mm high.  The prints took forty minutes to print for both,   The depth of the prints is currently 5mm.  The revision part of the process is going to come when the student looks to hang the designs from a hook.   Once this has been completed the student is intending to look at decoration of the prints by spray painting them, and then the project will be completed.  This was completed independently by a Y4 student who is 3D Printing for the first time, using Tinkercad.

Design Left: A pair of cow designs.  In this example the student used the knowledge that she had gained as part of our School Market Day from 2023 when she ran an earring business.  Initially she was looking at key rings, but made the decision to pivot to earrings at the last minute, resulting in a much smaller print time and a business that sold all of its items.   You can read the details of the project here, or view the material related to our School Market Day here.

These designs, shown left measured 60mm across were 30mm high and were 5mm thick.   Based on her experience from last year the student made the decision to have two different circles for the attached earring loop which would hang slightly differently.   The print took just over thirty minutes to print.  These prints were produced by a Y4 student (eight years old) who has worked extensively with the 3D Printers over the last year on a variety of projects and ideas and is able to show a high level of capability.

Design Left: Student who wanted to show off her design skills and created the matching pair shown left.  The design was completed from Tinkercad main interface and was based around three distinct shapes.

The design measured 30mm across and the student intends to use spray painting to apply a level of decoration to the print.   The print took thirty minutes with the size at present.    

The student completed this design and project independently in under ten minutes and was able to present these to the teacher for printing.   This student is a Y4 student at our school who has used 3D Printers now for a year and half and produced a number of creative and innovative projects based around her work.   

Some of the designs that have been created are requiring adjustment.  While we have encouraged the students to show clear understanding of the sizing, there have still been examples of students who wanted to go big.   One of newer students, being a Y3 student who is printing for the first time this year produced this earring which was intended as a gift for his sister.   The earring at present measures 70mm across and is 60mm high.  the print has a width of 10mm and the letter 'b' extends out a further 10mm from the base of the design.   The student wanted to work with these dimensions but it was unsure of the size being an issue.  When the print was completed, and came in at the forty minute mark the student still felt that they were making something that would be successful, however based on the feedback that he has received he is now looking at revising the dimensions of the design to ensure that it is more pratical.