Using the Sticker Machine to Produce Hat Transfers

 

We currently have a group of students who are working to use the Roland Versa Studio Sign Maker BN-20 to produce a sticker which is then going to be steam pressed on the hat of the students.   This will allow the students to personalise their hats with a label of their own design.

The designs have been created by the students using the Gimp online software and a laptop.   Student were able to design them in one sitting then thinking about the composition the design and how the label might look when applied to the fabric.

Roland - Versa Studio Sign Maker BN-20 T-Shirt Project

One of the projects that we wanted to highlight was how we are using some of the additional technology at our school.

Our senior students who are Year 7/8 have one day a week when they take part in our School Wide Technology Program (called DPE).   We have a variety of options/electives on this day including some of the traditional lessons but we also include things like laser cutting and technology design.

One of the pieces of the technology used is the Roland Sign Maker.  This machine was used extensively when we had the Auroa School Market Day where it was used to produce a range of stickers that we used as labels for the marketing of the products that our students were then selling to the community.

Another use for this machine, but on a larger scale is to produce stickers or large adhesives that can be used as t-shirt transfers.   These can be seen in the photographs shown left.   The designs are created by the students using Gimp.

Once this is completed the designs are printed onto the machine and from here they are heat transferred onto a standard t-shirt.   The students of course have the control over the content of the T-Shirt and they can design areas, characters and aspects of interest that are personal or important to them.    We have contemplated also making school or team shirts or sets of shirts the same way as the machine would allow the potential for the shirts to be able to be completed to suit our individual, group or school needs.   The completed shirts tend to be of a comparable quality of those that might be purchased from a printing shop.

Once the transfers have been designed, created and printed they are then put through a hot press which steams the designs into place, the press being shown left.

Using a Printing Error to Problem Solve

Challenge: This print was created and designed by a student but with a significant flaw - can it be engineered to be solved using the 3D Printer. 

Background: A returning student, who is still a junior at our school (nine years old) has prove herself to be competent and design and create using Tinkercad to a variety of projects.  In this example she wanted to create a personalised stationary holder, of which there are a multitude of designs and creations on this blog.  There are some examples here.

However when this project was completed the student realised that she had made a significant error with the design - the centre part of the design when through the length of the entire design leaving a hole at the base of the design meaning that it was unrealistic to use it for storage.   Instead of repeating the print again we challenged the student concerned with looking at ways to engineer a solution to this print and solve this problem.

The view of the design underneath shown left clearly shows the problem - and to the right you can see the students first and second attempt at creating a problem solving for this situation.

In the first attempt she attempted to create a plug that was based around the total size of the cylinder making up the storage, hence she used incorrect measurements that would not work in conjunction with the design.   Her second attempt to do so produced a much more realistic and successful design, which required a light amount of sanding with a piece of sandpaper for the completion of the project.  The final part was to give the student the ability to look at the combination of the print and work out what else could be used to seal the base of the design - the student has since looked into research about resin and other ways to seal the base of the print.

Level of Difficulty: Medium - once it was established what the fault was the process of solving the problem was very straight forward and the student was able to produce the initial replacement part easily, then a second when they realised their mistake.  As with a lot of prints we want to involve a student in an engineering process so they will learn as part of the design (and in this case the problem solving).

Size: The initial print measured 90mm across was 80mm deep.  The base was 10mm high and the tower (storage) of the design was 60mm high.  The initial replacement piece (which was ultimately not used) was 40mm across and 30mm wide.  The second version was 25mm across and 20mm wide.   

Timeframe: The initial print was eight hours, the two replacement pieces to plug the gap were one hour and thirty minutes for the second (successful) print.

What we would do differently/next steps for the students: In this case the pleasing result was a problem was solved in a meaningful and independent way by a student.  The process was completed successfully and a new avenue of research and ideas was looked into - and there was no wasted PLA.

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.    

Laser Cutting to Produce Game Cards

 

Challenge: Student wanted to create a unique game based around a special theme to them.

Background: As the person was a fan of Star Wars they wanted to create a version of Monopoly that they could customise.   There were aware that there is a commercial version available however they did not want to use this as they wanted to have more control over some of the locations that were in place.   The student decided to look at using Laser Cutting to produce the cards that were available for the game as it would make them memorable and also durable and they could include specific detail that could be researched and looked at for the purpose of the game.   Each of the individual cards took around sixty seconds to laser cut out so the entire set for the game was not too labour intensive.  The student used Sketch Up to design the cards which were then printed on the schools industrial sized laser cutter.

The design process took minutes.  The dimensions of the cards measures 50mm across and are 80mm high.   The cards are 6mm thick which is the width of the MDF.  

The student was also considering how to use the sticker machine to help with the game presentation as either the way to product the decals for the board or to enhance the presentation of the board.

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.

3D Printing: Beginning Steps and Refining Projects

 

As we're currently in the first term of a new school year in New Zealand we have a group of new students, who are Y3-4 currently working on their very first 3D Prints and 3D Projects. 

As we have detailed this process in considerable detail already on this blog, we won't repeat too much of the process etc.   but suffice to say that the seven and eight year old students tend to start with the basics and complete the basics well - in this example the student was thrilled with their effort (so much so that they didn't want to repeat the print, despite the obvious printing error.   This print was the first print by a student who used the 'flipped' instructional video which is the step by step guide to producing a basic Tinkercad print and design.  This print took just over two hours to print was 120mm across, 90mm high and the base was 10mm thick.  The lettering for the names of the people in the students family were designed to be different heights and the student was really pleased with the result.

At the more advanced level we have a student who had a major roll in the School Market Day which took place at the end of last year.  This student was responsible for sourcing SVG files (that were public domain, freely available) and converted these for 3D Printing, originally adapting a cow design into a number of other designs.  These were able to be produced quickly and once the design was sorted mass produced using the 3D Printer.   It was ideally suited for this process as it was able to produce robust ear rings that could be produced in twenty minutes or so.   The student is going to be running a small scale innovation business this year along these lines - and the Dolphins are the first design that she has worked on at this stage.   They are currently taking twenty minutes each to print measuring 90mm high, 30mm to 45mm across and are currently 5mm thick.   

Finally as can be seen, also from the same photo, the student who opted to laser cut the iPhone holder has started to revise the design by using the 3D Printer to produce something with more strength to it.  Her first design will need refinement for while it looks to be a successful fit to the base, which she still intends using the laser cut base for testing has shown that she needs to check again to develop it further.