3D Print a Team Logo - SCOPES Digital Fabrication

Lesson Details

Subjects
Age Ranges
Standards
4-ETS1-1, 4-ETS1-2, 4-ETS1-3
Additional Contributors

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Author

Fab Lab El Paso

Summary

3D printing has revolutionized prototyping and manufacturing, and as the technology advances, access to these machines becomes increasingly available and more affordable. Students with knowledge of these systems are able to leverage their skills to utilize 3D printing’s potential to create better opportunities for themselves, their communities, and the world. This 2 hour workshop introduces students to a variety of 3D printers, commercial and industrial applications, and the design process of creating files suitable for printing.

What You'll Need

Materials

10 Student Laptops

Pencils /paper

Dry erase board

Dry erase markers

Electrical tape rolls

3D printing pens

 

Key Terminology

 

Fabricate

Additive Manufacturing

Fused Deposition Modeling

Stereolithography

Filament

Extruder

X,Y,Z Axis

Cad

3d File

Primitive Shapes

Work plane

The Instructions

Welcome to the Fab Lab /lesson introduction

a. Explain what a makerspace is, learn what our makerspace contains, and how they can bring their own ideas to life with a maker mentality b. Provide an overview of the lessons to be taught

Students will be instructed to observe the 3d printers printing and note the movements that are happening as the machine works. This movement is along an X,Y,Z axis, which differs from drawing 2D on a paper, the 3rd axis Z, allows the printer to build vertically, thus creating in 3D space.

To demo the complexities of a 3D printer, students will be given 10 minutes to complete a simple task; create a team name, and write the team name along with “3D Printing is Cool” on their dry erase boards. Each team member must have a hand in writing the text, however team members cannot physically touch the dry erase marker while they write. Team members will need to create a way to control and maneuver the marker that allows each team member to simultaneously control the marker only using the materials provided. Also the marker must be easily removable. Team members must not lean over the edge of the table and therefore must create their device with enough slack to reach the dry erase board placed in the middle of the table. At the end of the ten minutes, teams will bring up their dry erase boards and vote for the best one.

Additive Manufacturing + 3D Pens

Students will then be introduced to the principles of Additive Manufacturing through a powerpoint presentation and video demos of specific types of 3d printers. Topics to be discussed will include the main types of 3D printer technologies available today, their applications and limitations, and what is needed to operate them.

Please see attachment for 3D Printing Pens powerpoint presentation

 

TinkerCAD Logo Design

The online Cad software TinkerCAD will be introduced to the students, and basic operational functions demoed. Student teams will then begin the process of creating the logo in Tinkercad.

Teams will be instructed on the process of saving their files in preparation for 3D printing. Students will then be shown how to import their files into Cura, a 3D Slicing software that converts the 3D file into code that the 3D printer can read. Some general settings to pay attention to and how they affect the outcome of a print will be addressed as well.

Clean Up and Assessment

Wrap up and clean up. Formative observations of team working throughout the initial, and logo designing challenges. Ongoing observations through different challenges using Tinkercad and the appropriate use of 3D printers in the classroom Summative assessment in the form of vocabulary questionnaire, and Rubric to score their logo designs based on the criteria given.

Standards

  • (4-ETS1-1): Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
  • (4-ETS1-2): Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
  • (4-ETS1-3): Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.