Pebble Plant Cell

grabcad

Flipping through my high school science textbook was one thing I loved to do while in school. The book contained so much information, amazing pictures, and detailed diagrams all with the goal of enhancing the educational experience and providing student with different avenues for learning and understanding concepts. With the Pebble Design Inspiration Challenge, I decided to try to capture the magic of learning, and express it through my love for 3D Printing. Imagine a world where the teacher can design models for students to download and print at home! Especially in these times of social distancing and learning from home, the capability to rapidly produce an educational model could redefine teaching as a whole!I chose to design both a Plant Cell and an Animal cell, using the Pebble shape as a starting point. I chose this design because it is instantly recognizable, but also useful for educational purposes. The diagrams in books were very useful in understanding what each organelle does, what it looks like, and even the key differences between different types of cells. Polyjet technology is especially useful for a project such as this, as it is capable of printing in many different colours as well as printing with different transparencies. Different colours are necessary in educational models, in order to allow students to easily discern between different objects, for example in my Plant Cell Model, the mitochondria are orange, and the chloroplasts are green. Additionally, using translucent material, such as the VeroVivid materials, allows for complex geometries that show off internal structures, such as the nucleolus inside the nucleus.