VeggieMake: intro to 3D printing

thingiverse

Human: Kids are handed a VeggieMake (a toy that turns produce into a cute character) – but the parts don’t attach to the produce. Therefore, kids will have to make pins themselves. This works well because it is an easy project with minimal emotional investment plus the small pins are fast to print and kids can try out new ideas quickly. It reinforces the idea that 3D printing is useful for quick prototyping and creative iterations. The VeggieMake also encourages kids to use ugly fruits and vegetables. Print Settings Printer Brand: Tinkertine Studio Printer: Ditto + Supports: No How I Designed This VeggieMake was designed as a teaching tool to introduce 3D printing and 3D design. We designed the parts with three things in mind: the parts needed to be easily 3D printable by any printer, they needed to be printable without support structure, and they needed to be quick prints so that multiple kids could share in “VeggieMaking” with a single 3D printer. We used SolidWorks to design the VeggieMake features (eyes, nose, mouth, feet, and hands). These parts were designed using advanced 3D modeling techniques, and are not intended to be changed by beginner students. We designed the VeggieMake pins using Tinkercad. We chose to use Tinkercad because we feel it is the best platform for learning introductory 3D design. The pins were designed using a box stretched to become a long square, then adding a roof on its side to become a sharp point to insert into the produce. One trick that we used on the pin design was to cut a small slit on the end of the piece that inserts into the VeggieMake features. This small slit is helpful to add some flexibility to the pins so that they will be a nice snug fit in the features. Search “VeggieMake” on Tinkercad to download our adaptable design and create your own pins! Standards NGSS Overview and Background 3D printing technology is best used for prototyping ideas but we have observed that many kids want to design the perfect piece for 3D printing. We’ve designed an exercise that is fun but reinforces the idea that ‘failing fast’ works to improve your ideas. Lesson Plan and Activity Activity Introduction Introduce the idea of iterative design and prototyping. Although it is tempting to just print one version, kids should try out their designs and make changes if needed. Encourage them to keep optimizing their design. How does 3D printing work? Why didn’t my design work on the first try? Duration One hour is sufficient for basic activity and it can be broken across several classes (e.g. design on paper could be homework). If add in optional activities like precise measurement and/or new pieces, can be 2 to 3 hours. Materials Needed VeggieMake parts (no pins) for each pair or group of 3 students Ugly fruit and vegetables for each pair or group of 3 students Computer for each pair or group of 3 students Access to TinkerCad (tinkercad.com) Slicing software for designs 3D printer with filament Pen and paper for brainstorming ideas Skills Learned 3D design 3D printing layering prototyping Preparation Create a class account on tinkercad.com (one log in used by all) Be able to use 3D printer comfortably (print several designs for yourself first) Rubric and Assessment Students design on paper could be marked for including all requirements (e.g. measurements). Students can also keep a notebook to describe their design process and how they changed their design based on previous iterations.