So to begin with, I need to acknowledge this printing technique is credited to Shorey Designs as best I can tell from researching the internet. His Dragon Scale design (seen below) can be downloaded from Thingiverse here. These were printed using PLA and the manufacturer’s normal recommended temp settings of 230 C for extruding and […]
Thingiverse It is unlikely that most of you have not heard of Thingiverse. This website has one of the largest followings within the 3D printing community, and the largest repertoire of printable models. Members can download and print hundreds of thousands of objects which have been shared by fellow community contributors. The only […]
Although flexible filaments have been around for a few years, many desktop 3D printers have been unable to utilize these filaments. Filaments such as TPA, TPC, and TPE were available, but were just too flexible for many inexpensive 3D printers on the market. However, TPU seems to be the perfect mesh between operational flexibility and […]
Printing with flexible filament is sometimes difficult, especially if the filament is too flexible. However, Hatchbox is now making a TPU filament (flexible) which is much stiffer and works especially well. Also, TPU filament lays flat and does not curl after printing much better than it’s brethren, TPC. Although Hatchbox TPU is easily printed, […]
Getting a good foundation or platform stick is probably the most important aspect of getting a good print. Without a good stick, the print will likely not be completed or in the least will be unusable when completed. Hence four of the five tips below, are about getting the extruded plastic to adhere to the […]
No classroom can utilize a 3D printer without fun projects to motivate the learning process. Below you will find five fun projects for various ages and links to videos for the educational foundation supporting the project. The last project, Color Pistol For Light Painting, is a more advanced project, but covers many areas of science […]
Autodesk offers a full repertoire of 3D modeling software packages that fit not only the needs of the beginning designer, but up to and including software powerful enough for the business user. Additionally, all of these software packages are free for non-commercial users. Tinkercad is a cloud based software package geared to the beginning designer. […]
As a trainer and educator, one of the largest learning hurdles I faced was overcoming young students lack of motivation. Many fail to see and or understand the educational gateway to a better life and sometimes providing non-punitive motivation can prove to be most difficult for teachers. What I mean by non-punitive is a […]
As I look back at my educational foundation, there were several grade school classes that really tweaked my interests. Middle school does not bring any outstanding classes to the forefront of memory, although, I do remember many of the projects that were required, Science and Art in particular. Although, as a class, nothing stands […]
STEM, the educational buzz word, is getting a face lift! Educators, over recent years, have been shaping curriculum to focus more on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Fallen by the wayside is the classic art class. Many primary schools have even eliminated Art from their curriculum to save money…how unfortunate. However, don’t fret, […]