【3D Printing Applications】 How to use the Snapmaker 3-in-1 3D printer in education?

There will be a trilogy of articles on the application of Snapmaker in education, introducing how the three functions of the 3-in-1 machine can be used for teaching purposes. We will now introduce the first part: 3D printing!

Since its first discussion in the early 21st century, STEAM education has become increasingly popular and widely integrated into all levels of education worldwide. The idea behind the discussion was to improve a nation's technological capabilities by cultivating citizens' skills in STEM fields, which later evolved into STEAM fields during their early education. National strategies and policies have been introduced; various activities and programs have emerged to help implement this idea. Exhibitions such as ISTE in the United States and BETT in the United Kingdom may be some of the activities you have actually attended.

👉 【Related article】:Fear not the rise of AI: The irreplaceable transformation of STEAM talent!

You may have noticed that 3D printers play an important role in STEAM education. 3D printing technology is one of the emerging technologies that may change the way we design and manufacture in the future. It can also be combined with various subjects in schools. This is why 3D printers have been introduced into classrooms, and many courses are designed according to the needs of different educational levels. For example, on MyMiniFactory, you can find tens of thousands of models categorized by grade level and subject. Most of these can be further designed into a course to teach students knowledge and design skills in a certain subject.

As a 3D printer equipment and solution provider, Snapmaker's 3-in-1 3D printers can not only cultivate students' printing knowledge and skills, but also make it easy to learn laser and CNC knowledge and skills. Integrating additive manufacturing and subtractive manufacturing technologies all into one machine provides more possibilities for combining different subjects in a course, thereby helping teachers and parents better achieve students' all-round development.

👉 【Related article】:Detailed features of the Snapmaker Artisan 3-in-1 3D printer

Snapmaker collaborated with renowned professors from Nankai University to develop "Becoming a Smart Maker: An Introduction to Digital Technology," an educational guide. From a beginner's perspective, it aims to help students learn about three manufacturing technologies (3D printing, laser engraving and cutting, CNC carving) from scratch. From mastering basic model design knowledge to experiencing actual production, it can gradually stimulate students' innovative awareness and achieve all-round development.

In the coming weeks, we will share three courses from the educational guide, each using one of the three functions of the Snapmaker 2.0 AT mode. Today, this blog will show you how to use the 3D printing function of Snapmaker for educational purposes. The task of this course is to 3D print a globe. During the production process, it is recommended that teachers and parents explain relevant geographical knowledge to students and guide them on how to design models. In this blog, we will use TinkerCAD as the design tool. If needed, you can also use more professional software. If you also plan to try STEAM education in class or at home, this course can serve as your introductory course.

👉 【Related products】: 1. Snapmaker 2.0 3-in-1 3D Printer / A250T 
                               2. Snapmaker 2.0 3-in-1 3D Printer / A350T

To make a globe, students need to understand basic information about the Earth before designing. When teachers or parents guide students to ask questions, students can easily participate and start thinking:

Q: Is the Earth a normal sphere?

A: We always say the Earth is a sphere, but it is not a perfect sphere. The Earth is slightly flattened at the poles and bulges slightly at the equator. The poles are the North and South Poles, the two ends of the Earth and the two points where the Earth's imaginary axis intersects the Earth's surface. The equator is the longest circumference on the Earth's surface along the direction of the Earth's rotation.

Other questions you might consider asking include:

• Did humans know the shape of the Earth from the beginning? By asking this question, students can learn that humanity's understanding of the Earth's shape also went through a long and difficult process. By telling them interesting stories and the history of geocentrism and heliocentrism, they can better understand and remember these concepts.

• What points and lines about the Earth should you know? Asking this question naturally leads to the concepts of the North Pole, South Pole, longitude, and latitude. To ensure they understand how these concepts work in daily life, you can even ask them for the approximate longitude and latitude of your location.

• What parts do we need to design and print to make a globe? Is the Earth's axis perpendicular to the surface? By asking these questions, you can help them imagine how to realize things they cannot see or touch with their own eyes. In addition, the Earth's revolution, rotation, and the relationship between the four seasons can also be clearly explained here.

All the knowledge mentioned above can be taught in 2 to 3 different lessons in a regular classroom. Now, it can be easily connected through one project!

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Once students figure out all the above questions, we can start designing! The globe can be divided into the following parts. Today, we will take the sphere as an example to show you how to teach students to design!

In TinkerCAD, through its basic shapes, you can easily obtain a sphere by dragging shapes onto the workplane. But is this what we really need? When designing a sphere, we need to consider whether the sphere is solid or hollow; should we print it as a whole or cut it into two parts? What is the size? Is there a design that saves the most time and material?

Once we are familiar with 3D printing, some questions can be answered. If the sphere is printed as a whole, support will be required when slicing the G-code, as there is limited contact area between the model and the 3D printer's print bed, and the bridging is deep. Otherwise, you will spend a lot of time dealing with print failures and post-processing the surface. Therefore, printing two hemispheres and then gluing them together is a better option.

In addition, to save material and facilitate assembly, it is best to design the sphere as hollow. However, the thickness is best determined by trial and error, as it relates to the size of the model. In our course, we use 50 mm as the outer diameter and 5 mm as the thickness. In this case, in TinkerCAD, all we need to do is set the two hemispheres to the correct size, align them, group them, and duplicate them. Quick and convenient!

After the design is complete, the next step is to learn how a 3D printer works and how to convert a design file into a G-code file. We have covered this in detail in the quick start guide and user manual. When you receive your Snapmaker, remember to check it out! Through this project, we believe students will have a strong sense of accomplishment. They will also gain new insights and deeper interest in related subjects.  

This is how projects help students learn relevant subject knowledge and design skills. Globes may be common in almost every household, but globes made by children themselves are meaningful and unique. Whether STEAM education is beneficial to the country remains to be seen, but it is beneficial to those who utilize it. So, don't hesitate to use this blog and start a project with your students or children!

In the next article, we will share a tutorial on using laser engraving. Stay tuned!