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Luke’s Gible (in gray) was started 30 minutes ago, and is estimated to complete around 3:30AM. Lots of support structure being put down for the first several layers. I’ll post pics and a timelapse link when it finishes! Check here if you want to see it live.

The print for Eldin’s Destiny 2 Hunter Knife is completed. Here is a pic of it on the print bed. Took it off the bed, and we’ll keep it exactly as it came off for next Saturday’s class. Check out this link for a timelapse of it printing. It looks great!!!

The Destiny 2 knife was started an hour ago.  You can check it out live at this link!

Estimated completion is about 9PM, at which point we’ll post a picture of how it looks on the printer.

Wow, what an exciting class! Great job to Luke, Eldin, Ezra, Pierce, and Jackson for getting your homework in during the week. You all found some really cool stuff!

Here is a summary of the prints everyone selected, sliced, and uploaded!  Jackson and I will be doing our homework to try to get as many prints as completed as possible this week.  Stay tuned to this web site, as we’ll be posting progress, along with an update when prints are started and a link you can use to watch the print happen live!  Our plan is to start with #1 for everyone, then try #2, then #3, and so on.  Hoping we are able to get through as many as 25 prints this week!!!!!

Congrats to the 5 students who have completed their first quest in their new quest line – Introduction to 3d Printing! We had a great time, fun discussions, and I can sense the excitement, wonder, and creativity building in the students! Here is the Keynote presentation that we talked through, sprinkled in with some field trips to the garage to check on an ongoing print, and lots of detours to YouTube and the internet to check out other things that could be printed – including lifelike organs!!!

Remember the homework is to find 5 designs on thingiverse.com that you’d like to print. While we’ll start with printing one, we may be able to do others later as well!

If you plan to bring in a laptop next week, please have PrusaControl installed before the class so we can keep the class moving.

See everyone next Saturday the 30th at 10:00AM!

Here is the lesson we reviewed if you’d like to download it!  3d Printing – Lesson 1.key

Quick update – the dates for the class have been pushed back by one week. I’ve updated the class schedule accordingly, but be aware – no class this Saturday, and next week March 23rd will be the first week!

Below is my current planned schedule for the 5 weeks of class.  This is entirely subject to change, and I expect it will do so especially since this is our first attempt at the class!

Week 1 – Information and introduction

(March 23th @ 10am)

• Goal:  To equip the students with information about 3d printing, overview, boundaries, uses, and materials.
• End with:  introduction to Thingiverse.com and downloading objects online.
• Homework:  Go online (with parent supervision) and search for and identify 5 small simple objects they would like to discuss and print.  

Week 2 – Slice & Print

(March 30th @ 10am)

• Goal:  To equip the students with an understanding of “slicing” which is the process to prepare models that have been downloaded for printing, along with a basic understanding of the printer software called OctoPrint.
• Discussion & Activity:  Discuss each of the prints they’ve discovered on their own and select one to process for printing.
• End with:  Each student processes one print in PrusaControl and uploads it to the printer.
• Homework:  Jackson and Josh will print all the students prints prior to the next week’s class, and share print progress during the week via Webex Teams (and perhaps this site).

Week 3 – Customize, Download, Slice & Print

(April 6th @ 10am)

• Goal #1:  To introduce the students to customizations – using TinkerCad online software.
• Goal #2:  To recap the print foibles of the week – successes, and challenges – and give them their print from the previous week.
• Activity:  Students to go through TinkerCad tutorials that will allow them to make minor customizations to designs, download customized prints, slice them with PrusaControl, upload them to the printer.
• End with:  Customized design files ready to be printed during the week by Josh and Jackson.    
• Homework:  Each student will again search Thingiverse (or other sites) for a more involved print (i.e. nerf gun, mini crossbow, wind up toy car, etc.).  Each student will bring back one print they’d like to be the final print – and we will all vote on the final print.
• Homework:  Jackson and Josh will print each student’s customized design prior to the next week’s class.

Week 4 – Vote, Download, Slice & Print

(April 13th @ 10am)

• Goal:  To identify the advanced print the class will use as their final project, along with the color each student would like their materials printed in.
• Discussion & Activity:  Each student to present their “Final Print” nomination. Review each “Final Print” nomination, and discuss the difficulty level, review the comments, and vote on the nominations.    
• Homework:  Josh to order any additional items (magnets, screws, etc.) required for the advanced print selected, as well as order any additional filament that may be needed.

Week 5 – Post Process & Assemble

(April 20th, @ 10am)

• Goal:  To take the model parts printed and custom assemble what they’ve printed    
• Activity:  Post process the final prints.  This could include sanding, painting, glueing, screwing, and general assembly depending on the final project.
• End with: Lots of lessons learned, fun had by all, and even a final print that we can show off to our friends and family!

CLASS OVERVIEW

This is a 3d Printing class targeted at 9-13 year old homeschoolers.  We will be using my Original Prusa i3 MK3 printer for the class with the intent of giving the kids an introduction to 3d Printing.

COMMUNICATION

I plan to communicate with the class via Webex Teams.  This is a free team messaging platform that has clients available across all types of devices, and will allow us to discuss projects, timing, updates to schedules, as well as share pictures and videos of how the prints are coming out during the week.  All you need is an email, and you can get a free account at teams.webex.com.  Everyone in the class will be in a large private invitation only chat group, and you are welcome to join the chat room along with your kid(s) in the class.

COSTS

There is no cost for the class, although if you want to offer a donation to help with the supplies, I won’t refuse it!

AGES

I’m targeting this first class to between 10 and 14.  Boys and girls both welcome!

SPECIAL NOTE

We will be on the internet for portions of the class, with all the good and bad the Internet brings.  In my time on Thingiverse I’ve stumbled on some nude print designs, but the site appears to try to block viewing them until you are signed in on an account.  I tested creating an account, and it does not block images once you have an account, but it does confirm that you want to view NSFW images.  If you are not willing for your kids to be online due to this risk, then the beta class would not be a good fit.  We will be having an open discussion during the first session about what is appropriate and not appropriate to view.  If there is enough demand, I could try to tweak the class to not use the Internet, however this beta class *will* be using Internet content.

MATERIALS

• If you are able to bring a laptop for the class (PC or Mac), that can be used during class, that would be helpful.  I have computers enough to handle 4 people without their own laptop however, so just check with me if you don’t have one to bring.
• I will supply the rest of whatever is needed including the filament, and any screws/magnets/etc. needed for the final project.
• If you would like to do some research, the 3d Printer we’ll be using for the class is an Original Prusa i3 MK3 printer (hopefully with the MK3S upgrade by the time the class starts).

SOFTWARE

• Chrome browser for managing the printer and for downloading files
• We will introduce students to some sites that host design files including pinshape.com, all3dp.com, and thingiverse.com.  We will focus use on thingiverse.com
• We will use free “Slicing” software from Prusa3d called “PrusaControl”. This will need to be installed on laptops and both PC and Mac versions are available. If we want to get fancy we can try “Slic3rPE” or Slicer Prusa Edition which is a more advanced version of PrusaControl.
• We will use free “design” software from AutoDesk called “TinkerCad”.  This application is run in a web browser and does not need to be installed.
• Everyone will be using an open source software package called “OctoPrint” that I use to manage my printer
• I will have guest wifi available at the house that you can connect your laptop to.