One of the clever aspects of 3D printing is its ability to produce tools and parts in remote locations, such as at sea or on naval warships. Sending one pound of anything into space costs thousands of dollars, but astronauts need spare tools and parts. Instead of carrying all those extra tools and parts (many of which are never used), you only need a 3D printer with part files to produce them as needed, saving weight and space. More importantly, custom parts can be designed on Earth and then 3D printed in space. Commander Barry Wilmore printed the first tool in space, a socket wrench provided by NASA. This wrench actually has a built-in ratchet mechanism and can be used simply by taking out a 3D printer.
Inspired by NASA's printing of a space wrench, teacher Rob designed a challenge for his fifth-grade students to create their own tools:
I designed a challenge for my fifth-grade students and asked them to design a functional tool. I used several pieces of wood and drilled holes, then screwed in various sizes of screws; each student was given a screw, and they had to design a custom wrench to remove it from the wood.
We used calipers to measure the distance of the screw heads, and students used Tinkercad software to model polygons and hollow them out. If using Tinkercad, make sure to set the snap grid to 0.1 mm, hold down Shift while zooming in and out to scale the entire shape up or down, and you can change the side dimensions of the polygon to make it smoother.
Students came up with various designs for their wrenches; sometimes the caliber was too tight or loose, sometimes the handle was too short with no leverage, and sometimes other erroneous variables occurred; when the wrench didn't work, students would redesign and reproduce prototypes.
At the end of the lesson, we reflect on various aspects of the technology itself, the design and rapid prototyping process, and the more thoughtful approaches we've engaged in; these processes will inspire students regarding mechanical principles and structural applications.
We can see these students finding joy in learning through 3D printers, with greater freedom in thinking and creation methods. This is why many schools are considering incorporating 3D printers and related curriculum into future planning. The way of thinking with 3D printing is completely different from the past limitations of materials and manufacturing; if you already have a great idea, you can also contact our professional printing service.
We will continue to share any news related to 3D printing technology, with first-hand information updated on our fan page, and we welcome everyone to follow this thriving technology.
Original link: https://ultimaker.com/en/blog/52573-wrench-engineering?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=facebook_page&utm_medium=Ultimaker&utm_content=Wrench%20Engineering%20|%20Ultimaker