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

This article on Snapmaker applications in education will be a three-part series, introducing how the three functions of the 3-in-1 machine can be used for teaching purposes. Today, we will introduce the first part: 3D printing!

Since first discussed in the early 21st century, STEAM education is now gaining increasing popularity and being widely integrated into education at all levels globally. The idea behind the discussions was to improve the 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 were introduced, and various activities and programs emerged to help bring this idea to fruition. Exhibitions such as ISTE in the US and BETT in the UK might be among the events you have actually attended.

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As you may have noticed, 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 are 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 and subject. Most of these can be further designed into a course to teach students knowledge and design skills in a particular subject.

As a 3D printer equipment and solution provider, Snapmaker offers a 3-in-1 3D printer that not only cultivates students' knowledge and skills in printing, but also makes it easy to learn about laser and CNC. Integrating additive manufacturing and subtractive manufacturing technologies all into one machine provides more possibilities for combining different subjects in one course, thereby helping teachers and parents better achieve the comprehensive development of students.

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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 understand the 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 comprehensive 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 Snapmaker's 3D printing function 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 the model. In this blog, we will use TinkerCAD as the design tool. If needed, you can also use more professional software. If you are also planning to try STEAM education in the classroom 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 the Earth 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 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 has also undergone a long and difficult process. By telling them interesting stories and history about geocentric and heliocentric theories, 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 visualize how to create something they cannot see or touch with their own eyes. Additionally, the relationship between the Earth's revolution, rotation, and seasons can also be clearly explained here.

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

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

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

Once we are familiar with 3D printing, some of these questions can be answered. If the sphere is printed as a whole, supports are needed when slicing the G-code because the contact area between the model and the 3D printer build plate is limited, 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 to be hollow. However, the thickness is best determined through trial and error, as it relates to the size of the model. In our course, we use 50mm as the outer diameter and 5mm 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 easy!

Once the design is complete, the next step is to learn how a 3D printer works and how to convert design files into G-code files. 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 into related subjects and develop a deeper interest.

This is how projects can 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 nation is still debatable, but it is beneficial to those who utilize it. Therefore, do not hesitate to use this blog and start projects with your students or children!

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