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Week 5: Press-Fit Construction

Assignments

Option 1

  • Create a press-fit build kit using the laser cutter. You need to create at least two different shapes in your kit.
  • Your kit should have at least 5 pieces that can interlock.
  • Build something with your kit and snap a photo.
  • You can have only two shapes, but if you would like to explore more options, you can consider having 3 or 4 different shapes in your kit.

Option 2

  • Use any of the tools presented in the master class (see Tools to create 3D shapes with laser cutters below), and create a 3D object using any of the joint techniques presented: finger joints, stacking…
  • You can use either a CAD tool to build your 3D object, or you can use any of the tools to build objects such as boxes.py.
  • Put all the parts together, and snap a photo.
  • If needed, don’t be afraid of using e.g. glue
  • Show a picture of your creation in your learning diary. You can add a few pictures and a short explanation of the process if you like.
  • Answer the following reflection questions:
    • How can your press-fit / 3D object be used in education? How could other teachers use it? How could you integrate it into an activity that aligns with your curriculum or standards?
    • Have you ever built an education portfolio? Why or why not? What could be the possible advantages?
    • When you execute a learning activity, how do you evaluate its success? How do you keep track of possible modifications or improvements? Do you include them in your education portfolio or learning diary?

Process

This week, I constructed a press-fit kit for a “dice tower” to use with students in LCC’s Dungeons & Dragons Club, using an existing product as a base for the design.

In Adobe Illustrator, I sketched out the dimensions of the tower, an L-frame shape 15cm x 15cm. After measuring the thickness of the material (I used 2.5mm corrugated cardboard as a test material; dimensions would have to be adjusted for other materials), I created a small rectangular shape with a width of 2.5mm and a length of 12.5mm. This would allow a reasonable depth and for the pieces to fit together with some snugness. These rectangles would be used to assemble the connectors, which used rounded edges to allow manoeuvrability between the slots and the connectors. I used a test model to ensure that the connections would be secure.

As a three-dimensional shape, the tower requires multiple sides, with several “tumbler” platforms and a long base to allow dice to roll after tumbling through. Two side L-frame walls, a rear wall, and a front wall with an opening at the base formed the structure of the tower. Finally, a short wall at the front was necessary to keep the die enclosed in the structure.

After sending the design through JobControl to the TroTec engraver, the pieces had to be assembled.

Reflection

  • This object was not designed to be used in a classroom, but rather in a co-curricular club. However, Press-Fit kits with a variety of general or specialised shapes can be used to allow students to construct many structures in a controlled manner, while still providing them with creative freedom.
  • My only experience with creating learning portfolios is from my time in university. In the classroom, I find methods and learning activities that work for me and have difficulty considering how other educators could adapt my work. I do see the benefit in using teaching portfolios for evaluation and personal growth, receiving feedback from other teachers on ideas, skills, and methods to improve, so I generally teach with an open door and seek other teachers’ input. As well, I see how a portfolio can be useful for documenting modifications to lessons, though that feels much effective than simply making the modifications immediately and using the modified lesson in the following year.
  • There are many ways to evaluate a learning activity, though they are context-dependent. Some can be evaluated in the moment, based on student buy-in, while some can be evaluated through feedback from the student. Some are evaluated later, through student assessment to see how well the lesson was absorbed by the class overall, though that often requires a controlled variable for comparison, so this is a longer-term process that is more difficult.

Tools

  • Adobe Illustrator
  • TroTec Laser Engraver
  • TroTec JobControl