Functional Balance Scale

thingiverse

This is a fully working 3D-printed Balance Scale. Please read through the information below if you plan to print this educational project as there are some tweaks to be made according to the printer you use. Check out my other educational thing: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1663150 Print Settings Printer: M3D Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: Low Infill: 20% Notes: The printer used was not a professional printer. The settings on the Micro M3D printer were: Print Speed: Medium Fill: Base - Hollow w/Thick Walls || Other pieces - Low This was printed on an M3D printer where I encountered several problems while printing. The model that I printed ended up having a max print area of this project of about 3.5"x3.5". I did not have access to a bigger/professional 3D printer which led to a lack of detail of the print. For those of you who do have access to one, I suggest that you scale all the parts up to a more reasonable size. Post-Printing Adding the Detail Once you have printed all the parts, it is possible that the tolerances on the printer were not detailed enough. In my case, the pieces did not fit into the holes. There are to things to do in this situation. First, you can use a sharp knife, such as an X-ACTO, to scrape out the edges of the holes in order to fit in the pieces snuggly. If you choose this method, please be sure to be careful with the tools you use. For me, this method works for a couple of the bigger pieces, however, the other did not want to go in due to the low detail of the printer used. More professional printers may work flawlessly as the detail is more precise. For the pieces that did not fit in, I left them as is because when laid on top of their hole, they somewhat grip onto it and work just fine as well. Furthermore, for the student who are using this model, the purpose, objectives, and goals of the project are not compromised due to this fitting error. This next step is also optional but if you choose to do both steps, complete the one above first. To add more color and detail to the model, you can use spray-on paint or some type of acrylic paint. I am not experienced in painting plastic but whatever paint sticks, will work. Painting is a good option for the educators who want to go through the full process of creating the model with their student. It is also a great option for printers that do not have dual extruders. In my case, I printed everything in clear PLA and painted the parts after to give a more realistic look to it. I've included a picture below of the paint I used. I got this paint from the local supermarket for less than $0.50 a bottle making this a very cost-effective project for teachers. Also, the amount of paint was a lot more than needed, so I had quite a bit left over for future projects or to paint other parts. If you are wondering, the paint is matte acrylic. I put 2-3 layers of paint on each piece leaving a 1-hour dry time between coats. I am in no way experienced with painting 3d printed parts, but read into it a bit and found acrylic paints are good for this type of thing. Overall, I am pleased with the paint job but would suggest that you run some sandpaper all around the parts you plan to paint after printing in order for the paint to stick better and dry in a more even way. I painted according to some pictures I found but feel free to experiment with different colors and patterns. Generic Acrylic Paint - $0.50/bottle How I Designed This The idea I wanted to create something that had the ability to inspire and help students learn in a more interactive way. As a high school student with a passion for CAD modeling, I decided to create this project to reflect what I learned and what others could learn from my model. Planning Out The Project Once I got the idea of making an easily accessible functional balance scale, I began to look around online for reference 2D sample scales that I could potentially transform into a multi-layer 3D model which individuals could learn from. All credit of this image goes to: https://www.flickr.com/photos/49519894@N05/5013446920 All credit of this image goes to: http://www.hometrainingtools.com/ohaus-school-balance Modeling Every Part in CAD Once my foundation for what I wanted to do was set, I began to model each part. The CAD software used was Inventor 2017. Every piece in this project was 100% modeling in this software and 3D printed. Some of these pieces were very difficult to model as I was dealing with very small dimensions and it can be a challenge for the software to sometimes accept these tiny changes throughout the model. The parts were then scaled proportionally in Axon and confirmed in Cura. Base of the balance scale Arrow to point in direction of weight Sample pan for obejects Mechanism to secure lever with pin. Lever holding both sample pans Pin to hold alloy in place Alloy Overview and Background Students and users of all ages will be expected to learn the properties of gravity, weight, some physics, movement, and more. Lesson Plan and Activity The great thing about this project is that educators or even the student can choose how much time and work they put into putting this together. Here is a good step-by-step idea teachers could implement with elementary students or even middle schoolers: Have the teacher/educator split the classroom into 2-3 groups. Then the teacher/educator will assign a specific part or even parts to each group. The teacher/educator will 3D all of the parts to complete this project. If the students are interested, a good idea would be to show how the 3D printing process works and possibly inspire them to create their own objects. 4.Once each group has their assigned part(s), they will paint and/or decorate their piece(s) according to what they have learned about them and how they think they would fit in with the others. Each group will then research more in depth into their part and the teacher/educator could assign each group to give a brief presentation (such as a few slides on a Powerpoint or a handout like the one in this project) There are endless possibilities to what student and educators can do with this project and this is just one of them. Custom Section About the Project: Fully Functional Balance Scale Made up of multiple pieces, and more importantly siple machines. This fully functional balance scale model can be explored in several ways. Overview and Background This project is a very simple project to print and many things can be learned by completing it; Once put together, the users will get an idea of how everything fits together and the relationship between all of the pieces. This, in turn, will create a better connection to the mechanics and physical aspects of the balance scale. Objectives Students and users of all ages will be expected to learn the properties of gravity, weight, some physics, movement, and more. Audiences This balance scale is very special in the way that it is versatile. Balance scales are used through virtually every grade and age groups of students. Student from kindergarten are able to tinker with the scale and get a basic understanding of its functions while more advanced users may be able to take measurements from the scale if for example they are utilizing it for a school project which involves chemicals. Subjects This project could fall under the categories of science, physics, mechanics and even more advanced science subjects. Skills Learned The great thing about this project is the use of simple machines. One of these is a lever. When force or weight is applied to once side, the lever moves down towards that side. The several skills utilized throughout this project include processes, cognitive, relationship, movement, and more. Lesson/Activity The great thing about this project is that educators or even the student can choose how much time and work they put into putting this together. Here is a good step-by-step idea teachers could implement with elementary students or even middle schoolers: Have the teacher/educator split the classroom into 2-3 groups. Then the teacher/educator will assign a specific part or even parts to each group. The teacher/educator will 3D all of the parts to complete this project. If the students are interested, a good idea would be to show how the 3D printing process works and possibly inspire them to create their own objects. 4.Once each group has their assigned part(s), they will paint and/or decorate their piece(s) according to what they have learned about them and how they think they would fit in with the others. Each group will then research more in depth into their part and the teacher/educator could assign each group to give a brief presentation (such as a few slides on a Powerpoint or a handout like the one in this project) There are endless possibilities to what student and educators can do with this project and this is just one of them. Duration The great thing about this project is that it is very open-ended to the teacher/educator as to what they want to do. As described in the "lLsson/Activity" section of this project, students can take this anywhere and I would love to see where it goes personally. Duration-wise, once the parts are printed, this can be something that takes an hour of class time, or if the student want to do presentations, this project can take a couple of days. Again, it is all about what the students get out of it. The more they put in, the more they get out and ideally learn more about this topic. Preparation This all depends on the age group. I think it is important that the student have a base knowledge of simple machines but this is still great for almost any age. Otherwise, less or more experienced student can still complete this project, but may not be as engaging. References Here are some good links and websites to visit, but not mandatory for the project: • http://www.mikids.com/Smachines.htm • http://idahoptv.org/sciencetrek/topics/simple_machines/facts.cfm These are a great place for younger kids to learn about simple machines. Rubric and Assessment I believe that the final score should be up to the teacher/educator, but the student should reflect the following that the teacher can notice: • Basic-Intermediate understanding of the mechanics • Can identify all part correctly • Can identify the function of each part of the scale • Shows confidence in what they are presenting and are engaged in what they are doing/ what they accomplished. Project Reflection & Goals Overall, I am very pleased with how this project turned out. However, there are a couple things I would do differently: • If possible, take advantage or larger 3d printer if you have access to them as the difference in quality and fitting the pieces are very different. • The bigger, the better - A bigger model can sometimes mean better understanding. In my case, the m3D printer could only print the balance scale in rough dimensions of about 3.5"x3.5", but I made due with what I had. For the students' benefits, bigger models can help them identifying and learning the parts. My goal is to help other student learn about subjects they are passionate about and would love to get some feedback if anyone or a classroom completes this project.