"I have been travelling out to the
elementary schools this week,
and all of our teachers are pumped
about FabLab ModelMaker."
W.K.
Design a
model using FabLab ModelMaker
Print the
geometric nets of the 3D shapes
Pass the
nets through the Silhouette fabricator
Design it
FabLab ModelMaker enables 3D models to be designed by combining geometric
shapes. FabLab ModelMaker will display an unfolded, segmented version of the
three-dimensional shape, known as a geometric net.
Print it
The geometric net
generated by
FabLab ModelMaker is printed on
cardstock or another construction material such as
vinyl, magnetic sheets, etc.
Make it
The printed geometric net is processed by a Silhouette
fabricator, which scores, perforates, and cuts the net to form fold lines and
trim it. The scored and trimmed net is then used to build the model.
Remove the
nets from the Silhouette fabricator
Fold the
nets ...
...
and make the model.
The Power of the
FabLab
Children’s engineering is about students recognising
real problems and coming up with their own solutions. With the advent of
inexpensive but powerful desktop fablab machines students can generate
ideas on the classroom computer and make the physical object.
Both the USA and UK governments are committed to a program of STEM
education: President Obama believes excellence in STEM (Science,
technology, Engineering and Math) education is key to the nation’s
future prosperity, security, health and quality of life and he has
committed the US to a strategy which will achieve this. The UK
STEM program reports the area being vital to our economy and our nations
prosperity!
Using FabLab Model Maker in the classroom can make the STEM curriculum
much more relevant to the students. For example, get the students to
think of and design a solution to a problem which is important to them
personally. One child wants to give Pop a Father’s Day present. He likes
peanut M&Ms, so the child decides to buy him a pack and make a special
box to put them in.
The bare fact that the volume of a cube equals length x breadth x height
is important, but to many students, facts by themselves are tedious and
irrelevant. ‘So?’ is their reaction. But the child making the candy box
finds that she NEEDS to know how big that box ought to be so the M&Ms
will fit. Suddenly ‘volume’ has become important, and she has a purpose
for doing these calculations. She also gets a great feeling of
satisfaction when she gives the box to Pop “Look what I made!”.
Thus math has joined up with engineering and acquired relevance and
purpose in the process!
NEW:
Watch FabLab ModelMaker printing a 3D model with
Fab@School
STEM Classroom
Engineering giving Math purpose and relevance!
1. Design a cuboid and place images on to each of its
faces.
2. Display the NETS of the cuboid
3. Print out the NETS and make a real world model
using paper.
4. Display orthographic projections.
Fomenting Skills
According to a survey conducted by the
skills service council, 83% of parents thought teachers should have more
contact with the business world. Business can consist of anything from
selling pork pies to arranging holidays in Jamaica to selling
educational software, but one thing they all have in common in the
twenty-first century is that they rely heavily on computers and IT
skills. See aspex article 'Parents
Value their Children Learning Skills'.
FabLab ModelMaker easy 3D modeling
software helps schools to bridge this gap to the business world by
providing children with real hands on experience of design and
manufacturing using computers and IT.
Projects using educational software like this easy 3D software also
foment skills in building community and relations by collaborating and
sharing with children in other other schools, skills that will benefit
each child both personally and in the business world for the rest of
their lives. Indeed the importance of this type of skill building is a recognised part of the curriculum today.
FabLab ModelMaker pojects help pupils
work through all the stages of an informed design
process from thinking about a problem to exploring solutions and then designing
and manufacturing a device to solve the
problem.
3D Shapes
Designs are modeled on the computer by drawing and combining 3D shapes.
Accurate dimensions and angles can be displayed and the shapes can be
edited and rendered with bitmap images and colours.
The 3D shapes are used as building blocks, draw 3D shapes using the
mouse in one simple operation, or drag them on to the screen from a
library of pre-made shapes. All the
3D shapes can be edited by scaling and stretching, moving and
rotating and by adding colours or images to the individual faces.
The
NETS of 3D Shapes can be
displayed and printed out. NETS can be rotated in order to better fit
the paper for printing, and NET permutations can be displayed for the
Tetrahedron, Hexahedron, Octahedron and Cuboid shapes.
Each 3D shape or model designed in aspex Tabs MST can be displayed as an
orthographic projection including
both the 1st
and 3rd Angle Projection. 3D shapes and models can also be displayed in isometric projection
and as individual views, either in full render, line drawing and with
hidden lines.
