rapman-education's posterous

rapman-education's posterous

Dave White  //  A place for educators, teachers, lecturers and students to find "stuff" about RapMan,BfB3000 and BfB 3DTouch printers... The unofficial Blog by Dave White, Advanced Skills Teacher and Head of D&T in Clevedon School UK.

Dec 1 / 6:20pm

Bits from Bytes Christmas festivities

Looking for something to 3D print with your students in the run up to Christmas? Bits from Bytes are offering free .stl files with a Christmas theme each (working) day. Visit the forum to see what other people are printing in this theme http://www.bitsfrombytes.com/forum/post/bits-bytes-advent-calendar-new-free-stl-download-and-print-everyday-until-christmas
 
Or to download the Bits from Bytes Christmas .stl files have a look here http://www.bitsfrombytes.com/content/christmas-2011
 
Nov 21 / 6:11pm

RapMan 3.2 -New Touchscreen Version

Bits_from_bytes_rapman_32_350

I just noticed that there is a new version of RapMan available on the BfB Website/store.... RapMan 3.2.... touchscreen!!!  just like the 3DTouch.... nice!!

http://www.bitsfrombytes.com/content/rapman-32-3d-printer-kit

Fantastic for us older users with failing eyesight…. And brilliant for students too J

Nov 20 / 1:46pm

BFB T&L Resources now also on the TES Website

I have uploaded the BfB Teaching and Learning Resources onto the TES (Times Educational Supplement) Teaching Resources website… For easier access (???)  http://www.tes.co.uk/mypublicprofile.aspx?uc=386049 ... note to download you need to make an account and sign in.

These are the project ideas and "how to" guides etc for BfB 3D Printers that are freely available on the BfB wiki http://wiki.bitsfrombytes.com/index.php/Main_Page#Education .... this is the central store of these resources and new projects are posted here first.

Hope this helps all the educators and students out there!

Dave

Nov 9 / 10:00pm

3D models from photos

I've just found some software by Autodesk that can create 3D models from photographs... maybe suitable for 3D printing!!!

It’s called 123D Catch... it will export 3D models in .obj format so they will need to be converted to .stl in a program such as meshlab and I suspect that some mesh editing will be needed to make them into manifold objects etc.

I haven't had time to experiment yet .. you need at least 3 different photos of an object to make the model, it's getting late in the evening and my camera batteries are dead ... grrrr.

If you fancy a go yourself the software can be found here http://www.123dapp.com/catch ... just wondering how I can use this in school with my students :-)

Nov 6 / 5:25pm

iPad stand

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The other day I was using my iPad to read a PDF file (some instructions) whilst I was doing some electronics work. Of course the iPad kept getting in the way so I propped it up against the wall behind my desk... With my ageing eyesight it was too far away! So time to 3D print an iPad stand :-)
Not exactly the most elegant design but it works. I can see the possibilities of using this in the kitchen too for reading recipes whilst cooking, but maybe need to find a splash proof cover of some sort and also a way to scroll the screen without getting flour and butter on the glass!

the .stl file for this stand is posted on the Bits from Bytes forum... http://www.bitsfrombytes.com/forum/post/printed-ipad-stand 

Posted from 0°0'N, 0°0'E

Oct 30 / 3:02pm

Tesla Turbines

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I have published a teaching and learning resource based on Richard's (RCAuk) work on the tesla turbine. it can be downloaded together with the .stl files from the BfB wiki http://wiki.bitsfrombytes.com/index.php/Advanced_Turbines

If this is a bit advanced for you or your students then there is a simpler project on wind turbines here http://wiki.bitsfrombytes.com/index.php/Turbines

A huge thank you to Richard for allowing the use of these files.

Oct 27 / 3:46pm

BETT Middle East with BfB... The final part.

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The last day... Day 2 of the BETT Middle East show was quite different to the first. There were many more students visiting the stand. Most of the students were from local schools in Abu Dhabi but others had come from across the United Arab Emirates. The Bits from Bytes stand was significantly different from most of the others in the show... We had new and exciting technology on show rather than the offerings from the run of the mill software, interactive whiteboard or PC companies, and the students were buzzing with excitement at seeing a machine that actually made things right before their eyes! Rows of students and adults 3 deep around the 3DTouch was not uncommon. Even as a teacher who is used to talking a lot (some might say too much!) I found that the constant explaining of how the machine worked was a real strain on the voice... But well worth it to see eyes open wide with amazement that this machine wasn't just printing on paper but actual 3D objects... And eyes were almost popping out of their heads when they realised the possibility of 3D printing in a school environment... I wonder how many will go back to school and start pestering their teachers to get a 3DTouch for their school? When the final announcement came over the PA system that the show was closing Andy, Juliet and I finally had a break before starting to disassemble the stand... We had pretty much been on the go all day, and only then did we realise we hadn't even stopped for a coffee break or even to grab a bite to eat! So, down came the stand, the 3DTouch, and a general tidy away and we were done...No sample parts or literature to carry home in our cases as everything had been taken away by the visitors! And all was packed up in record time! A taxi to the airport and time to catch our breath and grab a bite to eat (our first real food of the day) and it was time to catch our flight at around midnight... In a temperature that was still up in the high 20's C. A much easier flight schedule this time.. Only the one change at Amsterdam, but a long wait between flights. And of course we got back to a very grey and rainy morning having had very little sleep on the plane and struggling to reach 8 degrees.... Brrrrrrr ... And then it happened, the only thing that went wrong in the whole event.... Andy's case was missing... We waited and waited, until there were no more bags on the carousel but it never arrived. Such a shame, everything had gone so perfectly thanks to Juliet's wonderful organisation (her first show for BfB)... It must have really annoyed Andy, but he didn't show it too much. Perhaps we were just too tired to care that much.... We were home in the UK at last. In my final few words I would like to say a huge thank you to the guys from BfB for inviting me to attend BETT Middle East... A hugely enjoyable experience that I will remember for a long time and something I will be able to share with staff and student back at Clevedon School after the half term holiday. And a special thanks to Andy and Juliet for being such great company throughout the whole visit. Dave.

Oct 25 / 4:14pm

BETT Middle East photos

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I have just found how to post pictures from my iPad. I hope these are ok for a start

Posted from 0°0'N, 0°0'E

Oct 25 / 4:04pm

BETT Middle East with BfB.. The next part!

We managed to get the stand finished in time! Collected the 3DTouch from the carriers early this morning and sneaked in with it through the front door... No small feat with a huge cardboard box! Almost immediately we were inundated with a crowd of interested people from all parts of the Middle East and beyond. Lecturers, teachers, principals, technicians and students have all visited us... And in particular the students were buzzing with excitement having never seen anything like a 3D printer before. From the point of view of my educational interest in 3D printing and Design & Technology in general I have learned so much. The basic structure of the curriculum for D&T is very similar to the UK... But I think that perhaps the inclusion of new technologies such as 3D printing has yet to be developed. And students could learn so much from being introduced to the possibilities of prototyping and manufacturing products in this way. The BETT Middle East show was interesting to wander around... I think I expected more high tech than there was on show... Maybe part of the reason why the BfB stand was kept constantly busy. Anyway, my feet are tired and a nice cool shower is waiting ( yes it's still boiling hot here) so I'm going to finish for now. I probably won't get time to post after the show tomorrow as we have to catch pack up and catch our flight... Hopefully I'll do a final report when we get home. Dave Sorry, I've not found a way to post photos from my iPad yet... Will add some later if I find out how to do it!
Oct 24 / 2:09pm

Abu Dhabi- BETT Middle East with BfB (part 3)

Getting closer now! The stand is set up.. Nearly! Just waiting for the 3DTouch printer to clear customs and finally set it up for 3D printing. It's a fantastic opportunity for me to see what goes on behind the scenes at a big exhibition... And I'm really grateful to BfB for asking me to join them over here in Abu Dhabi for BETT Middle East. The doors open at 10:00 local time and I'm looking forwards to meeting the visitors to talk about how we do 3D printing at Clevedon School and also showing the teaching and learning resources that are freely available on the BfB wiki (and also shipped with new machines for education customers) I am intrigued to find out more about Design & Technology lessons in schools over here, wondering how different it is to what we do at Clevedon and the UK.... Just have to see what I can find out! Hopefully I can get some photos from the show tomorrow and I'll try to post some here .. Technology and Internet connection permitting. Anyway, time to get out of the heat into an air conditioned hotel room and have a quick shower... A little bit warm here even in the evening! :-) Hopefully more tomorrow! Dave.