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Grade Level
Join Nick and Bailey for a HUGE live print! They’ll share their Top 5 Tips for successful Passthrough printing.
3-12
Difficulty
Intermediate
Join Nick and Bailey for a HUGE live print! They’ll share their Top 5 Tips for successful Passthrough printing.
Duration
Multi-Day 3-6 days
Subjects
Art STEM Engineering English Social Studies Reading Homeroom/Advisory
Standards
ISTE 1.4: Innovative Designer
Students use a variety of technologies within a design process to identify and solve problems by creating new, useful or imaginative solutions.
ISTE 1.1: Empowered Learner
Students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving, and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences.
Vocab
Axle Gear Cam Follower
Licensing
Overview
In this activity, students will use their imaginations to create a moving character that is put into motion with a mechanical device that they build themselves. This project is inspired by the work of The Tinkering Studio at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, CA.
Objective
Thematic Questions:
· What historical character or character from a book can I bring to life with a custom automata? · What personal hobby or interest can I share with others with a custom automata?
Outcomes
Students will...
· Select a character · Select a motion · Build a mechanical device · Put their character in motion
Standards:
ISTE Standards for Students 1. Innovative Designer – Students use a variety of technologies within a design process to identify and solve problems by creating new, useful or imaginative solutions. 2. Empowered Learner – Students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving, and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences.
Supplies
For each automata you will need:
Cardboard Frame (6” x 6” box, 2 inch “slice”)
Cardboard rectangle for backdrop (5” x 8”, optional)
Bamboo Skewer (4 mm x 10 inch, 2 pieces)
Hot glue & hot glue gun
Pre-cut (laser) automata parts - Files provided
- Small gear
- Small gear with slot
- Medium gear
- Gusset (4)
- Follower
- Note: quantity varies depending on motion selected
- Files available on Thingiverse
Extra cardboard for crank handle & character
Decorations
- Colored craft foam and/or construction paper
- Pom poms, chenille sticks, googly eyes, glitter glue
Lesson Outline:
Get Ready:
1. Read through the activity to review steps for completing the activity
2. Based on your subject area, select a project focus (book character, historical character, personal hobby or interest)
3. Gather all the materials needed to print.
4. This design has 5 prints (if you run out, run the Glowforge in class so the students can watch!) a. Small gear (cardboard) b. Small gear with slot (cardboard) c. Medium gear (cardboard) d. Gusset (cardboard) e. Follower (22 pt chipboard or cereal box) f. Axle guide template (optional, 22 pt chipboard or cereal box)
5. Prepare other essential materials a. Box is 6” x 6” x any length, cut into 3 inch strips b. Paper drinking straws (2” long pieces) c. Bamboo skewers, 4mm diameter x 10 inches
6. Gather tools a. Scissors b. Hot glue guns & glue sticks c. Glue sticks (for paper) d. Markers, colored pencils e. Wire cutters or heavy duty scissors for cutting bamboo skewers (teacher job)
7. Gather consumable construction & decorating materials a. Additional cardboard for character b. Colored paper or construction paper or colored foam sheets c. (optional) Pom poms, chenille sticks, google eyes, glitter glue d. (optional) Masking tape to substitute for hot glue
Lesson Instructions
Production Time:
- 1 45 minute lesson to prepare and create plan - 1-2 lessons to build mechanism - 1-2 lessons to build and decorate character and setting 1 lesson for sharing
Section 1 - Plan / Preparation with students
- Prepare background materials
- Books
- Lesson from history
- “About Me” or Get to Know You activity
- Show sample automata with complete mechanisms and explain the different motions that can be made
- Round and round
- Round and round with up and down
- Back and forth
- Up and down
- Depending on the lesson focus, have students think about the character they could animate
- Who or what is the character?
- How does the character move?
- What location or scenery can be added to create a setting
- Create sketches of their ideas. Name the motion on the sketch
Section 2 - Build Time - Build Sequence
Note: Younger students will need more direct support with the hot glue gun. (parent volunteer, older student helper, or substitute hot glue with masking tape where possible)
- Glue gussets in corners of box (this takes patience!)
- Use Axle guide template to mark location for main axle on the sides of the box
- Use Axle guide template to mark location of the straw on the top of the box
- Use a wooden pencil to enlarge the hole just big enough to fit the straw
- Glue the straw in place
- For round & round mechanisms: assemble the vertical skewer that will hold the character
- Slide the skewer through the straw
- Mount a medium gear at the bottom of the skewer. Glue in place
- For Up and down mechanism: fold and glue one follower
- Slide the skewer through the straw.
- Mount a small gear at the bottom of the skewer & glue in place
- Glue the follower below the small gear
- Assemble the main axle
- Inside the box you need: small gear, medium gear, small gear
- Move the medium gear into position
- For round & round, position the gear near the edge of the upper gear. Glue the gear in position.
- For up & down, the medium gear will become a cam when you use any hole (but don’t use the center hole). Position the cam directly under the follower. Glue the cam in position.
- When the mechanism is working properly, push the small gears towards the edge of the box. Glue the small gears to the axle only. (Do not glue these gears to the box!) These small gears will prevent misalignment of the mechanism.
- Cut a handle to any shape. Glue the handle to the skewer that extends past the end of the box.
- Trim any excess bamboo skewer. This is a teacher job. Careful, the small bit could shoot far.
- Next, create and mount the character on the vertical skewer.
- Next, create and mount the scenery behind or in front of the character, depending on the design
- Decorating is often a favorite part of this activity.
Reflection Questions:
- What was the most challenging part of this build for you? How did you overcome that challenge?
- Did your project come out the way you expected? What would you do differently next time?
- What did you add to your design to bring your character alive?
Share:
Consider sharing these projects widely · Present your project to your classmates. · Invite another class to visit. Rotate students so they get to see every build. · Have students write about their character and theme. Add a photo and share on a bulletin board · Find a location in school where the actual projects can be displayed for others. · Create a video presentation and share on schoolwide TV
Images:
Multiple up & down motions
Note: : this is for the very ambitious maker! It takes a lot of time to get this working smoothly
Gussets
Gluing the gussets makes a stronger box, but requires a lot of patience for the glue to firm up. Taping is quicker, but not as stable. Taping is probably better for younger students.
Locate position for the moving character.
Use the template to mark the position of the character on the TOP of the box.
Use a pencil to enlarge the hole. You want it to just fit the straw (not too big).
Glue the straw in place. Glue the top and bottom.
Up & Down motion: Follower
This piece needs to be folded and glued. Use a toothpick to hold the little flaps while the glue firms up.
Up & Down motion: Follower
It’s best to do this final assembly inside the box.
Upper gear for all circular motions.
- Round & Round
- Round & Round with Up & Down
- Back and Forth
Glue gear to bamboo skewer on top and on the bottom.
Mark position of the axle.
Use the template to locate the position of the axle on BOTH sides
Round & Round motion
Lower gear is mounted to the CENTER hole. Glue gears to the skewer ONLY. Do not glue gears to the box!
Round & Round with Up & Down motion
Lower gear is mounted to any hole that is NOT in the center. Glue gears to the skewer ONLY. Do not glue gears to the box!
Back and Forth
Lower gears are mounted to any hole that is NOT in the center. Rotate lower gears so that they contact the upper gear at different times. Glue gears to the skewer ONLY. Do not glue gears to the box!
Up & Down
Lower gear is mounted to any hole that is NOT in the center. Glue gears to the skewer ONLY. Do not glue gears to the box!
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