This lesson will build on their parametric modelling skills and teach students about the different mechanical and behaviour properties of flexible filaments. It will allow them to get hands on with products that are printed in flexible materials.
The students will also learn how to design a small cable tidy for a phone charger to be printed in flexible filament. This can be 3D printed in around 20-30 minutes per student and uses up very little filament, meaning the lesson is cheap to deliver and easy to manage. During the lesson as well as CAD modelling tasks, there is a student theory worksheet for children to work through, along with a homework task.
Lesson content involves the study of material properties and how flexible filaments compare to more rigid filaments. The learning topics allow for students to become familiar with key words such as strength, brittleness, elasticity, harness, toughness, tensile strength, durability and stability. Included in the lesson is links to models on thingiverse that can be printed from flexible filament to allow for an interactive, practical lesson with students.
This lesson will help students prepare for the design challenge lesson where they will have to demonstrate their parametric modelling skills responding to a series of tasks.
