Bloodhound SSC - The Apollo Effect
How do you inspire a generation of students to consider Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths as a career?
Build a car to travel at 1000mph and leave the rest of the world standing.
The education team from Bloodhound SSC call it the Apollo Effect, after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon the number of young people that started to study STEM degrees rocketed.
Nationally we are in desperate need of scientist, mathematicians and engineers and to encourage students onto these courses. Bloodhound are showing thousands of people how much fun you can have with STEM.
The Bloodhound project is based near Bristol and since the start of the project there has already been a surge of interest with 30% more students taking up these courses at the local universities.
For more information see the latest issue of Engineering Focus here.
Build a car to travel at 1000mph and leave the rest of the world standing.
The education team from Bloodhound SSC call it the Apollo Effect, after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon the number of young people that started to study STEM degrees rocketed.
Nationally we are in desperate need of scientist, mathematicians and engineers and to encourage students onto these courses. Bloodhound are showing thousands of people how much fun you can have with STEM.
The Bloodhound project is based near Bristol and since the start of the project there has already been a surge of interest with 30% more students taking up these courses at the local universities.
For more information see the latest issue of Engineering Focus here.
CAD CAM Car - developing a new outreach project
Laser cutters, vinyl cutters, vacuum formers and 3D printers are quite common in secondary schools but too expensive by far for the majority of primary schools.
In the past we have run projects taking vacuum formers out to schools and the students have always been thrilled to see the heated plastic take shape over the door sign or steady hand tester they have made.
We wanted to develop a project that would give year 5 and 6 students the opportunity to learn about some of the developing technologies in the manufacturing world around them as well as finding out about common manufacturing techniques used to mass produce everyday objects.
For more information see the latest issue of Engineering Focus here.
In the past we have run projects taking vacuum formers out to schools and the students have always been thrilled to see the heated plastic take shape over the door sign or steady hand tester they have made.
We wanted to develop a project that would give year 5 and 6 students the opportunity to learn about some of the developing technologies in the manufacturing world around them as well as finding out about common manufacturing techniques used to mass produce everyday objects.
For more information see the latest issue of Engineering Focus here.
F1 in Schools Jaguar Primary School Challenge National Finals
Regional Centres play a major role in the National Finals. Becoming a judge for the day rather than a competitor was real eye opener.
Having hosted our first regional final in April I was invited to Coventry as a judge and I accepted the invitation so that I could learn more about how students tackled the challenge nationally.
For more information see the latest issue of Engineering Focus here.
Having hosted our first regional final in April I was invited to Coventry as a judge and I accepted the invitation so that I could learn more about how students tackled the challenge nationally.
For more information see the latest issue of Engineering Focus here.
Primary Engineer Regional Finals
Excited Apprentice and Engineering level students arrived at Wilmington Grammar School for Boys ready to take part in the South Eastern Regional Finals for the Primary Engineer Challenge 2014.
Teams of students from as young as 6 had designed, built and tested cars. Analysed and improved performance and recorded their thoughts and decisions in a portfolio of their work. Based on themes including Ice Cream Vans, Thomas the Tank Engine Characters and McDonalds the most imaginative car designs came to life with bright colours and informative pit displays show casing the student’s work.
At apprentice level (KS1) students are required to design and build a car that will securely and safely hold a favourite cuddly toy and which, when released down a ramp, will travel the furthest in the straightest line.
For more information see the latest issue of Engineering Focus here.
Teams of students from as young as 6 had designed, built and tested cars. Analysed and improved performance and recorded their thoughts and decisions in a portfolio of their work. Based on themes including Ice Cream Vans, Thomas the Tank Engine Characters and McDonalds the most imaginative car designs came to life with bright colours and informative pit displays show casing the student’s work.
At apprentice level (KS1) students are required to design and build a car that will securely and safely hold a favourite cuddly toy and which, when released down a ramp, will travel the furthest in the straightest line.
For more information see the latest issue of Engineering Focus here.
Trevithick's Industrial Dartford
Richard Trevithick was a man ahead of his time. His inventiveness was so ostentatious that people of the time just weren’t ready to accept his ideas.
High pressure steam pumps saving lives in the Cornish mines, The London Steam carriage offering transport to the masses with 10ft diameter wheels to deal with the potholes of the London Roads and the Steam Locomotive, only defeated because the technology did not exist to manufacture track that could support the weight of the train without cracking.
As an engineer he was a huge success, but sadly as a business man he was not.
Born in 1771 in Tregajorran, a hamlet near Camborne in Cornwall this talented engineer formed most of the theories about the use of high pressure steam as a feasible replacement for horsepower.
His extraordinary life took him around the world but left him a pauper working in Dartford for John Hall & Co. He died at the age of 62 and was buried here in 1883.
Each year the Trevithick’s Industrial Dartford event celebrates the great engineering legacy that Trevithick left behind.
Dartford is a town proud of its industrial heritage and engineering pioneers and to see such a wide array of engineering marvels collected together in Dartford’s Central Park is a real spectacle.
Wilmington Grammar School for Boys have supported this event for years and we look to the engineering of the future as the core of our display as well as giving young visitors to get engineering!
High pressure steam pumps saving lives in the Cornish mines, The London Steam carriage offering transport to the masses with 10ft diameter wheels to deal with the potholes of the London Roads and the Steam Locomotive, only defeated because the technology did not exist to manufacture track that could support the weight of the train without cracking.
As an engineer he was a huge success, but sadly as a business man he was not.
Born in 1771 in Tregajorran, a hamlet near Camborne in Cornwall this talented engineer formed most of the theories about the use of high pressure steam as a feasible replacement for horsepower.
His extraordinary life took him around the world but left him a pauper working in Dartford for John Hall & Co. He died at the age of 62 and was buried here in 1883.
Each year the Trevithick’s Industrial Dartford event celebrates the great engineering legacy that Trevithick left behind.
Dartford is a town proud of its industrial heritage and engineering pioneers and to see such a wide array of engineering marvels collected together in Dartford’s Central Park is a real spectacle.
Wilmington Grammar School for Boys have supported this event for years and we look to the engineering of the future as the core of our display as well as giving young visitors to get engineering!
F1 in Schools Engineering Focus Special
After a fantastic year for all of our F1 in schools teams from Primary through to sixth form we have produced a special edition of our engineering focus looking purely at F1 in Schools. Images preview below -
To download the latest edition click here.
Jaguar F1 in Schools comes to Wilmington
Thrilling, Exciting, Challenging!
F1 in Schools Jaguar Primary Challenge Regional Finals
Eight highly successful teams of year 5 students brought their cars, portfolios and presentations to the first Kent regional final for the F1 in Schools Jaguar Primary School Challenge.
Wilmington Grammar School for Boys, whose senior teams include the current F1 in School Bloodhound SSC Class speed record holders and national champions for the last two years as well as being one of two schools to represent the UK at the international finals last November, were chosen to host this amazing event giving students from The Brent Primary School a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate their creative engineering skills.
Teams competing in the finals had worked on designing and manufacturing a car using 2D CAD software and a CAM cutter before assembling the final product to test it on the day. Duties were allocated within the teams to ensure that, as well as producing the car, teams contacted companies for sponsorship, produced a portfolio to demonstrate their planning and progression throughout the project and prepared a verbal presentation to demonstrate how they had worked together, developing a wide range of personal skills as well as their competition car.
Judging took place throughout the day with STEM Ambassadors from Delphi Diesel Systems, KBR Power, Costain and Bloodhound SSC being thoroughly impressed by the students detailed understanding of the work they had carried out.
CO2 cartridges were used to fire the cars down a 20m long track through timing gates that measure to 1000ths of a second. The fastest car covering the distance in less than 1.3 seconds was travelling at approximately 30 MPH.
Prizes were awarded by the judges for best portfolio, best verbal presentation, best additional challenge, best engineered and fastest car with the awards going to four different teams.
Gareth Johnson, MP for Dartford and special guest for the afternoon, presented the awards for 2nd and 3rd place overall. He then congratulated the overall winners – The Achievers – as he presented them with their Jaguar trophy and golden invitation to the national finals being held in Coventry in June.
When congratulating all of the teams for their excellent work he said “We need all of the engineers we can get and there has been a wonderful opportunity here today for you to find something out about how engineers work.”
F1 in Schools Jaguar Primary Challenge Regional Finals
Eight highly successful teams of year 5 students brought their cars, portfolios and presentations to the first Kent regional final for the F1 in Schools Jaguar Primary School Challenge.
Wilmington Grammar School for Boys, whose senior teams include the current F1 in School Bloodhound SSC Class speed record holders and national champions for the last two years as well as being one of two schools to represent the UK at the international finals last November, were chosen to host this amazing event giving students from The Brent Primary School a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate their creative engineering skills.
Teams competing in the finals had worked on designing and manufacturing a car using 2D CAD software and a CAM cutter before assembling the final product to test it on the day. Duties were allocated within the teams to ensure that, as well as producing the car, teams contacted companies for sponsorship, produced a portfolio to demonstrate their planning and progression throughout the project and prepared a verbal presentation to demonstrate how they had worked together, developing a wide range of personal skills as well as their competition car.
Judging took place throughout the day with STEM Ambassadors from Delphi Diesel Systems, KBR Power, Costain and Bloodhound SSC being thoroughly impressed by the students detailed understanding of the work they had carried out.
CO2 cartridges were used to fire the cars down a 20m long track through timing gates that measure to 1000ths of a second. The fastest car covering the distance in less than 1.3 seconds was travelling at approximately 30 MPH.
Prizes were awarded by the judges for best portfolio, best verbal presentation, best additional challenge, best engineered and fastest car with the awards going to four different teams.
Gareth Johnson, MP for Dartford and special guest for the afternoon, presented the awards for 2nd and 3rd place overall. He then congratulated the overall winners – The Achievers – as he presented them with their Jaguar trophy and golden invitation to the national finals being held in Coventry in June.
When congratulating all of the teams for their excellent work he said “We need all of the engineers we can get and there has been a wonderful opportunity here today for you to find something out about how engineers work.”
The Racing
The Judging
The Racing
Trevithick’s Industrial Dartford 2014
For the past 5 years Wilmington Grammar School for Boys has supported the organisers of the Trevithick’s Industrial Dartford event by running a range of activities in the education marquee.
Once again this year we will be taking a range of hands-on STEM activities for the public to try. If you would like to come along and help run the k’nex cars, Balloon Cars, SumoRobot or Robot obstacle course then please let Mrs Smith (DT) know as soon as possible.
If you would just like a day out getting the chance to see the origins of engineering then please come along to the event and say hello to all of the exhibitors who regularly attend this fantastic event.
For the past 5 years Wilmington Grammar School for Boys has supported the organisers of the Trevithick’s Industrial Dartford event by running a range of activities in the education marquee.
Once again this year we will be taking a range of hands-on STEM activities for the public to try. If you would like to come along and help run the k’nex cars, Balloon Cars, SumoRobot or Robot obstacle course then please let Mrs Smith (DT) know as soon as possible.
If you would just like a day out getting the chance to see the origins of engineering then please come along to the event and say hello to all of the exhibitors who regularly attend this fantastic event.
F1 in Primary
Wilmington Grammar School for Boys has become synonymous with success in the national and international world of F1 in schools.
Our teams include the current Bloodhound SSC champions, the Bloodhound SSC class speed record holders and at the older F1 level Red Shift represented the UK at the International finals in Austin, Texas. We have seen the huge benefits of this challenge for our students and wanted to extend this opportunity to other schools. As a result of this we have become the South East Regions hub school for the F1 in schools 2D Primary challenge.
In this challenge students form a team of 4 and design a race car out of 160g/m² card complete with wheels, body and even a mini driver. They design and manufacture a body shell to fit a standard chassis using template software before printing/cutting their designs onto card and then making their car ready to race.
To make this possible Wilmington Grammar School for Boys has provided The Brent Primary School with the CAM machine needed so that their students can take up the challenge. Adam Nicholls, DT Coordinator for The Brent School received training on the Silhouette software and Cameo cutter, this session was hosted by Wilmington Grammar school for Boys and run by David Barnard, JPSC Coordinator and creator of the F1 in Schools Primary challenge event.
The challenge requires students to design and build the fastest car and support this work with a portfolio of evidence showing how their design has evolved. They are interviewed by a team of judges who look at their pit display and discuss the challenges they have faced and the decisions they have made when working towards their final design.
The regional finals are being held in April and the top team will go on to the National finals in June.
Wilmington Grammar School for Boys has become synonymous with success in the national and international world of F1 in schools.
Our teams include the current Bloodhound SSC champions, the Bloodhound SSC class speed record holders and at the older F1 level Red Shift represented the UK at the International finals in Austin, Texas. We have seen the huge benefits of this challenge for our students and wanted to extend this opportunity to other schools. As a result of this we have become the South East Regions hub school for the F1 in schools 2D Primary challenge.
In this challenge students form a team of 4 and design a race car out of 160g/m² card complete with wheels, body and even a mini driver. They design and manufacture a body shell to fit a standard chassis using template software before printing/cutting their designs onto card and then making their car ready to race.
To make this possible Wilmington Grammar School for Boys has provided The Brent Primary School with the CAM machine needed so that their students can take up the challenge. Adam Nicholls, DT Coordinator for The Brent School received training on the Silhouette software and Cameo cutter, this session was hosted by Wilmington Grammar school for Boys and run by David Barnard, JPSC Coordinator and creator of the F1 in Schools Primary challenge event.
The challenge requires students to design and build the fastest car and support this work with a portfolio of evidence showing how their design has evolved. They are interviewed by a team of judges who look at their pit display and discuss the challenges they have faced and the decisions they have made when working towards their final design.
The regional finals are being held in April and the top team will go on to the National finals in June.
Spreading the Word STEM is Fun
Industrial STEM ambassadors give students the opportunity to learn about the huge range of opportunities available to them if they develop their skills into a STEM based career.
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) careers touch everyone, whether it is designing the goods we buy, the clothes we wear, the food we eat or any of the equipment needed to process, transport or manufacture those products. All forms of engineering will have a shortfall of qualified graduates over the next few years, so science and engineering is a great future.
WGSB STEM ambassadors take STEM projects into primary schools and give Key stage 1 & 2 students the opportunity to link their Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematical skills together in a fast paced STEM project which gets them thinking about how to make things better.
Over forty WGSB students have successfully completed the process of applying to become a WGSB STEM Ambassador having firstly attended training sessions and then produced a report about the STEM careers of the engineers who visited the school to run the training.
Our outreach program has been running since December and the number of schools we are visiting is on the increase. STEM ambassadors assist with the running of projects including k’nex cars with KS2, balloon cars with KS1 and the occasional science fair with years 5 & 6 and I am always extremely pleased with the way the ambassadors’ work with the primary students.
Their enthusiasm for STEM encourages the younger students to get involved and enjoy solving the challenges they have been set.
If you have missed out on the opportunity to be an ambassador this year but would still like to come along to run primary projects as a STEM helper then please e-mail me with your name and form so I can include you in future activities.
Industrial STEM ambassadors give students the opportunity to learn about the huge range of opportunities available to them if they develop their skills into a STEM based career.
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) careers touch everyone, whether it is designing the goods we buy, the clothes we wear, the food we eat or any of the equipment needed to process, transport or manufacture those products. All forms of engineering will have a shortfall of qualified graduates over the next few years, so science and engineering is a great future.
WGSB STEM ambassadors take STEM projects into primary schools and give Key stage 1 & 2 students the opportunity to link their Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematical skills together in a fast paced STEM project which gets them thinking about how to make things better.
Over forty WGSB students have successfully completed the process of applying to become a WGSB STEM Ambassador having firstly attended training sessions and then produced a report about the STEM careers of the engineers who visited the school to run the training.
Our outreach program has been running since December and the number of schools we are visiting is on the increase. STEM ambassadors assist with the running of projects including k’nex cars with KS2, balloon cars with KS1 and the occasional science fair with years 5 & 6 and I am always extremely pleased with the way the ambassadors’ work with the primary students.
Their enthusiasm for STEM encourages the younger students to get involved and enjoy solving the challenges they have been set.
If you have missed out on the opportunity to be an ambassador this year but would still like to come along to run primary projects as a STEM helper then please e-mail me with your name and form so I can include you in future activities.
Robotics House Challenge
During December 80 students had the opportunity to work with active robots and Max the NAO robot. They used software called Choreographe to programme the movements and speech of Max.
Joanne and Charly from Active Robots have agreed that if we have a house challenge to write a program for Max we can send one entry per house to them at active robots and if the program will work they will download it into Max and video it running for us. They are also going to ask the Managing Director of Active Robots to judge the competition and decide who wins.
Each house needs to –
Each team needs to –
Any questions please come and see me
Mrs Smith
During December 80 students had the opportunity to work with active robots and Max the NAO robot. They used software called Choreographe to programme the movements and speech of Max.
Joanne and Charly from Active Robots have agreed that if we have a house challenge to write a program for Max we can send one entry per house to them at active robots and if the program will work they will download it into Max and video it running for us. They are also going to ask the Managing Director of Active Robots to judge the competition and decide who wins.
Each house needs to –
- Organise teams of up to 3 student who will work on the program, they do not need to have attended the event in December
- Ensure the team has access to the software
- Make sure the team complete the challenge on time
Each team needs to –
- See me to collect the programming help sheet
- Produce a plan of what they would like the robot to do in written or sketched form
- Write the program on Choreographe
- E-mail the plan and the program to me along with the names and forms of the team members by Friday 31st January
Any questions please come and see me
Mrs Smith
Robotics and the Future
Robotics is an area of engineering that is constantly being developed and improved. The work that is going on in Universities and industries throughout the world are pushing the boundaries of science and technology to greater and greater heights.
Careers in this area are going to evolve over the next few years so that the demand for designers, manufacturers and programmers will be huge. Looking forward to this time we wanted our students to have the opportunity to consider whether they felt this was a potential career for them. Having seen NAO at Teentech last October we knew this was a great way to introduce our students to the possibilities of a career in robotics.
Charly and Joanne from Active Robots came into Wilmington Grammar School for Boys with Max and a new robot that was temporarily named William and using these amazing pieces of equipment gave us a glimpse of future technology and programming.
Standing up - A simple task that we do every day is a huge challenge for a robot, putting aside the number of sensors and motors you need to carry them out, the software and programming you need to keep a robot balanced and steady while it goes through the complicated combination of manoeuvres necessary to stand up is astounding. This is why when Asimo was first introduced to the world he was an absolute sensation.
Max, a NAO Robot manufactured in Paris by a company called AldeBaran, demonstrated that it could sit, stand, walk, explore, follow a moving object, read texts, send e-mails and respond to actions in the room around it. Set up as an educational tool it could be programmed by the students and then carry out the movements and routines they had planned for it, demonstrating the type of work they could be doing in the future if they followed this career path.
The students who attended the sessions with the robots were absolutely enthralled by them, focussing on Max when he kept interrupting Charly’s presentation by coughing, laughing and fidgeting. Videoing this mechanical marvel as it told the story of Stars Wars in the same way it could ‘read’ an e- book to the partially sighted or blind. Learning about how they could carry out face recognition and contact friends or relatives if someone was not looking well.
Programming the robots was a great challenge and the Choreographe software they use shows a virtual NAO robot demonstrating the moves you are programming as you are developing the flowchart. Then the final version could be run on Max himself with a download cable plugged into the back of his head so the students could see the work they had done come to life.
Engineering as a career is a constantly developing future and here at Wilmington Grammar School for boys we want to equip our students with the knowledge, skills and experience to be able to take on future engineering challenges and work towards enhancing people’s lives through these technological breakthroughs. So we were thrilled with how well this event was received by all of the students who attended. Thanks to Charly, Joanne and of course Max from Active Robots for a fantastic event.
Robotics is an area of engineering that is constantly being developed and improved. The work that is going on in Universities and industries throughout the world are pushing the boundaries of science and technology to greater and greater heights.
Careers in this area are going to evolve over the next few years so that the demand for designers, manufacturers and programmers will be huge. Looking forward to this time we wanted our students to have the opportunity to consider whether they felt this was a potential career for them. Having seen NAO at Teentech last October we knew this was a great way to introduce our students to the possibilities of a career in robotics.
Charly and Joanne from Active Robots came into Wilmington Grammar School for Boys with Max and a new robot that was temporarily named William and using these amazing pieces of equipment gave us a glimpse of future technology and programming.
Standing up - A simple task that we do every day is a huge challenge for a robot, putting aside the number of sensors and motors you need to carry them out, the software and programming you need to keep a robot balanced and steady while it goes through the complicated combination of manoeuvres necessary to stand up is astounding. This is why when Asimo was first introduced to the world he was an absolute sensation.
Max, a NAO Robot manufactured in Paris by a company called AldeBaran, demonstrated that it could sit, stand, walk, explore, follow a moving object, read texts, send e-mails and respond to actions in the room around it. Set up as an educational tool it could be programmed by the students and then carry out the movements and routines they had planned for it, demonstrating the type of work they could be doing in the future if they followed this career path.
The students who attended the sessions with the robots were absolutely enthralled by them, focussing on Max when he kept interrupting Charly’s presentation by coughing, laughing and fidgeting. Videoing this mechanical marvel as it told the story of Stars Wars in the same way it could ‘read’ an e- book to the partially sighted or blind. Learning about how they could carry out face recognition and contact friends or relatives if someone was not looking well.
Programming the robots was a great challenge and the Choreographe software they use shows a virtual NAO robot demonstrating the moves you are programming as you are developing the flowchart. Then the final version could be run on Max himself with a download cable plugged into the back of his head so the students could see the work they had done come to life.
Engineering as a career is a constantly developing future and here at Wilmington Grammar School for boys we want to equip our students with the knowledge, skills and experience to be able to take on future engineering challenges and work towards enhancing people’s lives through these technological breakthroughs. So we were thrilled with how well this event was received by all of the students who attended. Thanks to Charly, Joanne and of course Max from Active Robots for a fantastic event.
Arkwright Applications are open
Students who are thinking of taking AS Maths and a Design Technology in year 12 should consider applying for the prestigious Arkwright Scholarship. This scholarship opens up a wide range of opportunities with sponsors and employers providing work experience and training days for the scholars as well as the universities holding the award in high esteem so that it is a powerful addition to all UCAS applications.
For more information about why to apply look at their pdf below or come and talk to Mrs Smith in DT
For more information about why to apply look at their pdf below or come and talk to Mrs Smith in DT
arkwright_2014.pdf | |
File Size: | 1482 kb |
File Type: |
Bloodhound SSC STEM Ambassador Training
As the South East Education Centre for the Bloodhound SSC project all of the outreach projects that we run centre around the 1000mph car. So it seemed obvious that our ambassadors needed training about the project they would be discussing with primary school students.
Thank you to Simon Haydn from Bloodhound SSC for running a fantastic event for our students to learn about the project—why it was started, what they are trying to achieve, when they will achieve it and where they are up to on the build of the car. All questions our ambassadors are likely to be asked by the primary school students we meet when we run k’nex cars, balloon cars and science fairs.
It is a fascinating project and the car itself is finally in the build stage after 5 years of planning, designing, testing and development.
The team has had to move to a new, larger base in Bristol so they can fit both the show car and the real car in and have space for visitors to see the pioneering work they are doing.
With a detailed understanding of the project, the students then learnt about the projects they will help to run in schools and discussed which clubs we could run here at WGSB.
The event was very successful and should give all of our ambassadors an excellent start when giving primary school students the opportunity to find out more about Bloodhound SSC.
Thank you to Simon Haydn from Bloodhound SSC for running a fantastic event for our students to learn about the project—why it was started, what they are trying to achieve, when they will achieve it and where they are up to on the build of the car. All questions our ambassadors are likely to be asked by the primary school students we meet when we run k’nex cars, balloon cars and science fairs.
It is a fascinating project and the car itself is finally in the build stage after 5 years of planning, designing, testing and development.
The team has had to move to a new, larger base in Bristol so they can fit both the show car and the real car in and have space for visitors to see the pioneering work they are doing.
With a detailed understanding of the project, the students then learnt about the projects they will help to run in schools and discussed which clubs we could run here at WGSB.
The event was very successful and should give all of our ambassadors an excellent start when giving primary school students the opportunity to find out more about Bloodhound SSC.
STEM Ambassador Training
Four STEM ambassadors came into school in September and ran our first WGSB STEM Ambassador training day.
Students had the opportunity to try a series of STEM based challenges using K’nex.
The warm up activity had the teams building the tallest possible free standing tower with a small number of k’nex pieces. The solutions were fantastic and as time raced by towers grew taller. Getting the height without the weight of the pieces causing the top of the tower to gradually keel over was complicated and some teams started adding extra pieces to the tower to try and balance out the parts causing it to bend.
After thirty minutes of inventive problem solving it was time to measure up and see how well each team had done. A new record of 1.06m was set – well done to the winning team!
Trebuchets and cranes were to follow with students taking their ideas to new heights of ingenuity, not all of the designs were successful but they all showed innovative thinking, teamwork and problem solving skills and it was great to watch the designs evolving from paper into k’nex models.
Engineering issues like cost versus quality, simple effective solutions against complex over engineered solutions and the simple challenge of finishing the task on time all came to the fore.
It was a fantastic day and we are very grateful to the team of ambassadors that came in to help us develop our skills, knowledge and understanding of STEM in schools and in the world of work.
Students had the opportunity to try a series of STEM based challenges using K’nex.
The warm up activity had the teams building the tallest possible free standing tower with a small number of k’nex pieces. The solutions were fantastic and as time raced by towers grew taller. Getting the height without the weight of the pieces causing the top of the tower to gradually keel over was complicated and some teams started adding extra pieces to the tower to try and balance out the parts causing it to bend.
After thirty minutes of inventive problem solving it was time to measure up and see how well each team had done. A new record of 1.06m was set – well done to the winning team!
Trebuchets and cranes were to follow with students taking their ideas to new heights of ingenuity, not all of the designs were successful but they all showed innovative thinking, teamwork and problem solving skills and it was great to watch the designs evolving from paper into k’nex models.
Engineering issues like cost versus quality, simple effective solutions against complex over engineered solutions and the simple challenge of finishing the task on time all came to the fore.
It was a fantastic day and we are very grateful to the team of ambassadors that came in to help us develop our skills, knowledge and understanding of STEM in schools and in the world of work.
TeenTech 2013
Another fantastic opportunity for WGSB students, the 2013 TeenTech event hosted by Kent EBP and presented by Maggie Philbin once again proved to be a jaw dropping experience.
Ten year 8 students had the opportunity to come face to face with emerging technologies from the leading national and international companies developing engineering solutions for the needs of the future. Microsoft, Samsung, JVC, Pfizer, the armed forces and many more were showcasing the technologies they are developing and the careers that their industries offer to anyone interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
During a packed event students had the opportunity to solve real world problems, program computers to launch virtual missiles and work out who dunnit on the forensic stand. They also learnt about the huge improvement in the efficiency of the turbines that power the Royal Navy destroyers as well as developing a turbine blade of their own. One of our teams taking the lead in the challenge by producing the most fuel efficient turbine blade of the day.
The Samsung stand was truly amazing with an ultraHD screen on display showing images at a resolution four times greater than current HD images, they were stunning! Next to this they had a television showing two programmes at once, the channel you watched depended on the glasses that you wore with the sound coming from speakers in the legs of the glasses. No more arguments about what to watch with this in the home. Their interactive phones which could be linked together easily to act like one larger screen and their 900mm x 600mm tablet/table with 42 contact points were mind-blowing.
This event was truly amazing and the students were spell bound.
Ten year 8 students had the opportunity to come face to face with emerging technologies from the leading national and international companies developing engineering solutions for the needs of the future. Microsoft, Samsung, JVC, Pfizer, the armed forces and many more were showcasing the technologies they are developing and the careers that their industries offer to anyone interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
During a packed event students had the opportunity to solve real world problems, program computers to launch virtual missiles and work out who dunnit on the forensic stand. They also learnt about the huge improvement in the efficiency of the turbines that power the Royal Navy destroyers as well as developing a turbine blade of their own. One of our teams taking the lead in the challenge by producing the most fuel efficient turbine blade of the day.
The Samsung stand was truly amazing with an ultraHD screen on display showing images at a resolution four times greater than current HD images, they were stunning! Next to this they had a television showing two programmes at once, the channel you watched depended on the glasses that you wore with the sound coming from speakers in the legs of the glasses. No more arguments about what to watch with this in the home. Their interactive phones which could be linked together easily to act like one larger screen and their 900mm x 600mm tablet/table with 42 contact points were mind-blowing.
This event was truly amazing and the students were spell bound.
WGSB STEM Ambassadors
This year Wilmington Grammar School for Boys is launching the WGSB STEM Ambassador initiative. This will give students throughout the school the opportunity to help other students of their own age or younger in a range of STEM based projects both at WGSB and at other schools in the local commmunity. Our community work has been an important aspect of our engineering specialism for many years with hundred of primary school students benefitting from the entusiasm and experience of WGSB students.
This year all WGSB students who would like to be involved in this exciting work will have the opportunity to undergo STEM Ambassador training and apply for the nationally recognised STEM Leadership award. This will lead on to stage two of the training run alongside Bloodhound SSC and to students receiving ambassador status within the school.
This is axciting opportunity for all students and if you would like more information about how to apply please click here before Monday Septamber 23rd 2013.
This year all WGSB students who would like to be involved in this exciting work will have the opportunity to undergo STEM Ambassador training and apply for the nationally recognised STEM Leadership award. This will lead on to stage two of the training run alongside Bloodhound SSC and to students receiving ambassador status within the school.
This is axciting opportunity for all students and if you would like more information about how to apply please click here before Monday Septamber 23rd 2013.
WGSB Students Turn Car Mechanics
Every year, WGSB students take part in an enrichment week. The purpose of this is to expose them to new skills and experiences that they would not get in the classroom. This week, a number of students took part in a course in car maintenance. This involved servicing both their own and the teachers' cars, supervised by an experienced mechanic. In doing this, students learned the basic workings of their vehicles, and were taught how to keep their brakes, tyres and even bodywork in the best condition possible. Read more about the course, as well as diaries from many of the students here.
Trevithick's Industrial Dartford - Pushing the Boundaries
Whoever made the very first tool was the first engineer. Engineers have been quietly shaping the world around us for millennia and they are the people who will solve the problems of the future and save our world. As the human race has evolved some engineers have made such immensely significant breakthroughs that they will be remembered for all time.
Richard Trevithick is one such man - skilled, innovative, talented and with a personal drive that pushed forward the boundaries of engineering for the world. As the inventor of the high pressure boiler he had an impact on manufacturing and transport that helped fuel the industrial revolution. He designed and manufactured the first steam locomotive and also the first steam carriage but died a poor man working in Dartford for J E Hall.
Every year Colin Wheeler commemorates Richard Trevithick and his industrial legacy to Dartford at the Trevithick’s Industrial Dartford event held in Central Park. This opportunity for enthusiasts and historians to come together and celebrate engineering in all of its forms is very popular and sees examples of full size and miniature steam engines, and vehicles from the days of the Hallford Omnibus through to the Piper Comanche Aerocamper.
With over 90 vintage and classic cars present the whole event was fascinating. I find the opportunity to discuss how the different vehicles work with their owners and builders gives me a greater understanding of the complexities of these engineering triumphs.
Every year we try to take a new project to Trevithick Industrial Dartford with a slightly different focus on his inventions or inventors of his era. This year’s memorial project was the London Steam Carriage, the first omnibus not pulled by horses. Research into the topic showed one thing; once again Richard Trevithick was ahead of his time, pushing the boundaries of science, engineering and social prejudice.
As a vehicle The London Steam Carriage was a success, it did the job it was designed to do, but society was terrified by this ‘fire breathing dragon’ and after a small incident involving a fence it was condemned as too dangerous to work.
Research into the Steam Carriage lead to the manufacture of a miniature working chassis that demonstrated the mechanism that Trevithick designed to power his omnibus. A single cylinder engine with two power strokes that could turn huge 8’ diameter wheels and propel the vehicle along the streets of London.
Richard Trevithick is one such man - skilled, innovative, talented and with a personal drive that pushed forward the boundaries of engineering for the world. As the inventor of the high pressure boiler he had an impact on manufacturing and transport that helped fuel the industrial revolution. He designed and manufactured the first steam locomotive and also the first steam carriage but died a poor man working in Dartford for J E Hall.
Every year Colin Wheeler commemorates Richard Trevithick and his industrial legacy to Dartford at the Trevithick’s Industrial Dartford event held in Central Park. This opportunity for enthusiasts and historians to come together and celebrate engineering in all of its forms is very popular and sees examples of full size and miniature steam engines, and vehicles from the days of the Hallford Omnibus through to the Piper Comanche Aerocamper.
With over 90 vintage and classic cars present the whole event was fascinating. I find the opportunity to discuss how the different vehicles work with their owners and builders gives me a greater understanding of the complexities of these engineering triumphs.
Every year we try to take a new project to Trevithick Industrial Dartford with a slightly different focus on his inventions or inventors of his era. This year’s memorial project was the London Steam Carriage, the first omnibus not pulled by horses. Research into the topic showed one thing; once again Richard Trevithick was ahead of his time, pushing the boundaries of science, engineering and social prejudice.
As a vehicle The London Steam Carriage was a success, it did the job it was designed to do, but society was terrified by this ‘fire breathing dragon’ and after a small incident involving a fence it was condemned as too dangerous to work.
Research into the Steam Carriage lead to the manufacture of a miniature working chassis that demonstrated the mechanism that Trevithick designed to power his omnibus. A single cylinder engine with two power strokes that could turn huge 8’ diameter wheels and propel the vehicle along the streets of London.
Engineers of the Future
Primary Engineer is a national organisation with a passion for engineering and a desire to share that love for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths with primary students throughout the country.
The national challenge which is taken throughout England and Scotland is to design and build a powered vehicle to engineering standards. The students producing these vehicles range from as young as 6 up to 11 years old.
Some of these amazing students and their fantastic work were on display at the South of England Regional Finals hosted by Wilmington Grammar School for Boys. All students attending the regional finals had already succeeded at local and county level to secure their place at this prestigious event.
At the Apprentice Level KS1 students build a gravity powered car utilising the engineering concepts of alignment, friction, weight, gravity and considering the safety of their precious cargo – their favourite cuddly toy. At KS2 students vehicles are powered by a 3V motor and pulley system giving the vehicles increased torque so that they can climb the steepest ramp without slipping and the quality of build ensure the vehicle can travel in forward and reverse in a perfectly straight line.
Students vehicles were tested and assessed by the visiting judges and the teams were each interviewed to find out why they had made the design decisions that lead to their completed vehicles. Giving them the opportunity to show the judges how much they had learned about the engineering behind their vehicle.
The event was a huge success with the regional finalists being announced and the opportunity for them to be crowned national finalists moving one step closer. Our congratulations go to all of the teams that attended the finals and made it such an enjoyable and informative occasion and our thanks go to our panel of judges from a range of different industries.
Stephen Metcalfe, Member of Parliament for South Basildon & East Thurrock said: “I was delighted to attend the regional final of the Primary Engineer Competition and particularly pleased to see the five schools from Basildon do so well and taking two firsts and a second. However, in my view every single participant was a winner. The experienced gained from taking part I hope has opened the students eyes to the enormous possibilities engineering has to offer and also shown them that its fun! Congratulations to everyone who took part and to the organisers and I hope to be involved again in the future.”
The national challenge which is taken throughout England and Scotland is to design and build a powered vehicle to engineering standards. The students producing these vehicles range from as young as 6 up to 11 years old.
Some of these amazing students and their fantastic work were on display at the South of England Regional Finals hosted by Wilmington Grammar School for Boys. All students attending the regional finals had already succeeded at local and county level to secure their place at this prestigious event.
At the Apprentice Level KS1 students build a gravity powered car utilising the engineering concepts of alignment, friction, weight, gravity and considering the safety of their precious cargo – their favourite cuddly toy. At KS2 students vehicles are powered by a 3V motor and pulley system giving the vehicles increased torque so that they can climb the steepest ramp without slipping and the quality of build ensure the vehicle can travel in forward and reverse in a perfectly straight line.
Students vehicles were tested and assessed by the visiting judges and the teams were each interviewed to find out why they had made the design decisions that lead to their completed vehicles. Giving them the opportunity to show the judges how much they had learned about the engineering behind their vehicle.
The event was a huge success with the regional finalists being announced and the opportunity for them to be crowned national finalists moving one step closer. Our congratulations go to all of the teams that attended the finals and made it such an enjoyable and informative occasion and our thanks go to our panel of judges from a range of different industries.
Stephen Metcalfe, Member of Parliament for South Basildon & East Thurrock said: “I was delighted to attend the regional final of the Primary Engineer Competition and particularly pleased to see the five schools from Basildon do so well and taking two firsts and a second. However, in my view every single participant was a winner. The experienced gained from taking part I hope has opened the students eyes to the enormous possibilities engineering has to offer and also shown them that its fun! Congratulations to everyone who took part and to the organisers and I hope to be involved again in the future.”
Red Shift - At the national finals
From the very moment they realised that they were going to the national finals, to compete against the best in the country, they knew that the car needed to be improved dramatically.
Luckily from their research and analysis, they knew the key areas in which to improve the design. After further development and testing, the team implemented their new, innovative ideas into their final design. Attempting to achieve the full potential of the car by reducing the overall drag by 2.5%. Would this give them the edge to achieve fastest car?
Once again the national finals were held at the Big Bang Fair the day after the Bloodhound SSC class finals. Having been to the event the day before to support Turbocharged they knew exactly what to expect.
Judging was intense, when you looked at the displays from the competition you knew it was going to be close. The cars were being tested throughout the day, but many of the teams had been at the National Finals before.
Red Shift raced and made a good time but were disappointed not to have achieved fastest car. The prospect of Texas seemed to be slipping away. One after another the awards were presented without success, but then the ones that counted. Bronze place goes to
RED SHIFT!!
They’re going to TEXAS!
Luckily from their research and analysis, they knew the key areas in which to improve the design. After further development and testing, the team implemented their new, innovative ideas into their final design. Attempting to achieve the full potential of the car by reducing the overall drag by 2.5%. Would this give them the edge to achieve fastest car?
Once again the national finals were held at the Big Bang Fair the day after the Bloodhound SSC class finals. Having been to the event the day before to support Turbocharged they knew exactly what to expect.
Judging was intense, when you looked at the displays from the competition you knew it was going to be close. The cars were being tested throughout the day, but many of the teams had been at the National Finals before.
Red Shift raced and made a good time but were disappointed not to have achieved fastest car. The prospect of Texas seemed to be slipping away. One after another the awards were presented without success, but then the ones that counted. Bronze place goes to
RED SHIFT!!
They’re going to TEXAS!
Red Shift - At the regional finals
Red Shift have been taking part in the F1 in Schools competition for some time, each year learning from their experiences, and building on their successes.
They have moved from the Bloodhound SSC Class on to the senior F1 class and in doing so have found the time to support younger teams that are working at the school.
Alex Lines-Headman, Dan Spiteri, Ben jolly and Ed Honey attended the regional finals in February with their latest design complying with all of the regulations of the much more stringent F1 class.
With an increase in the number of schools taking part in the F1 challenge the standards were extremely high. Only two teams would be going through to the National Finals at the Big Bang fair in March.
Red Shift had worked hard on all aspects of the challenge and their pit display was so professional it was stunning.
Their accumulated knowledge from this and the previous years of competing impressed the judges and the team were confident they would do well.
In the best traditions of teams from WGSB Red Shift celebrated receiving
Best Engineered Car
as an accolade to the quality of their work, then the cheer raised the roof when they achieved 2nd Place -
Regional Finals Runner Up
They were through to the national finals with the prospect of heading to the world finals in Texas firmly in their sight.
They have moved from the Bloodhound SSC Class on to the senior F1 class and in doing so have found the time to support younger teams that are working at the school.
Alex Lines-Headman, Dan Spiteri, Ben jolly and Ed Honey attended the regional finals in February with their latest design complying with all of the regulations of the much more stringent F1 class.
With an increase in the number of schools taking part in the F1 challenge the standards were extremely high. Only two teams would be going through to the National Finals at the Big Bang fair in March.
Red Shift had worked hard on all aspects of the challenge and their pit display was so professional it was stunning.
Their accumulated knowledge from this and the previous years of competing impressed the judges and the team were confident they would do well.
In the best traditions of teams from WGSB Red Shift celebrated receiving
Best Engineered Car
as an accolade to the quality of their work, then the cheer raised the roof when they achieved 2nd Place -
Regional Finals Runner Up
They were through to the national finals with the prospect of heading to the world finals in Texas firmly in their sight.
Turbo Charged - At the national finals
Turbocharged geared up for the national finals by working late every school night and every Saturday between the regional and the national finals.
They felt even more pressure as the whole of year 8 were due to be at the Big Bang Fair on the day they were competing meaning that all of their friends and classmates were there to see how they did.
After a 6.30am start they headed up to the excel Arena in London excited and exhausted after the mammoth task they had undertaken of re-designing and manufacturing their car to make sure they succeeded at the top level.
Judges scrutinised their car, their pit display, and their portfolio. The cars were tested on the 20m track and the team demonstrated their detailed knowledge of the engineering behind their success.
The tension rose as the prizes were awarded at the end of the day--
Best Engineered Car
New Speed Record
National Champions
Turbocharged Triumphant!
They felt even more pressure as the whole of year 8 were due to be at the Big Bang Fair on the day they were competing meaning that all of their friends and classmates were there to see how they did.
After a 6.30am start they headed up to the excel Arena in London excited and exhausted after the mammoth task they had undertaken of re-designing and manufacturing their car to make sure they succeeded at the top level.
Judges scrutinised their car, their pit display, and their portfolio. The cars were tested on the 20m track and the team demonstrated their detailed knowledge of the engineering behind their success.
The tension rose as the prizes were awarded at the end of the day--
Best Engineered Car
New Speed Record
National Champions
Turbocharged Triumphant!
Turbo Charged - At the regional finals
Turbocharged is the WGSB team of six students who took their car to the regional finals and won.
Taking part in the Bloodhound SSC class the team is challenged to design, build and race a Bloodhound car, linking with the upcoming British attempt on the World Land speed record, with the Bloodhound SSC project .
Samuel Webb, Ben Harvey, Brecon Hoadley, Morgan Fifield, Billy Moss and Prenavin Mudaly took up this challenge after learning all about the F1 in Schools during their enrichment week activity.
Each team member has a specific job to do, whether it is raising sponsorship from local companies, working on publicity and pit displays or designing or manufacturing the car. Success comes from their ability to work to the strength of each team member and to support each other in this huge task.
The regional finals were held in February at City University, London and competition was strong. This was the first time Turbocharged had been at the finals for this event and the pressure was immense.
After a day of demonstrating, testing and judging the results were announced and Turbocharged were triumphant taking Fastest Car in the Bloodhound Class and First Place overall winners—They were going to the Nationals!!
Taking part in the Bloodhound SSC class the team is challenged to design, build and race a Bloodhound car, linking with the upcoming British attempt on the World Land speed record, with the Bloodhound SSC project .
Samuel Webb, Ben Harvey, Brecon Hoadley, Morgan Fifield, Billy Moss and Prenavin Mudaly took up this challenge after learning all about the F1 in Schools during their enrichment week activity.
Each team member has a specific job to do, whether it is raising sponsorship from local companies, working on publicity and pit displays or designing or manufacturing the car. Success comes from their ability to work to the strength of each team member and to support each other in this huge task.
The regional finals were held in February at City University, London and competition was strong. This was the first time Turbocharged had been at the finals for this event and the pressure was immense.
After a day of demonstrating, testing and judging the results were announced and Turbocharged were triumphant taking Fastest Car in the Bloodhound Class and First Place overall winners—They were going to the Nationals!!
Big Bang Fair
The Big Bang is the largest celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths for young people in the UK. Everything they do is aimed at showing young people just how many exciting and rewarding opportunities there are out there for them.
We took the vast majority of year 8 as well as the year 10 engineering diploma group to this fantastic event to encourage them to think about careers in STEM and find out just how diverse this group of subjects can be.
The event was divided into 8 zones looking at all aspects of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) with representatives from schools, universities and industry demonstrating what students could get involved with.
Students of all ages were extremely excited to try out the different hands on activities. Whether it was controlling one of Plymouth Universities 400mm high robotic footballers or taking the Computer Measuring Machine challenge with Renishaw they all learnt how engineering fitted into all aspects of industry.
One of the most surprising things to see in the middle of all of this technology was a Bald Eagle from Eagle Heights, Eynsford. A magnificent bird of prey demonstrating how we can preserve and learn from nature when we are changing our world. One primary school teacher actually asked whether it was real! Believe me, having watch it beat it’s huge wings I knew that it was. Having said that it would have been just as amazing if it had been an animatronic looking so realistic.
I had a long conversation with Oscar the Sellafield robot, he was there to explain why the nuclear industry makes so much use of robotics, programming and safety protocols to keep producing our energy without harming our environment. Particularly relevant as Britain will soon be building the first of a new generation of nuclear power stations.
This event was exciting, mesmerizing, fascinating and inspiring. I believe that careers in any of these industries would be absolutely excellent and I hope that this opportunity has given our students the chance to think about how they will use their STEM learning in the future.
We took the vast majority of year 8 as well as the year 10 engineering diploma group to this fantastic event to encourage them to think about careers in STEM and find out just how diverse this group of subjects can be.
The event was divided into 8 zones looking at all aspects of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) with representatives from schools, universities and industry demonstrating what students could get involved with.
Students of all ages were extremely excited to try out the different hands on activities. Whether it was controlling one of Plymouth Universities 400mm high robotic footballers or taking the Computer Measuring Machine challenge with Renishaw they all learnt how engineering fitted into all aspects of industry.
One of the most surprising things to see in the middle of all of this technology was a Bald Eagle from Eagle Heights, Eynsford. A magnificent bird of prey demonstrating how we can preserve and learn from nature when we are changing our world. One primary school teacher actually asked whether it was real! Believe me, having watch it beat it’s huge wings I knew that it was. Having said that it would have been just as amazing if it had been an animatronic looking so realistic.
I had a long conversation with Oscar the Sellafield robot, he was there to explain why the nuclear industry makes so much use of robotics, programming and safety protocols to keep producing our energy without harming our environment. Particularly relevant as Britain will soon be building the first of a new generation of nuclear power stations.
This event was exciting, mesmerizing, fascinating and inspiring. I believe that careers in any of these industries would be absolutely excellent and I hope that this opportunity has given our students the chance to think about how they will use their STEM learning in the future.
3D Printing
Through the generosity of Bits From Bytes the school received a 3D printer when it became a Bloodhound SSC Education Centre last year.
Many people have asked how we have used this modern technology and the answer is anything from A-level Graphics prototyping to making aerofoils for our F1 in Schools teams and everything in between.
The 3D printer is usually used for prototyping parts, allowing students to quickly check shapes and dimensions before spending long periods of time manufacturing a finished product. It can however, also be used to create complex parts that would be difficult to manufacture using conventional equipment.
The example below is from Josh Brown’s A-level Systems and Control project which needed several buttons that contained several inconvenient shapes. Josh decided to 3D print these, manufacturing all 3 in only 1 hour, instead of spending several hours turning them on a lathe.
The first stage is to produce a 3D image using our CAD software, Solidworks. This allows you to visualise the design in 3D and edit the image easily if dimensions are incorrect or the shape is not quite right.
This image is exported into Axon the software driver for the 3D printer and students decide on the quality of the finished item.
The software simulates the manufacture on screen ensuring the correct settings have been selected to achieve the desired outcome.
Once this file is saved to a memory stick this can be transferred to the printer and manufacturing can begin.
The machine lays down a ‘raft’ which is the bed that the object is going to be printed on, printing each slice of the product one on top of the other.
To speed the machine up you use thicker slices, but this gives a poorer quality finish.
As well as Systems and Control projects the Graphics groups have benefited from this unique piece of equipment. Mr Baker produced a Solidworks model of the I-pod Nano which, when printed in 3D, even has a working clip. Students then designed and manufactured suitable protective packaging for the Nano integrating the use of this and other CAD/CAM equipment. Using the accurately printed 3D Nano model students could test the accuracy of their work.
This helped them develop their core design skills as well as enhancing their understanding of Solidworks and how to edit files in CAD as well as the importance of accurate dimensioning when designing and building interlocking parts.
Students are just starting to unlock the answer of what this machine can do and it would seem the use of the printer is only limited by their imagination.
Many people have asked how we have used this modern technology and the answer is anything from A-level Graphics prototyping to making aerofoils for our F1 in Schools teams and everything in between.
The 3D printer is usually used for prototyping parts, allowing students to quickly check shapes and dimensions before spending long periods of time manufacturing a finished product. It can however, also be used to create complex parts that would be difficult to manufacture using conventional equipment.
The example below is from Josh Brown’s A-level Systems and Control project which needed several buttons that contained several inconvenient shapes. Josh decided to 3D print these, manufacturing all 3 in only 1 hour, instead of spending several hours turning them on a lathe.
The first stage is to produce a 3D image using our CAD software, Solidworks. This allows you to visualise the design in 3D and edit the image easily if dimensions are incorrect or the shape is not quite right.
This image is exported into Axon the software driver for the 3D printer and students decide on the quality of the finished item.
The software simulates the manufacture on screen ensuring the correct settings have been selected to achieve the desired outcome.
Once this file is saved to a memory stick this can be transferred to the printer and manufacturing can begin.
The machine lays down a ‘raft’ which is the bed that the object is going to be printed on, printing each slice of the product one on top of the other.
To speed the machine up you use thicker slices, but this gives a poorer quality finish.
As well as Systems and Control projects the Graphics groups have benefited from this unique piece of equipment. Mr Baker produced a Solidworks model of the I-pod Nano which, when printed in 3D, even has a working clip. Students then designed and manufactured suitable protective packaging for the Nano integrating the use of this and other CAD/CAM equipment. Using the accurately printed 3D Nano model students could test the accuracy of their work.
This helped them develop their core design skills as well as enhancing their understanding of Solidworks and how to edit files in CAD as well as the importance of accurate dimensioning when designing and building interlocking parts.
Students are just starting to unlock the answer of what this machine can do and it would seem the use of the printer is only limited by their imagination.
Want to know more?
Download the latest Engineering Focus Newsletter here.
Download the latest Engineering Focus Newsletter here.