Code and Chips with Hacklab and ARM

Inspiring the next generation
Inspiring the next generation

Yesterday Simon and Richard, along with several of our THREEDY 3D Printers, had a great day out at the Cambridge Science Centre for this fantastic event.  Code & Chips 2016 was a day of technology workshops and exhibitions aimed at getting students from Year 4 to 8 (8 to 12 year olds) skilled up and excited about a career in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths).

Thanks to Hacklab for this photo: Mathematical Shapes 3D Printed by THREEDY
Printed by THREEDY
THREEDY 3D Printers ready to print
THREEDY 3D Printers ready to print

A big thank you to HackLab and ARM for giving us the opportunity to participate in this event.  We love seeing our young engineers of the future being inspired by STEM activites – and what better day for it than Ada Lovelace Day; an international celebration day of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering & maths.

We hope to work with you again in the future!

Back To School

The children were back to school this week. In preparation (and with hope of increasing the chance that they will return home with their own belongings) THREEDY 3D Printed these personalised name tag labels.

Threedy 3D Printers – Timeline | Facebook

Threedy 3D Printers. 99 likes · 30 talking about this. THREEDY 3D printers are high quality, reliable 3D printers designed and manufactured by PuzzleShed…

Interesting Variants on Tetrahedral Geometry

If you are lucky enough to have received some of our Tetrahedral Shapes and are looking to check your answers to the questions, you have come to the right place! Need more copies of the handout? Download a pdf here: Tetrahedral Geometry

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ANSWERS

What is the volume of the tetrahedron?

The whole cube with the corners on the 1,1,1 and -1,-1,-1 co-ordinates has a volume of 8 (2 x 2 x 2). The volume of the tetrahedron is 1/3 of this, ie 8/3

What is the volume of the triakis tetrahedron?

16/3 (this is exactly twice the volume of the tetrahedron)

How many cuts do you need to cut a rectangular block of cheese into three equal amounts using

a) a straight knife?  4

b) a cheese wire? 2

We hope you enjoyed the puzzles. If you would like any further explanation of the answers, please comment below.

The shapes were all printed by a THREEDY 3D Printer. If you would like to know more about THREEDY 3D printers, please browse our website. The printers are great for schools and colleges and we would be happy to visit you to demonstrate our printers, or deliver our 3D Printing workshop tailored to your students.

Please contact us to book a visit, or if you’d like any more information.

STEM Fair 2016 IWM Duxford

STEM Team East

We had a great couple of days at the STEM Fair at Imperial War Museum, Duxford with STEM Team East.

Personalised key tags printed by students at the STEM Fair
Personalised key tags printed by students at the STEM Fair

We met some brilliant and enthusiastic students at our THREEDY 3D Printing Workshop. As well as printing their own personalised key tags, the students had chance to attempt to solve some of Simon’s puzzles. They thought about what projects they could do using 3D printers.

More than 1000 pupils attended this STEM enrichment event over two days. Young Investigators Day (Years 3 to 8) and Secondary Day (Years 7 to 13).

 

Imagine Richard's shock when the engine started up...
Imagine Richard’s shock when the engine started up…

Our THREEDY 3D Printing workshop was one of 58 different workshops available to the students and proved to be popular (to quote one girl “this was the best workshop we had seen”).

We are always keen to work with schools and to help encourage a new generation of 1st Class engineers. If you’d like to know more about what you could do with a THREEDY 3D Printer in your school, or to arrange a demonstration, please do not hesitate to contact us.IMG_20160614_131849IMG_20160614_132154

Here’s a link to the press release by STEM Team East, providing more details of the event

 

The Digital Revolution: Every primary school should have THREEDY 3D Printers

Prepare children for the impact of the digital revolution (the “fourth industrial revolution”)

In The Digital Revolution, published by the Edge Foundation (9th May 2016) Lord Kenneth Baker, former education secretary and Chair of the Edge Foundation,  calls for radical action to prepare children for the the impact of the next industrial revolution.

ImageGen.ashxThe full report is available for download here

This report on the  Impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on employment and education, was prompted by the Bank of England’s prediction that up to 15 million jobs are at risk of automation across the UK economy.

Lord Baker says ‘The economy is changing at an unprecedented pace. Every day, jobs are being lost in professions we used to regard as careers for life. Artificial intelligence, robots, 3D printing and driverless vehicles will impact on sectors as varied as the legal profession, transport and construction.’

From the report:

Future applications are limited only by our imagination, which makes it essential for children to learn to use 3D design and technology from primary level onwards.

The nature of making and doing must, of course, keep pace with the technological revolution: every primary school should have 3D printers, and computer science should be as common in schools as modern foreign languages because programming skills will be vital for many people in the future.

Lord Baker has set out an eight-point education plan which responds to the digital revolution, which includes providing 3D printers and design software for all primary schools.

Would you like to have reliable, fully supported THREEDY 3D printers in your school?

We are a British company supporting schools. We want 1st class engineers in this country and will help you to make your students fine engineers.  We will be happy to talk to you about how THREEDY 3D printers are being used in schools & colleges and answer any questions you may have about 3D printing and how it could benefit your students.

Please contact us to arrange a demonstration.

8071135        School Kit

Will your school be at Duxford STEM Fair?

THREEDY 3D Printers will once again be running a 3D Printing Workshop at the Duxford STEM Fair (14-15 June 2016). Students will get hands-on experience using THREEDY 3D Printers, and have the opportunity to customise their own prints.

Duxford15Disclaimer: The Concorde in the background was not printed by THREEDY (although students will have the opportunity to print their own aeroplanes)

STEM Fair Duxford is an enrichment day of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Our 3D Printing Workshop will be one of over 30 different workshops.

Can’t make it? We would love to visit your school to demonstrate THREEDY 3D Printers. Please contact us to arrange a visit.

Creative Students using THREEDY in Schools

We were recently sent these photographs by one of the schools who are making good use of their THREEDY 3D Printer.

cannybot   This “Cannybot” has a bluetooth brain – socannybot it can be controlled by a smartphone / tablet. The body was printed by a THREEDY 3D Printer.

 

  green man    yellow  blue

Have you created anything interesting recently? We’d love to see your pictures too! Please email info@puzzleshed.com.