People are inherently curious, and none more so than younger people – which is why teachers are always looking for unique ways to make their lessons interesting. From dissecting frogs in biology to using pneumatics in design and technology, teachers have brought a wide variety of ideas to the classroom with great success.
Rebecca Maunder, a teacher at a girls’ school in New Zealand, can be comfortably slotted into this crowd. She uses a 3D printer, a laser cutter and a paper printer in her classroom to teach students about product development and geometry.
The students love her lessons because they get to find out how things are made, from the shoes they wear to the pens they write notes down with.
Rebecca also uses a Mayku FormBox in the classroom, which she uses to demonstrate how injection moulding is used in manufacturing. She uses it alongside her 3D printer as part of the “Production and Mass Production” module on the syllabus. In this module, students get to learn about production processes and application.
As part of her unique lesson plan, Rebecca has her students complete design briefs she has written to reflect on what they learn. This is an opportunity for students to show how technology like vacuum forming or 3D printing can be used.
FormBox in the Classroom
In the classroom, Rebecca can safely use the Mayku FormBox in front of students and supervise the students who use it. Most 3D objects can be vacuum formed to create a three-dimensional mould of the object. Rebecca likes to combine the FormBox with 3D printed objects to show how a primary mould can be used to make a run of products in a relatively short space of time.
The Mayku FormBox is perfect for classrooms for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is safe to use. Secondly, there are no harmful emissions given off by the machine. Thirdly, because of its size, it can be stored away in a regular cupboard.
The FormBox also allows Rebecca to give students things to take home that are made in class. 3D printing would not allow this because the manufacturing process is much slower, making the FormBox an excellent complementary technology.
Another reason Rebecca invested in the FormBox is that it’s considerably cheaper than an industrial vacuum former. These can cost thousands of pounds and their bulky dimensions make them impractical. The FormBox is much cheaper, priced at £499 excluding VAT and £598.80 including VAT.
This information was first published on the Mayku website. All images are credited to Mayku. If you enjoyed this case study, check out our previous FormBox one – Using the FormBox to Inspire the Makers of Tomorrow.