3D Printing

Week 1 September 15-19 2025

Now that Innovation Day has wrapped up, I’m continuing to focus on 3D printing, but this time with a bigger goal in mind. This week, I started creating custom 3D-printed keychains for my school. So far, I’ve designed pumpkin-shaped keychains and circular ones, and I’m planning to expand the collection with more unique designs like a haunted house and a helmet. Each piece is not only fun to make but also a great way to showcase what can be done with 3D printing.

At the same time, I’ve started building a website where these keychains will be available for purchase. The goal of the site is to raise money for our school’s computer science class, helping us bring in more opportunities, tools, and experiences for students interested in technology. I’m aiming to get the site online as soon as possible so people can support the program while also getting something creative and custom-made. I’m really excited to keep designing new items, printing them, and seeing how this project can benefit both the community and our class.

Week 2-3 September 22-October 3 2025

Over the past two weeks, I’ve been continuing my journey with 3D printing, and it has been both exciting and challenging. One of my main goals has been to expand the variety of prints we’re creating while also experimenting with new designs. Recently, we’ve focused on producing more custom keychains, which have been a fun way to combine creativity with practical use. At the same time, we’ve been exploring flexible 3D prints, which open up a whole new set of possibilities compared to standard rigid designs.

Of course, with new projects come new challenges. For example, we’ve been working on models that involve interlocking cone shapes designed to fit through one another, but they won't and get stuck. Another problem is that our slicer software has repeatedly crashed when trying to process 3D prints. While frustrating at times, these obstacles have given us the chance to dive deeper into troubleshooting, testing alternative approaches, and learning more about the tools we’re using. Each problem we run into pushes us to improve our skills, refine our models, and think more creatively about solutions.

Overall, these past two weeks have been full of growth. We’re continuing to design new models that we believe people will enjoy while also strengthening our problem-solving abilities through real-world trial and error. Every success—and every challenge—moves us one step further in mastering 3D printing.

Week 4 October 6-10 2025

This week was really productive, I completed a passthrough cone print and helped improve our inventory system by adding barcodes to each item. We’re also taking the next step toward selling our 3D printed products at school by planning to offer them during lunch periods and athletic events. We’ve been in contact with school administrators to make sure everything is set up properly before we begin.

Week 5 October 20-24 2025

I’ve been getting ready to start selling 3D prints during lunch this week, and things are finally coming together! After discussing the idea with my principal, we created an official form to get approval and track our sales. I also put together a detailed two-page Google Doc that includes all of our product barcodes, making it easy for anyone on the team to scan and sell items quickly. To keep things organized and efficient, we’re using BoxHero for inventory management it’s been a huge help, especially with its Excel export feature, which makes tracking and analyzing sales data much easier.

We’ve also built a small team of students who will help sell during each of the three lunch periods, so we can reach more people and keep things running smoothly throughout the day. It’s been really exciting to see everything come together, and I can’t wait to see how our first week of sales goes!