Maker Faire festivals are a beautiful showcase of what modern technology makes possible. The whole maker world feels like a big playground for both kids and adults. It’s incredible to think about what anyone can create at home today, on a small budget, using programmable controllers and online resources. And there’s no need to be especially handy anymore—you can leave most of the work to 3D printers or home CNC machines.
Connect-a-Beam
This open-source building kit for 3D printing is developed by Vojtěch Oram. He and his children didn’t like the fact that classic Lego is too small and Duplo doesn’t allow to build more complex structures and mechanisms. His Connect-a-Beam kit has larger parts that can be easily joined without screwing and is optimized for 3D printing without supports.
It allows for the construction of static and moving structures and various mechanical gears. Downloadable printable parts can be found at printables.com.
At the foam shooting range you could also shoot air rifles with 3D printed parts. You can download and print the plastic parts yourself, and the remaining components for the gas pistons, seals and springs were sold by the engineers in kits on site. And you can also order them on their e-shop.
Jiří Kočař enjoys modeling for 3D printing in his spare time. He has made simple, yet detailed foldable car models, a flying propeller with a planetary gearbox and some magnetic toys and other small things. You can find their models at printables and makerworld.
School projects based on 3D printing using the Arduino platform were presented by representatives of SSOŠP Senica. In addition to robotic cars or a turbo-tank and other models, they showed off a DARKMAUL lightsaber and a life-size R2D2 that had 25 kilograms of various plastics slapped on it, and several Arduino boards that will drive a bunch of motors and servos for all the little moving parts it has. I can’t even tell you if this is the same piece that once appeared on thingiverse and in newer versions, the author moved it to their Patreon.
Arduino or micro:bit controlled robots are a school classic.
