3D Print Your Kids a Construction Set for Under $15
Imagine spending under $15 and having an educational, fun, and exciting construction set for your kids. This is exactly what Amanda Ghassaei from Instructables has done recently.
Amanda is a graduate of Pomona College in Claremont, CA with a BA in Physics and Minor in Chemistry. She has research experience in many of the up and coming tech fields of the future, which include, solar cells, nanotechnology, and optical sensors. She also has a knack for producing awesome 3D printed devices. Recently she got a bit of internet fame from her technique, which allowed for the conversion of MP3’s into 3D printed vinyl records.
Amanda’s construction set is a simple one, but one which could easily cost five to ten times the price if you were to go buy it at a toy store. It uses just 2 main types of pieces; 3D printed connectors, and regular drinking straws. Combined, a box of 200 straws could easily create 3D structures which are larger than your children. The latest connector piece she has designed has 12 connection locations which will allow for an imagination to run wild. According to Amanda they “allow you to create pyramid-like structures with three equilateral triangles as faces, and attach many of these pyramids together.” Children, or even adults, simply take a straw, put a connector on each end, and then continue to add straws and connectors in any orientation, until they have created a desired object. Such a set can really allow for your kids to open up their creative minds, and best of all it’s easy on the pocketbook. That’s if you have the money for a 3D printer.
Although Amanda used a top of the line Epilog printer for her tests, smaller, cheaper printers like a Makerbot Replicator (Still $2700) could also be used with a similar outcome. The AutoCAD files and more details on Amanda’s creation can be viewed here: https://www.instructables.com/id/3D-Printed-Straw-Connector-V4/
Discuss this project here: https://3dprintboard.com/showthread.php?1698-3D-Printed-Construction-Set-For-Your-Children
Subscribe to Our Email Newsletter
Stay up-to-date on all the latest news from the 3D printing industry and receive information and offers from third party vendors.
Print Services
Upload your 3D Models and get them printed quickly and efficiently.
You May Also Like
MX3D Receives €7 Million in Series A Funding for WAAM Services
Dutch large-format wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) firm MX3D has gotten a €7 million ($7.8M) investment in its Series A round. The round is led by EDF Pulse Ventures, with...
3D Printing News Briefs, April 23, 2025: Awards, Scalmalloy, & More
We’re starting with double awards for AMIS in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, as the company was recently honored on both sides of the Atlantic! Moving on, BLT Europe announced...
3D Printing News Briefs & Events Roundup: March 8, 2025
Starting this week, we’re shaking things up a little! We’ll be combining our 3D Printing News Briefs with a more curated weekly list of 3D printing webinars and events to...
Endgame for Currant 3D and Sugar Lab as the Pioneers of 3D Printed Sweet Treats
From powdered sugar to gravity-defying creations, the 3D printing of sweet treats was pushed further than ever by culinary brands Currant 3D and Sugar Lab. Co-founded by Kyle von Hasseln...