4th Grader Science Fair Project: Stronger 3D Printing

Every year, my kids participate in our school district's science fair. This past year (March, 2016), my 4th grade daughter - working on her 5th science fair since Kindergarten - decided to use 3D printing as her target.

After some discussion with her 3D printing-crazed dad (ahem), she decided to test the strength of 3D Printing using different print orientations.

The problem she was working on in her project was how to print stronger 3D printed objects.

She witnessed an issue I had with some hooks I printed for my pegboard a while back, and she generally thought that was an area that could use some experimentation.
Yes - I helped lead her in this direction - no doubt about it.

Her hypothesis was that the vertical layers (layered upwards along the z-axis) were not as strong as the horizontal layers printed along the x- and y-axis. She has seen many failed prints (of mine!) and has gotten familiar with the difference between the upward layers of a print and the horizontal layers.

Two test links - one horizontal, one vertical

I'll leave all the details to the slide deck - embedded below - which she made and printed for her poster board for the 2016 Science Fair.