Print Fidget Spinners With Middle Schoolers

This is a project that I developed for my middle school technology and engineering students. The bearing races are grooves 3D printed into the body of the spinner. The caps keep the balls in the bearing and press together with a friction fit. Balls are 3mm glass beads that I had laying around from another project. Weights are 1/4" hex nuts. Students design their own spinner shape around a common bearing design. This project is an awesome introduction to design and 3D printing for a number of reasons: (1) Students use the design process to measure the size of their hand, calculate the diameter of their individual spinner, and develop the shape of their design. (2) Students use precision measurement tools to measure the diameter of the balls and the size of the hex nut. Students also measure the size of the printed product and compare it to the drawing to evaluate tolerance in 3D printing. (3) This project is an exciting and relevant way to teach 3D design software commands and operation. (4) Once you have a 3D printer, spinners print fast and cheap - Good news for those of us with tight budgets and big classes! Here are a couple of YouTube videos if you would like to try one of your own! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-2127eHDVA&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n783rPcIPZY&feature=youtu.be *Google "3mm glass beads" to find balls for your spinner bearing.