How a New Zealand teacher increased student engagement using vacuum forming and laser cutting machines
Combining laser cutting and vacuum forming for mold making design lessons
Rebecca Maunder teaches at a girls’ school in New Zealand. She has a few different maker tools in the classroom — a 3D printer, laser cutter and paper printer — that she uses to teach the students about product development. She likes to create projects that are relevant to the girls’ lives and that they find exciting.
How to use the Mayku FormBox to teach design and manufacturing
Rebecca keeps a FormBox in the classroom to use with different classes and projects. She uses it with a 3D printer and laser cutter for projects in the “Production and Mass Production” module on the syllabus. Rebecca also writes design briefs for the students to complete using the machines they have at their disposal. She uses the Tinker CAD software program or Adobe Illustrator to make something with the laser cutter and then transfer it to the FormBox to be made.
What challenges did your STEAM classroom experience pre-FormBox?
- Expense: It’s expensive to get an industrial sized vacuum former into the classroom in order to really show the students how the process worked.
- Size: The vacuum formers on the market are mostly very large, making it difficult to find a place for one in the classroom.
- Time: 3D printing and laser cutting take a very long time which means a long wait for something physical and concrete that the girls can take away from the class.
How did the FormBox save your classroom time and money?
- Expense: It’s a quarter of the cost of a standard light industrial vacuum forming machine.
- Size: It’s also a quarter of the size meaning it can easily fit in the classroom.
- Time: Making things with the FormBox is quick, enabling the girls each to get a turn with the machine and use it to make something that they can take home the same day.
How does in-house vacuum forming compare to outsourcing mold making?
Mayku FormBox
- Upfront Cost - £599
- Part Cost - £1
- Lead time - 3-4 hours
- Quantity - 30
External Mold Vendor
- Upfront Cost - £2,000
- Mold Cost - £3
- Lead time - 32 hours
- Quantity - 2
Want to learn more? You can follow @TeamMayku on social media, join our Facebook Group, the Mayku Community or request to Speak to a Specialist at anytime to find out how you could use a FormBox for your next project.
Continue reading
View allHow Milachocolata uses the FormBox to create custom chocolates for wholesale and bespoke orders
6 minutes read • 4th Mar 2022
Read PostMaking a custom chocolate iceberg mold with chocolatier Paul A. Young and the Mayku Multiplier
4 minutes read • 22nd Nov 2021
Read PostIndustrial Design prototyping without outsourcing with the Mayku Multiplier
4 minutes read • 11th Nov 2021
Read PostGet in touch
Let's chat about possible applications or any other ideas or questions you might have. Book a call with a member of our team below.
Find a timeSubmit a question
Want to know more? Send us a question and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
Ask nowFind a reseller
Our certified resellers have invaluable application and workflow knowledge. Connect with a reseller near you.
Connect