In preparation for our new lower school innovation space, the Launch Pad, I have constructed a magnetic marble run wall that will serve as one of a several interchangeable walls used by students to explore, write, design, build and play.
I used sheet metal and some lightweight 2'x4's to construct the wall, and have embedded small magnets into each marble run component so that it can be easily placed and moved around the wall. While these components would work fine with PVC, cardboard or other material, since we have access to 3D printers and design software, this seemed the more enjoyable option. I have experimented with a few models using 123D design and our Taz 6 printers, and in the fall will work with my 7th grade technology students to fabricate 3D components of their own design.
My challenge for next year's students will be to design their parts in such a way that as a team they must build a run that will last at least 10 seconds on the wall from top to bottom. Components will be assessed on the basis of creativity, marble run duration, and a minimal use of material.
I used sheet metal and some lightweight 2'x4's to construct the wall, and have embedded small magnets into each marble run component so that it can be easily placed and moved around the wall. While these components would work fine with PVC, cardboard or other material, since we have access to 3D printers and design software, this seemed the more enjoyable option. I have experimented with a few models using 123D design and our Taz 6 printers, and in the fall will work with my 7th grade technology students to fabricate 3D components of their own design.
My challenge for next year's students will be to design their parts in such a way that as a team they must build a run that will last at least 10 seconds on the wall from top to bottom. Components will be assessed on the basis of creativity, marble run duration, and a minimal use of material.
Below is a short clip showing a test of the initial components. I realized in working with these prototypes that two magnets side by side don't provide enough stability for the parts to stay in place on the wall. As you will notice in subsequent models, I've created a tab located in the top-center of the piece to allow a third magnet to serve as the last point in a more stable triangular shape.
Here is a recent run, including some of the latest printed components. As mentioned above, the newer parts have a small tab at top-center to accommodate a third magnet.