Technology News

Modern Technological Advances

As we move into the 21st century, the Design & Digital Technology faculty looks to adapt and evolve with the times. To this end, we hope to address the elements of the curriculum which require students, and staff, to develop an understanding and appreciation of modern technological advances.

In Product Design, this is addressed in Unit One of the VCE course, where students are required to redesign a product with a sustainable focus. To do so, students are exposed to the process of Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided manufacture through 3D modelling software and state of the art 3D printers.

The brief set is to design a mid-sized light, utilising energy saving LED strips and the sustainable materials of their choice. Students go on to select an area of opportunity and an end user, then consider their needs and requirements.

Throughout the project, students develop their ability to use CAD software (Onshape in this case) and understand the process and capabilities of 3D printers. This gives students one of their first experiences with industrial grade manufacturing and prototyping, which is a key aspect for achieving a high study score in VCE Product Design.

Ethan Cabuenas develops some visualisations of his sustainable desk light.

Miguel Dos Santos uses Onshape to design a 3D model of his ‘Bird Nest’ Design option.

A final rendering of the ‘Bird Nest’ Design

Ankit Kumar’s wall mounted light design.

Here Ankit uses the ‘slicing’ software to convert the 3D file into numerical value that the 3D printer can process for printing.

Julian Maliyadeva watches as the Prusia 3D Printer beginning a 4 hour print.

A Sphere lattice lamp shade, highlighting the possibilities of 3D printing.

Tom Myers

Technology Teaching & Learning Coach - Clyde North Campus