Ulverstone Material Design and Technology Teacher 

It has been a busy start to the year in the Materials Design and Technology learning spaces, seeing an ever-growing number of students opting into the variety of subjects offered in the area. The previously offered general MDT classes have expanded allowing students to specialise in woodwork or metalwork, and in some cases, students are selecting both classes. This expansion has required some extra assistance in teaching classes, welcoming Mr Brett Wallace back into the workshop and Mr Jacob McNab into Design in Graphics.

Upgrades and new equipment

The CAD Lab has been remodelled, and CAD computers have been set up in a smaller Design Lab closer to the workshops. This has allowed students to have greater access to the design software required to operate the laser cutter and the newly installed CNC Router. The department has also greatly benefited from now having a dedicated specialist technician, Mr Grant Kunze, who has been instrumental in making improvements across all areas.

The Design in Graphics classes have enjoyed investigating the new equipment as part of the CAD Lab upgrade, now allowing them to access a bank of high-end Bambu Lab 3D Printers. With a ratio of one 3D printer for every two students; there are great opportunities to test and trial design work without having a long wait for equipment. It will be exciting to see where this leads as students become familiar with the easily accessible interface of the Bambu software.

The metal workshop has also had some recent upgrades in replacing a few older machines and some new purchases of a sand blasting cabinet, metal linisher and blacksmith’s forge. Students in the senior classes have started the year with simple jewellery making, and discovering metal etching with electrolysis, while other classes have investigated using copper and how it can be worked. 

The wood workshop was upgraded last year with a change in setup and freshly replaced hand tools and machinery. This has allowed students to maximise their productivity in the space and experience some of the expectations that may be required for a future in the trade industry.

Material Design and Technology continues to be an exciting and creative part of students’ learning where they are encouraged to play and safely make mistakes. This has allowed them to discover talents and develop skills while producing projects that are unique and interesting. I look forward to this year’s design challenges yet to be solved, the solutions the students will create and the fun we will have along the way.

Mr Ian Reynolds

Material Design and Technology Teacher