EPQ - Modelling of Jett Engine and printing it
During my time at sixth form college, every student was required to complete an EPQ as part of our studies. This involved planning, documenting our progress in great detail, executing the project, and then compiling it into a large document for submission. Although I did not receive a great mark on this project (a grade C), I believe the final product and the skills I developed were more important to me personally. At the time, I lacked foresight regarding the project requirements, as it was marked 85% on documentation and 15% on an online presentation. I had ignored the presentation aspect for most of the year and focused solely on the actual product itself. In the end, I had to scramble to produce a document and presentation that did not reflect my full effort. Since then, I have been practicing and developing this skill, making it a personal growth goal. As one of my teachers told me, "You could make pasta really well from scratch, and as long as you can document it well, you can achieve an A*." This advice, which I regret not paying more attention to at the time, is something I’ve learned from.
The aim of my project was to learn a modeling software called Blender, which a friend had shown me. He used it to develop models for creating games. My goal was to model a Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 jet engine and then try using a 3D printer to create a physical copy of the model. In hindsight, there were many problems with choosing this for a project, and it required much more time and effort than I had originally planned.
I had never used modeling software before and only knew of Blender at the time. It wasn’t the correct tool for a project of this accuracy and technicality, but it was useful for surfacing elements of the main body and turbines. The software was recommended by a friend who used it to create models for game development, and he shared many tutorial videos with me. Additionally, the software was free, which is why I decided to use it. Learning a modeling software through YouTube videos was a steep learning curve, and Blender offers many tools and packages. As a result, I only learned the basics. I probably spent around 150 hours learning the software and developing my model based on pictures, technical diagrams I could find, and learning how the engine works.
Another problem during this project was that I had never owned or used a 3D printer before, which presented its own challenges. I purchased an Ender 3 V2 on sale for this project, assembled it, and started creating test prints to learn how to fully utilize the tool. I found models on Thingiverse, such as Benchies (a small boat model) and various whistles, to practice. When it finally came time to print my model, I realized that I had only been surfacing in Blender, so my entire model had no depth or thickness. As a result, the part that came out was mostly infill and a very flimsy structure. This error prompted many more hours of redesign, using thickening tools, and realizing that all of my internal components, on which I had spent hours, were completely redundant since it wasn’t a moving model. It would have been far more effective to design several separate models, assemble them, and potentially use bearings to create a moving model. This approach would have allowed for shorter print times and accounted for failed prints or poorly designed parts. Finally, I produced and submitted an acceptable model as part of the project.
