Challenge Overview

This challenge aims to give students a deeper understanding of the engineering design process as they use it to solve a real-world problem or improve a real-world process, while also introducing them to the advanced manufacturing technique of 3D printing. Additionally, students will learn to create an industry-standard technical drawing.

​The team will document every step of the engineering design process as they design a unique, creative award for the new RECF Robotics Competition judged award: the 3D Printing and Fabrication Award. Teams will then fabricate the final design using 3D printing manufacturing techniques.

Project Requirements & Components

To complete this challenge and be eligible for the prizes and awards, you need to successfully submit both parts of the challenge: a portfolio and an .stl file.

Engineering Design Portfolio

Fully document the engineering design process used to develop your solution, and download your portfolio as a PDF. There will be many different parts to the portfolio, but they should be included in the following order:

• Title Page: Required. The title page does not count toward the 10-page report limit and must include:
  • Challenge name and season year
  • Your program (e.g., RECF Achieve)
  • Your team number (e.g., Team 111B)
• Documentation 
  • Engineering problem statement
  • Research and design exploration
  • Brainstorming and initial design concepts, including at least 3 different initial design sketches
  • Documentation of process used to select the final design
  • Documentation of final design
  • Documentation of testing and improvement, including photographic evidence of the manufactured prototype (Please note – creating an actual prototype is not a requirement for elementary school teams)
  • Final design analysis and explanation of why this award design best represents the spirit of the award category 

Final Design Files

Submit the following files with your portfolio submission:

• CAD files for the final design (downloaded as .stl)
• A technical drawing of the final design with appropriate dimensions and annotations

Your technical drawing should communicate the information needed to understand and reproduce the design.

Step 1: Define the Problem – Identify the Need

With 3D printing included in the RECF robotics competition programs this season, we would love for our students to help us decide what that award could look like. Review the award description first, and then develop an engineering problem statement for this online challenge.

The 3D Printing & Fabrication Award recognizes a team who have effectively designed and utilized 3D printing or other fabrication techniques to create solutions to engineering design challenges.

Step 2: Research and Explore – Understand the Problem

Research the problem and explore possible solutions before beginning your final design. Your research may include:

• Existing products or solutions
• Similar designs
• Materials
• 3D printing techniques
• Manufacturing methods
• Size or space requirements
• Strength or durability considerations
• Portability
• Cost
• Other factors that could influence your design

Use your research to help your team understand the problem and identify opportunities for improvement. Document the sources and information that influenced your design.

Step 3 – Brainstorm and Design – Explore Possibilities

Before selecting a final design, explore multiple possible solutions to the problem. Your team must explore at least three different initial design concepts. You may represent these through sketches or other appropriate design-development methods. The concepts should show meaningful differences in how your team would approach the design.

Evaluate your ideas: Develop criteria your team will use to compare the designs. Document how your team evaluated the different concepts and explain why you selected the design you will develop further. Your final design should reflect a thoughtful design decision, not simply the first idea your team created.

Step 4: Prototype, Test, and Improve

(Note: creating an actual prototype is not a requirement for elementary school teams)

Create a 3D printed prototype of your final design. Test the prototype to determine whether it addresses the problem your team identified. Your testing may examine appearance, strength, durability, cost, production time, or any other criteria important to your design. Document what happened during testing.

Improve your design: Engineering designs rarely work the first time perfectly. Identify what worked, what did not work, and what your team changed as a result. Your documentation should show how testing influenced your final design.

Step 5: Final Design 

Document your process, and create files.

• Include sketches created during the brainstorming process. 

You can photograph or scan these sketches to include in the final portfolio.

• Create CAD files for the 3D printing process.

You can use any CAD software, but feel free to take a look at our partner Autodesk’s as an option. 

• Create a technical drawing of the final design.

Create a technical drawing of your final design using the CAD program of your choice. The technical drawing should be a 3-view orthographic drawing using 3rd angle projection, and should include a title block with the drawing name, date, team number, and scale.

The technical drawing should include the information needed to communicate the design clearly, including appropriate:

• Dimensions
• Annotations
• Views
• Labels or other technical information

The goal is to create a drawing that communicates the design clearly to someone who was not part of your team. Analyze your final design and explain how it addresses the original problem. Your final analysis should explain:

• What did your team create?
• How does the final design represent the spirit of the award?
• What design decisions were most important?
• What did your team learn through the engineering design process?
• What changes did you make after testing?
• What would you improve or change if you continued developing the product?

Final Submission Checklist

Before submitting, make sure your team has completed:

• The portfolio, including all of the sections listed in the project requirement
• The .stl file is ready to 3D print the award

If you submit an entry for this challenge, the RECF may redesign, recreate, or use your submission for use in the current and/or future seasons. 

Challenge Success

Your team will be successful if you can demonstrate, not just describe, how the engineering design process helped you turn a real need into a designed, prototyped, and improved solution.

The strongest projects will show creativity, a clear description of the brainstorming process, clear documentation of the final design and prototype, and a complete final design analysis and explanation as to why your award design best represents the spirit of the award.