Printing for Impact
A printed part is strong one way and weak another, and which way is a free choice in the slicer. Orientation, walls against infill, material, and the failures that look like a design problem but are a settings problem.
creating
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” — Maya Angelou
Turn curiosity into things you actually build: games, tools, software, self-hosted setups, and small businesses. Creation as practice, not performance, at any age.
Designing a Weapon That Survives Itself
A printed spinning weapon is the weakest thing in its own collision. Why print orientation beats geometry, why the weapon should be solid and the chassis should not, and why the cheapest durability upgrade is a transmitter setting.
How Much Motor Do You Actually Need
Model descriptions name a motor and never say why. How to check whether it's the right one, with the arithmetic worked through for a one pound robot, and why the answer for drive is almost never more torque.
Sourcing a Build That Has No Parts List
Most published robot models give you geometry and no bill of materials. How to get a correct parts list out of a CAD file instead of a forum thread.
The Parts That Outlive the Robot
Some of what you buy is consumable and some of it will still be working in five years. Knowing which is which changes what you should spend, and the cheap charger can be the wrong charger.
Reading the Rules Before You Buy Anything
Which document actually governs, what COTS means and why it settles half your parts list, and the rule that catches everyone because it is standard practice everywhere else.
Building It With Them, Not For Them
Building the robot is the easy part. Keeping your kid the one doing the building, with a deadline, expensive parts and a hot soldering iron on the table, is harder.