Learning Targets
- Verify a CAD design before manufacturing.
- Export individual bodies as correctly named STL files.
- Evaluate whether each piece has a support-free print orientation.
- Compare a finished physical product with the original digital design.
IED Unit 2 • Lesson 2.13 • Puzzle Cube Challenge Day 5
Puzzle Cube Manufacturing & Final Verification
Focus question: How can engineers prepare a multi-part CAD design for manufacturing and verify that the physical result matches the design intent?
Your lesson guide
Objective
Verify a CAD design before manufacturing. Export individual bodies as correctly named STL files. Evaluate whether each piece has a support-free print orientation.
Materials
For the online work: a browser and your engineering notebook. Follow the activity’s materials list for any physical build, and get teacher approval before using equipment.
Plan your time
Suggested work block: 45–60 minutes. Physical builds and projects may span several classes; follow your teacher’s schedule.
Lesson Overview
What You Are Learning
Two-Stage Grade
The digital manufacturing package is graded first. After the instructor batch-prints the pieces in five colors, the final points are earned by checking the physical pieces and assembling the completed puzzle.
VerifyExportSubmitPrintDemonstrate
Puzzle Cube Challenge
Project Requirements
These requirements apply throughout Lessons 2.10–2.13.
3 × 3 × 3 Unit Cube
- 27 total unit cubes.
- Each unit cube is exactly 20 mm × 20 mm × 20 mm.
- The assembled puzzle must be 60 mm × 60 mm × 60 mm.
- The final puzzle contains exactly 5 pieces.
Five Connected Pieces
- Each piece contains at least 3 unit cubes.
- Every piece must be one continuous solid with cubes connected face-to-face.
- At least 1 of the 5 pieces must span at least 2 unit cubes in X, Y, and Z.
- Pieces may repeat the same shape.
Plan for Manufacturing
- Use five different colors consistently in the sketch, Fusion model, and final printed puzzle.
- Each piece must have a practical flat-face orientation that can print without support material.
- No additional clearance is required; use the exact 20 mm unit geometry.
Assignment
Prepare the Puzzle Cube for 3D Printing
Complete a final quality check, export each body as its own STL file, and submit the manufacturing package. The instructor will handle batch slicing and printing.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Open the assembled Fusion model: Verify the design still contains exactly five separate bodies and that none were accidentally joined during Lesson 2.12.
- Perform the final size check: Use Inspect/Measure to confirm the complete puzzle is exactly 60 mm × 60 mm × 60 mm and the design is based on exact 20 mm units.
- Recheck the project rules: Confirm each piece contains at least three unit cubes, each piece is face-connected, and at least one piece satisfies the X/Y/Z span requirement.
- Check printability: Inspect each body and identify a flat-face orientation that will allow the piece to print without support material. If a piece cannot be printed support-free, revise the design while preserving the required puzzle geometry.
- Save the final Fusion design: Make sure the five pieces are assembled and the bodies are clearly named Piece A through Piece E.
- Export Piece A: Select only Piece A and use Save as Mesh/Export Mesh to create an STL file.
- Export Pieces B–E: Repeat the process so there are exactly five separate STL files. Do not export the entire assembled cube as one STL.
- Name the files clearly: Include the piece letter and intended print color in each STL filename so the instructor can batch-print the correct colors.
- Submit the digital manufacturing package: Upload the final Fusion archive plus all five STL files. The instructor will handle slicing and printing.
- After printing: Inspect your five colored physical pieces and confirm they match the intended Piece A–E geometry.
- Demonstrate the final puzzle: Assemble all five printed pieces into one 60 mm × 60 mm × 60 mm cube for the instructor.
Before You Submit
- Exactly five separate STL files are included.
- Each STL contains only one puzzle piece.
- Every piece has a support-free print orientation.
- The final .f3d file contains all five assembled bodies.
- STL filenames clearly identify the piece and intended color.
Submission
What You Will Submit
Teacher printing: Students are responsible for correct print-ready geometry and STL exports; the instructor will handle batch slicing and printing. Printer failures or manufacturing defects outside the student's control do not reduce the grade.
Grading
20-Point Lesson Rubric
| Criteria | Points |
|---|---|
| Final Fusion design contains five correct separate bodies | 3 |
| Five individual STL files are exported and correctly named | 3 |
| All five pieces have a practical support-free print orientation | 2 |
| Final digital design still satisfies all Puzzle Cube geometry requirements | 2 |
| Digital manufacturing package is complete and organized for batch printing | 2 |
| Printed pieces match the intended five-piece digital design | 4 |
| Student successfully assembles the printed pieces into the 60 mm × 60 mm × 60 mm cube | 4 |
| Total | 20 |
Lesson 2.13 Video Resource
Puzzle Cube Manufacturing & Final Verification Video
Watch this reference video as you prepare your Puzzle Cube design for manufacturing and complete the lesson's verification tasks. Follow the assignment requirements and submission checklist above.
Resources
Lesson Resources
IED Unit 2
Return to the Unit 2 lesson list and course sequence.
Introduction to Engineering Design
Return to the IED course hub for units, resources, certifications, and current course information.
Build your lesson report
Checkpoint: is your evidence ready?
- Check calculations, units, labels, and measurements against the activity requirements.
- Record what actually happened, including unexpected results.
- Explain what you changed and why; attach required drawings, photos, CAD, or code in your classroom assignment.
Final Fusion archive: LastName_FirstName_2_13_PuzzleCube_Final.f3d. Five STL files: one file each for Pieces A–E, named in the format LastName_FirstName_PieceA_Color.stl. Physical verification after printing: show the instructor the five printed pieces and successfully assemble them into the completed 60 mm cube.
A PDF download is not a submission. Review it, then upload it and any required attachments through your classroom assignment system.