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Intelino is a smart train system designed for children and educators to engage in interactive play and learning. It combines physical trains with digital technology, allowing users to control and program the trains using special code tiles. In this tutorial, you can follow my steps as I recreate my first 3D printable design for Intelino using Tinkercad, a free Computer-aided Design (CAD) software.
This project is well-suited for 3D printing because the Intelino code tiles are easy to misplace and 3D printing a replacement takes under 10 minutes. Below is a video walkthrough of the entire CAD process, a list of materials with links, and step-by-step instructions to help you follow along!
Before you begin to CAD the Intelino code tile, take a second and examine the photo below. If you have an Intelino tile on hand, use calipers or another accurate measurement device to obtain the tiles dimensions (I also include dimensions below, so don’t worry if you are unable to take your own measurements). After taking a look at the tile, try to imagine the steps you might take to design it in Tinkercad.
Set Up Your Tinkercad Workspace
Log into Tinkercad or Create an Account
Create a New Design
Click on the “Create new design” button to start a new project
Design the Base of the Tile
Add a Box Shape
Drag a "Box" shape from the shapes menu onto the workplane
Set the dimensions of the box
Width: .63in
Length: .80in
Height: .08in
Create the Base of the Tabs on the Base of the Tile
Add another box shape
Set the dimensions of the box
Width: .04in
Length: .63in
Height: .06in
Duplicate the dimensioned box
Use the duplication shortcut (Ctrl+D or Command+D) to create copies
Position new geometry
Place both boxes on the top surface of the base of the tile (use the W key for help with alignment)
Align the boxes so they are parallel and in the vertical and horizontal center of the base of the tile
Insure a .47in distance between the outside edges of the boxes (use the ruler tool for help defining this measurement)
Add Tabs
Add a new box shape (this will be our tab)some text
Set the dimensions of the tab
Width: .04in
Length: .40in
Height: .10in
Align this tab with one of the previous tab bases
Center and position it on the top plane of the box beneath it
Duplicate
Duplicate the tab you just created and position it on the remaining tab base
Add Support Geometry
Add a new box shape
Set the dimensions of the box
Width: .04in
Length: .32in
Height: .05in
Duplicate
Duplicate the tab you just created and position it on the remaining tab base
Align the support boxes
Align the boxes to there is a .18in gap between the outside edges of the boxes (use the ruler tool again for help defining this measurement)
Group the boxes
Vertically and horizontally center the grouped boxes on the base of the tile
3D Printing your Intelino Tile!
Export the Design
Once you are finished with your design, click on the “Export” button.
Choose “.STL” as the file format to prepare your design for 3D printing.
Download the STL File
Save the STL file to your computer. This file can now be used with a 3D printer to create your Intelino train code tile
Prepare the Printer
Import the STL file into your 3D printer's slicing software (e.g., Cura).
Adjust the print settings as needed for your 3D printer and filament type
Print the Tile
Start the 3D printing process and wait for your Intelino train code tile to be printed!