Water Filter

LESSON PLAN – HIGH SCHOOL GRADE 9

DREMEL EDUCATION | MOUNT PROSPECT, IL

Teacher’s Guide – Reusable Emergency Water Filter

3D Design Challenge
Reusable Emergency Water Filter
Grade: 9

Recommended Design Software: Autodesk Tinkercad

Estimated class time (excluding printing): Six 45-minute class periods

Estimated print time (per object/team): Eight hours

Companion files: Three .stl, one .jpg

Introduction

Safe drinking water is something most of us take for granted, until we suddenly don’t have it. Drinking
water supplies can be interrupted anywhere in the United States, and people in many parts of the world
live without a reliable source of water that is safe to drink. Inexpensive water treatment devices have
the potential to save thousands of lives. In this design challenge, students create a reusable water filter
that can be used as a first step toward making water safe to drink.

Learning Objectives

1. Students will work individually or in small groups to develop a design for a reusable water filter that
meets specific design specifications.

2. Students will prepare .stl files that will allow their design to be produced on a 3D printer.

4. Students will evaluate their printed design to ensure that it meets design specifications.

5. Students will identify modifications and improvements that could improve their design.

6. Students will identify additional procedures needed to make water safe to drink after it has been
treated with their filter.

The Design Challenge

The project scenario for students and details of the design challenge follow.

Project Scenario:

With growing concern about flooding and its potential effect on local drinking water supplies, your
state’s emergency preparedness agency has invited industrial designers (teams and individuals) to

1
Design Challenge: Reusable Emergency Water Filter – G9
Credit: Created by O’Donnell Learn
Teacher’s Guide – Reusable Emergency Water Filter

develop and produce 3D printed prototypes for a reusable emergency water filter that will remove dirt
and large particles from water as a first step toward making it safe to drink. The agency has provided a
list of specifications/requirements to guide the design process, but they are looking for filters that are
innovative.

Design a reusable water filter that will remove dirt and large particles from water as a first step toward
making the water safe to drink.

Guiding Questions:

1. Will this type of filter make water safe to drink?

2. What additional treatment is recommended by the United States’ Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) and the American Red Cross to make water safe to drink?
3. Why might someone want to use your filter in addition to the methods recommended by FEMA and
the American Red Cross?
4. What kinds of water contamination might not be eliminated by the methods FEMA and the American
Red Cross recommend?

Design Requirements:

General:

The design should use the minimum amount of printer filament needed for sturdy construction that
meets all design requirements, and the filter components must fit snugly enough to stay together when
the filter is assembled (see Assembly Requirements below).

Component:

The filter must include the following components (see Figure 1):

a. Main Filter Body

Function: Contains filter materials and directs flow of water being treated through these
materials
Specifications: Cylindrical shape; minimum radius: 3 cm; minimum height: 15 cm;
cylinder wall must be watertight and capable of holding specified filter materials;
minimum cylinder wall thickness: 3 mm

b. Lower Filter Screen Cap

Function: Fits over the bottom of the Main Filter Body to support filter materials
Specifications: Must be rigid enough to support filter materials, but should be as porous
as possible to allow filtered water to flow through; the plate may be perforated with
holes, or have a grid or honeycomb construction to create porosity; diameter of the cap
should provide a snug fit when the lower end of the Main Filter Body is covered with
two layers of cheesecloth (see “Filtration and Assembly Requirements” below)

c. Upper Filter Screen

2
Design Challenge: Reusable Emergency Water Filter – G9
Credit: Created by O’Donnell Learn
Teacher’s Guide – Reusable Emergency Water Filter

Function: Traps particles larger than 0.75 cm

Specifications: 3 mm minimum thickness; must fit snugly inside the upper end of Main
Filter Body so that there is a space of at least 2 cm between the upper edge of the Main
Filter Body and the top of the Upper Filter Screen; openings in the Upper Filter Screen
must be at least 0.75 cm; openings may be round holes, square grid, or honeycomb

Figure 1. Required components.

Assembly:
3
Design Challenge: Reusable Emergency Water Filter – G9
Credit: Created by O’Donnell Learn
Teacher’s Guide – Reusable Emergency Water Filter

The filter must enable the following assembly:

In addition to the Upper Filter Screen, filtration materials will include approximately 300 cm3
(300 ml) fine Sand, 300 cm3 (300 ml) crushed Charcoal, and two layers of Cheesecloth. The
cheesecloth will be stretched to fit over the lower end of the Main Filter Body and will be held in
place by friction between the edges of the Lower Screen Cap and the outside walls of the Main
Filter Body. The charcoal will be placed on top of the cheesecloth inside the Main Filter Body.
The sand will be placed on top of the charcoal. The Upper Filter Screen will be placed on top of
the sand.

Materials:

Essential

 3D printer and sufficient filament

 Computers with access to Tinkercad (NOTE: One computer for each student is preferred, but
students may also work in pairs or teams at shared computers.)
 Fine sand (approximately 300 cm3 (300 ml) per student group)
 Crushed charcoal (“activated” charcoal; approximately 300 cm3 (300 ml) per student group)
 Cheesecloth (approximately 10 cm x 20 cm per student group)

Optional

 Software and computers for student presentations

Education Standards
Common Core State Standards
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSG.MG.A.1 Use geometric shapes, their measures, and their properties to
describe objects.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSG.MG.A.3 Apply geometric methods to solve design problems (e.g., designing

an object or structure to satisfy physical constraints or minimize cost; working with typographic grid
systems based on ratios).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex

ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization,
and analysis of content.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.3
Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements,
or performing technical tasks, attending to special cases or exceptions defined in the text.

Next Generation Science Standards

4
Design Challenge: Reusable Emergency Water Filter – G9
Credit: Created by O’Donnell Learn
Teacher’s Guide – Reusable Emergency Water Filter

ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems

Criteria and constraints also include satisfying any requirements set by society, such as taking issues of
risk mitigation into account, and they should be quantified to the extent possible and stated in such a
way that one can tell if a given design meets them. (HS-ETS1-1)

Humanity faces major global challenges today, such as the need for supplies of clean water and food or
for energy sources that minimize pollution, which can be addressed through engineering. These global
challenges also may have manifestations in local communities. (HS-ETS1-1)

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions

When evaluating solutions, it is important to take into account a range of constraints, including cost,
safety, reliability, and aesthetics, and to consider social, cultural, and environmental impacts. (HS-ETS1-
3)

Both physical models and computers can be used in various ways to aid in the engineering design
process. Computers are useful for a variety of purposes, such as running simulations to test different
ways of solving a problem or to see which one is most efficient or economical; and in making a
persuasive presentation to a client about how a given design will meet his or her needs. (HS-ETS1-4)

ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution

Criteria may need to be broken down into simpler ones that can be approached systematically, and
decisions about the priority of certain criteria over others (trade-offs) may be needed. (HS-ETS1-2)

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

§111.41.c.1.A Apply mathematics to problems arising in everyday life, society, and the workplace.

§111.41.c.1.B Use a problem-solving model that incorporates analyzing given information, formulating a
plan or strategy, determining a solution, justifying the solution, and evaluating the problem-solving
process and the reasonableness of the solution.

§111.41.c.1.C Select tools, including real objects, manipulatives, paper and pencil, and technology as
appropriate, and techniques, including mental math, estimation, and number sense as appropriate,
to solve problems.

§111.41.c.2.A Determine the coordinates of a point that is a given fractional distance less than one from
one end of a line segment to the other in one- and two-dimensional coordinate systems, including
finding the midpoint.

§112.34.c.3.A In all fields of science, analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations by using
empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing, including examining
all sides of scientific evidence of those scientific explanations, so as to encourage critical thinking by the
student.

Career & Technology Education

AG-ENV 4. Demonstrate the operation of environmental service systems (e.g., pollution control, water
5
Design Challenge: Reusable Emergency Water Filter – G9
Credit: Created by O’Donnell Learn
Teacher’s Guide – Reusable Emergency Water Filter

treatment, wastewater treatment, solid waste management and energy conservation).

MN 6. Demonstrate workplace knowledge and skills common to manufacturing.

MN-PPD 5. Develop procedures to create products that meet customer needs.

MN-PRO 4. Coordinate work teams when producing products to enhance production process and
performance.

ST 1. Apply engineering skills in a project that requires project management, process control and quality
assurance.

ST-ET 1. Use STEM concepts and processes to solve problems involving design and/or production.
ST-ET 3. Apply processes and concepts for the use of technological tools in STEM.
ST-ET 4. Apply the elements of the design process.
ST-ET 5. Apply the knowledge learned in STEM to solve problems.
ST-ET 6. Apply the knowledge learned in the study of STEM to provide solutions to human and societal
problems in an ethical and legal manner.

Lesson Planning and Preparation

You may find the information in this section beneficial to planning and implementing this lesson’s
classroom activities.

Basic Timeline:

Introduce design challenge – 15 minutes

Students conduct research – 45 minutes

Brainstorm solutions to design problem – 30 minutes

Prepare .stl files for specified components – 90 minutes

3D printing – time will vary

Test prototypes – 20 minutes

Identify options for design improvements – 20 minutes

Prepare presentation of results – 20 minutes

Present results and ideas for improvements – 15 minutes per group

Optional opportunity for re-designing

General Suggestions:

 If Tinkercad is new to you, experiment with it yourself before beginning the project with your
students.
6
Design Challenge: Reusable Emergency Water Filter – G9
Credit: Created by O’Donnell Learn
Teacher’s Guide – Reusable Emergency Water Filter

 Ensure that each student has a school Tinkercad account prepared and ready for login. Another
option can be to create a single account that all of the students can login to at the same time.
 Keep in mind that this lesson assumes basic experience with the 3D modeling program
Tinkercad. For students who have not yet used Tinkercad, consider introducing it to them with
the 3D Design Basics in Tinkercad preliminary challenge, which includes links to Autodesk
tutorials and other resources for getting started with the program.
 If Tinkercad is new to you, experiment with it yourself before beginning the project with your
students.
 Introduce this lesson with the following quote:

Even though millions of gallons of water swamped streets, homes, and

businesses in the Columbia, South Carolina area, residents scrambled Monday
to find potable water.

Water main breaks across the city left thousands without drinking water.
Though some water service returned to the University of South Carolina campus
late Monday morning, the university warned students that the outages could
return at any time. Bottled water and portable bathrooms were delivered to the
campus Monday morning.

- Sean Breslin, weather.com, October 5, 2015

 Show your students this TED Talk by Michael Pritchard:

http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_pritchard_invents_a_water_filter?language=en

 Have students brainstorm, sketch, and complete other related project work in some form of a
Design Notebook.
 Present the lesson using the Engineering Design Process:

This design challenge supports use of the Engineering Design Process. There are many versions
of this process; most include the following elements/sequence/cycle: define problem,
brainstorm ideas, select solution(s), test solution(s), prototype, test and analyze prototype
results, present results, and/or revise. An important feature of this process is the idea of
multiple iterations that improve the design solution by analyzing a series of prototypes, each
one incorporating ideas and lessons learned from previous prototypes. In addition to
engineering problems and like design thinking processes in general, this process may be applied
to problems in many other disciplines and contexts. Using the Engineering Design Process as a
generic strategy for solving problems opens a door to many cross-curricular opportunities.
Available class time and 3D printer logistics may preclude more than one iteration of the design
cycle for this lesson; however, at a minimum, students should reflect and report on
improvements they would make to their designs if additional iterations were possible.

 Introduce students to additive manufacturing:

7
Design Challenge: Reusable Emergency Water Filter – G9
Credit: Created by O’Donnell Learn
Teacher’s Guide – Reusable Emergency Water Filter

In contrast to many familiar subtractive manufacturing processes that remove material to create
an object (e.g., sawing, drilling, carving, milling), 3D printing is an additive process that deposits
material to create an object. Additive manufacturing has a number of advantages compared to
subtractive processes, including efficiency in use of raw materials, ability to build objects from
“the inside out,” and ability to construct prototypes without having to create expensive tools
and fixtures to shape raw materials through subtractive means.

 Incorporate collaboration:

Because its requirements include multiple components, effective collaboration can help
students meet this design challenge. Having individual components designed by different group
members will greatly reduce the time needed for design, but each group member must
understand how her or his component will interact with components being designed by other
group members. For this reason, initial planning stages are critical, and it is important to
highlight this point for students who often rush through initial planning in the interest of
“getting started.” In particular, decisions about dimensions of individual components must be
well-considered and clearly communicated among all group members.

Extension Opportunities:

1. Design and print a funnel component that fits over the bottom of the Main Filter Body to guide
filtered water into a receiving container.
2. Prepare a survival kit containing your water filter and other materials needed to make
contaminated water safe to drink (this does not apply to water contaminated with chemicals or
radioactive materials).
3. Write an instruction sheet for using your filter. Be sure to include info about additional steps
that should be taken to make filtered water safe to drink.
4. Calculate the maximum flow rate of water through the filter using clean tap water. Develop a
mathematical model to predict how changing filter component dimensions will affect flow rate.
If time and materials permit, test this model, and explain any discrepancies between predicted
flow rate and measured flow rate.
5. Test water suspensions containing different-sized contaminants (e.g., silt, leaf particles).

Cross-Curricular Connections:

Subject Area Example Connections

Environmental Science - Availability of fresh drinking water around the world
- Impacts of plastic water bottles
Engineering Water treatment plants
Government Local water supplies and policies

Content Review:

Review information about treating contaminated water at http://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/f&web.pdf.

Key Terms

8
Design Challenge: Reusable Emergency Water Filter – G9
Credit: Created by O’Donnell Learn
Teacher’s Guide – Reusable Emergency Water Filter

Contaminated water – water that contains chemicals, living organisms, or other substances that are not
normally present in water and which make the water unsafe to drink

Filter – a device that removes substances from a liquid or gas when the liquid or gas is passed through
the device

Potable water – water that is safe to drink

Notes on the Sample .stl Files:

These files were designed with units in millimeters. If the print software defaults to centimeters when
any of the files is opened, you’ll see a message that the file is too large to print. If you see this message,
change the measurement units from cm to mm.

If print times are too long for every group to prepare a complete model, you may consider having
several groups design different components of the mechanism, which would introduce the common
real-world situation of several manufacturers producing different components of a complex mechanism,
heightening the need for effective communication among groups to ensure that all of the pieces
connect correctly to produce the final product.

Procedure

NOTICE: Warn students that they should not drink the water used in this lesson, neither before nor after
filtration. The filter they design and print is for instructional purposes only.

Day 1
(45 minutes)

Introduce the design challenge and then have students conduct research focused on
forming responses to the lesson’s guiding questions.

Day 2
(45 minutes)

Have students brainstorm solutions to the design problems. (NOTE: An option at this
point is to have student groups report and discuss their preliminary design ideas.)

Days 3 and 4
(90 minutes)

Students develop their design solutions in Tinkercad and prepare their .stl files. (NOTE:
This step may be assigned as homework, depending upon availability of resources to
students.)

Day 5
(45 minutes)
9
Design Challenge: Reusable Emergency Water Filter – G9
Credit: Created by O’Donnell Learn
Teacher’s Guide – Reusable Emergency Water Filter

Students test their prototypes, identify options for improvements, and start outlining
their presentation for reporting results. (NOTE: Final preparation for presentations
should be assigned as homework.)

Day 6
(45 minutes)

Students present results and ideas for improvements.

Assessment Rubric

Exceeds requirement Meets requirement Does not meet requirement

Research - All guiding questions are - Some guiding questions - One or no guiding questions
answered are answered are answered
- Information clearly - Information clearly - Information has little or
relates to the guiding relates to the guiding nothing to do with the main
question and includes question and includes topic
several supporting details one or two supporting
and/or examples details and/or examples
Design - Initial design plan meets - Initial design plan meets - Initial design plan does not
all design requirements most design meet any design requirements
requirements

Construction - Assembled structure - Assembled structure - Assembled structure does

meets all design meets most design not meet any design
requirements requirements requirements
- Great care taken so that - Construction was - Construction haphazard or
the assembled structure careful and accurate for careless, and many details
is sturdy, neat, and the most part, but one or need refinement
attractive two details could have
been more refined
Data Collection - Data taken several - Data taken twice in a - Data not taken carefully OR
times in a careful, reliable careful, reliable manner not taken in a reliable manner
manner

Critical Thinking - The student contributed - The student contributed - The student rarely
to the group’s efficiency to the group’s contributed to the group’s
and effectiveness in its effectiveness in its effectiveness in its analysis of
analysis of design analysis of design design requirements and in
requirements and in requirements and in brainstorming possible
brainstorming possible brainstorming possible solutions
solutions solutions
10
Design Challenge: Reusable Emergency Water Filter – G9
Credit: Created by O’Donnell Learn
Teacher’s Guide – Reusable Emergency Water Filter
Creativity - The student put a lot of
thought into meeting
design requirements and
developed an unusual
solution to one or more
requirements
Collaboration - The student almost
always listened to,
shared with, and
supported the efforts of
others, and was effective
in dividing tasks
Communication - The student
communicated
effectively and
respectfully in all phases
of the project
Design - Design modifications
Modification (if effectively addressed all
required) problems identified in
the first prototype
Design Notebook - Design notebook
(if required) includes regular entries
of clear, accurate, dated
notes and illustrations
where appropriate
Design Challenge: Reusable Emergency Water Filter – G9
Credit: Created by O’Donnell Learn
- The student put a lot of - Little thought was put into
thought into meeting meeting design requirements
design requirements
- The student sometimes - The student did not work
listened to, shared with, effectively with others
and supported others,
and was somewhat
effective in dividing tasks
- The student - The student did not
communicated communicate effectively with
effectively and others
respectfully in most
phases of the project
- Design modifications - Design modifications did not
effectively addressed address problems identified in
most problems identified the first prototype
in the first prototype
- Design notebook - Notes rarely taken or of little
includes occasional clear, use
accurate, dated notes,
but more illustrations
could have been included
11
Water Filter
Student
LESSON Handout
PLAN – HIGH SCHOOL GRADE 9

DREMEL EDUCATION | MOUNT PROSPECT, IL

Student Handout – Reusable Emergency Water Filter

3D Design Challenge
Reusable Emergency Water Filter
The Problem

Safe drinking water is something most of us take for granted, until we don’t have it. Drinking water
supplies can be suddenly interrupted anywhere in the United States, but most of us really don’t know
how to make dirty water safe for drinking.

Your Challenge

The South Carolina Emergency Preparedness Agency (SCEPA) wants your 3D Printing and Design
company to produce a prototype for a reusable water filter that will remove dirt and large particles from
water as a first step toward making it safe to drink. They have provided a Specification Sheet to guide
the design of your prototype, but the actual design and production are up to your group.

Tips for Solving the Design Challenge

• Start by reviewing the Specifications/Design Requirements (see below) to be sure you understand
what is required.

• Do some background research to correctly answer the guiding questions and ensure that you know
what is needed to make water safe for drinking, as well as how your prototype filter fits into the
process.

• Brainstorm details of the design and where you think there may be problems. Thinking about possible
problems before they happen is one of the best ways to avoid these problems.

• Document your work. Keep a record of ideas (even rejected ones!), decisions about component
dimensions, time required for design in Tinkercad and 3D printing, and anything else that your group
does to create the prototype. This information will help with troubleshooting, improve your production
techniques, and show how you approach a design problem.

• Use the following workflow:

- Review the design challenge and Specification Sheet

- Conduct background research (See “Guiding Questions” for help with this step.)
- Brainstorm design solutions, and select the best ideas
- Prepare an outline drawing of your model to guide creation of the model in Tinkercad
- Prepare the .stl file for printing on the 3D printer
- Print the file as a 3D shape
- Assemble the prototype filter
- Test the prototype (DO NOT drink the water used before or after filtration.)

1
Design Challenge: Reusable Emergency Water Filter – G9
Credit: Created by O’Donnell Learn
Student Handout – Reusable Emergency Water Filter

- Identify options for design improvements

- Prepare a presentation of your group’s results
- Present results and ideas for improvements

Guiding Questions

1. Will this type of filter make water safe to drink?

2. What additional treatment is recommended by the United States’ Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) and the American Red Cross to make water safe to drink?
3. Why might someone want to use your filter in addition to the methods recommended by FEMA and
the American Red Cross?
4. What kinds of water contamination might not be eliminated by the methods FEMA and the American
Red Cross recommend?

Model Reusable Emergency Water Filter

Specification Sheet

1. General Requirements

The design should use the minimum amount of printer filament needed for sturdy construction that
meets all design requirements, and the filter components must fit snugly enough to stay together when
the filter is assembled (see Assembly Requirements below).

2. Component Requirements

The filter must include the following components (see Figure 1):

a. Main Filter Body

Function: Contains filter materials and directs flow of water being treated through these
materials
Specifications: Cylindrical shape; minimum radius: 3 cm; minimum height: 15 cm;
cylinder wall must be watertight and capable of holding specified filter materials;
minimum cylinder wall thickness: 3 mm

b. Lower Filter Screen Cap

Function: Fits over the bottom of the Main Filter Body to support filter materials
Specifications: Must be rigid enough to support filter materials, but should be as porous
as possible to allow filtered water to flow through; the plate may be perforated with
holes, or have a grid or honeycomb construction to create porosity; diameter of the cap
should provide a snug fit when the lower end of the Main Filter Body is covered with
two layers of cheesecloth (see “Filtration and Assembly Requirements” below)

2
Design Challenge: Reusable Emergency Water Filter – G9
Credit: Created by O’Donnell Learn
Student Handout – Reusable Emergency Water Filter

c. Upper Filter Screen

Function: Traps particles larger than 0.75 cm
Specifications: 3 mm minimum thickness; must fit snugly inside the upper end of Main
Filter Body so that there is a space of at least 2 cm between the upper edge of the Main
Filter Body and the top of the Upper Filter Screen; openings in the Upper Filter Screen
must be at least 0.75 cm; openings may be round holes, square grid, or honeycomb

Figure 1. Required components.

3. Filtration and Assembly Requirements

3
Design Challenge: Reusable Emergency Water Filter – G9
Credit: Created by O’Donnell Learn
Student Handout – Reusable Emergency Water Filter

The filter must enable the following assembly:

In addition to the Upper Filter Screen, filtration materials will include approximately 300 cm3
(300 ml) fine Sand, 300 cm3 (300 ml) crushed Charcoal, and two layers of Cheesecloth. The
cheesecloth will be stretched to fit over the lower end of the Main Filter Body and will be held in
place by friction between the edges of the Lower Screen Cap and the outside walls of the Main
Filter Body. The charcoal will be placed on top of the cheesecloth inside the Main Filter Body.
The sand will be placed on top of the charcoal. The Upper Filter Screen will be placed on top of
the sand.

4
Design Challenge: Reusable Emergency Water Filter – G9
Credit: Created by O’Donnell Learn