Design Idea: During our brainstorming session, we discussed some of the problems we face in our everyday lives, and if there was a way to solve them with a 3-D print. One student shared how his mom was always complaining that she had ants invading the container of honey that was on the kitchen counter. We remembered learning in reading class, the survival strategies of ants and how they won't cross water to collect food. This led us to the idea of creating a mote around an island, where food can be safely stored. If our idea worked, we would be saving our sugary treats and avoiding spending money on pesticides and other harsh chemicals.

Printing Challenges: We had several issues during the printing process of our design. One of the challenges we faced, was that the PLA was stringy along the base and clumped up making the base uneven. The design was basic enough that we did not feel it was a design issue so we cleaned the extruder and tried again. This time, a part of the base separated and printed as a pile of strings. We switched out the yellow PLA with a beige colored PLA we had on hand, and had the same problem. After some research, we discovered that there may have been too much moisture in the PLA so we put the roll in the dehydrator. Once we put the roll back on the machine, the print was a success!