Charlie Ransford’s The Songbird is an educational, 3D printable turntable kit designed to be printed on almost any home 3D printer. Each instructional step in the build explains not only what the user is doing, but why in a hands-on learning experience for the user.
The 3D printing industry is often thought of as industrial, high tech and out of the consumers’ reach, however, this is simply not the case. Following on from the RepRap movement 3D printing at home has blossomed into existence, with the price of 3D printers plummeting as manufacturers continue to innovate and refine their products. Despite this, many people are are often daunted by what was previously an industrial technology. The Songbird aims to demonstrate how beneficial this technology can be in the education of all ages and skill levels.

Ransford looks beyond the aesthetics of Product Design into its mechanical and functional parts. He works with 3D printing and has started a business designing 3D printable kits to educate people on how real products can be designed made using 3D printing. On his placement year he worked at Steel Roots Design in Sheffield learning project management and undertaking live design projects. After this he spent time at Young & Norgate – a bespoke furniture designer, developing his CAD skills. He worked on a project with Steel Roots Design at Formnext 2019 in Frankfurt, designing an exhibition stand for Additive Manufacturing Technologies consisting of over 6000 components, including a 3D printed joint that was repeated and joined with aluminium tubes to create the structure.