The Tactile 100 Square for Mathematics.

Caitríona Nic Giolla Eoghain is a teacher for the visually impaired in Ireland.

In the sighted junior school classrooms (ages 6 – 10) it is common to teach mathematics through the use of a chart known as the 100 Square.  

Caitríona wished to have a similar item for her blind and low vision students. She designed the Tactile 100 Square to represent the sighted 100 Square.  The original design was made from wooden blocks. 

The 3D assist group in  Tallaght, Dublin, Ireland have drawn up Catriona's design to facilitate the use of a laser cutter to cut the frame and then using a 3D printer to print the tabs with numbers and braille. We have uploaded the laser cutter files in Solidworks format and *.dxf format. We are still optimising the tabs. We have used a sla printer and have had really good results but we're trying to have a fdm solution as the sla printers are not that common.

 At the moment we can print them using a 0.25mm nozzle with layer heights of 0.1mm on an FDM printer.  This gives a suitable smooth finish which is critical for braille use. 

The other option is to print the tabs and use a standard braille embossing device and attach them to the tabs. We will update this upload with any positive outcomes from our testing. If you intend to make one of these devices please email us at [email protected] and I'll send the files onto you. The page wants to upload all 100 stl files !!