This 3D Printing Pen Lets You Draw Sculptures in Midair
20 Feb 2013 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
We know you've had that childhood dream: You spent hours in your room conjuring up doodles, wishing you could take them right off the page. Who doesn't imagine waving a hand to make their creation magically appear in thin air?
The advent of 3D printing introduced the convenience of quickly making designs a reality, and one company is bringing this creative ease to your fingertips. 3Doodler, dubbed the "world's first 3D printing pen," lets you draw three-dimensional structures in midair.
Toy and robotics company WobbleWorks created the pen to make 3D printing affordable and accessible. While most 3D printers can cost you thousands of dollars, 3Doodler is available for preorder on Kickstarter for $75.
"If you can scribble, trace or wave a finger in the air you can use a 3Doodler," the designers say on their site.
The pen uses ABS plastic, the same material found in many 3D printers. You can start free-form drawing in the air or draw on surfaces to create flat objects for stacking and connecting. Check out the video, below, to see how it works.
The quick-setting plastic solidifies in an instant, making it ready for handling, but the pen's metal tip heats to 518 degrees Fahrenheit, so you probably don't want to give this to your 5-year-old.
WobbleWorks' project reached its $30,000 goal in just a few hours and has since raised more than five times the initial amount. Aside from artistic purposes like reconstructing the Eiffel Tower, its creators say the pen can be used for repairs. Broken parts can be rejoined by drawing a plastic weld.
The company teamed with wire artists on Etsy to show the pen's capabilities, and also plans on making stencils available for free download so doodlers can create intricate designs on their own.
