3Doodler pen lets you draw things out of thin air

3D printers, all the rage these days among do-it-yourselfers, are amazing to watch in action: a heated nozzle extrudes plastic as it moves back and forth in a pre-determined pattern, slowly forming a three-dimensional object right before your eyes. But a novel new gadget lends a new twist to the process, making it, if not more efficient, then certainly more creative. Indeed, barely have the masses gotten over the novelty of 3D printers when a new way of drawing things has emerged: a 3D printing pen.

 

Dubbed 3Doodler, the product is presently in the works and may soon become reality once a project seeking crowd-sourced funding succeeds.  

The developer, WobbleWorks LLC., has already surpassed its $30,000 fund-raising goal, with over $1 million worth of pledges as of Thursday afternoon, Manila time.

 

“3Doodler is the world’s first and only 3D Printing Pen. Using ABS plastic (the material used by many 3D printers), 3Doodler draws in the air or on surfaces. It’s compact and easy to use, and requires no software or computers. You just plug it into a power socket and can start drawing anything within minutes,” it said.

 

It said the device “draws” out heated plastic that quickly cools and solidifies into a “strong stable structure.”

 

The device uses 3mm ABS or PLA plastic as its “ink,” like a 3D printer.

 

WobbleWorks said each 3Doodler backed on Kickstarter comes with at least one bag of plastic that has 10 1-foot strands of plastic.

 

Each one-foot strand produces about 11 feet of “3Doodling fun.”

 

“This allows you to build an infinite variety of shapes and items with ease! Most people will instantly be able to trace objects on paper, and after only a few hours of practice you will be able to make far more intricate objects,” WobbleWorks said.

 

It added 3Doodles can be created as flat forms and peeled off a piece of paper, as freestyle 3D objects, or in separate parts to be joined together. Among its potential products are:

 

 

Also, WobbleWorks said 3Doodler works on almost any surface, including plastic.

 

Stencils

 

WobbleWorks cited 3Doodler “stencils,” sophisticated print-out stencil kits to help create various objects.

 

“As time goes by we, and the 3Doodler community, will be able to create hundreds (maybe thousands) of stencil kits that can easily be emailed and shared with friends. We’ll be hosting these on our website, the3Doodler.com, for anyone to download and use for free,” it said.

 

WobbleWorks also said it is collaborating with Etsy wire artists “to showcase how 3Doodler can be used to create beautiful objects and pieces of art.”

 

Not for children

 

WobbleWorks warned the 3Doodler is “not a toy for children,” and is recommended for those aged 12 and up. It pointed out that the pen’s metal tip can get hot, although the plastic extruded from the pen is safe to touch once it leaves the pen. — TJD, GMA News