Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/09/29/take-your-creativity-anywhere.html
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It’s “3D pen”, it even says so on the actual product page. A pen, in the same way that a marker isn’t an inkjet printer.
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And this, tap tap, is my sonic screwdriver.
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I got one of those already.
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The show never made it explicit, but it’s only logical that any sufficiently advanced screwdriver would be a Robertson.
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I am going to call any pen in my hand a “manual printer” from now on.
Wait, even better, I’ll call it my “handheld plotter”.
I have seen 3d pens make neat things. Early on I saw some 3d scribbles up at a local gallery, and I think they sold. So, it is a tool that is here to stay. If I had a 3d printer I could see using the two together.
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Ahem…all pens are 3D pens.
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The biggest misconception I had about these kind of pens, was thinking I could lay filament down unsupported… the way the photo implies in the post. Once I got the thing, and started following the example projects, the limitations were obvious: the filiment can’t be self supporting until its completely cooled. Until then it needs some kind of solid scaffolding like a flat or curved surface.
I am sure there is plenty of artistic potential within the limitations of the material, but its not being marketed to people who will use it, its being marketed to people who will give it to someone else as a gift, who will then never use it.
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Just like a computerized 3D printer. How ‘bout that.
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When I played with one of these, I used a “silpat” baking pad to squirt out a series of flat structures and let them cool a minute. Then, I stood them up and welded the edges together. With that scaffolding, I could squirt out more filament and fill in areas, add detail, etc. You kind of have to think like you’re making a “flat pack” assemblage for it to work.
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Seems rather like a hot glue gun with a smaller nozzle?
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LOL! That’s hilarious. It’s better than a glue gun for two reasons (but not like it’s great or anything, just better)
- it can have continuous feed off a spool of filament, rather than glue sticks that will run out (although you can run plastic sticks through it instead of a spool)
- it melts more rigid plastic like ABS or PLA, which will hold form better. I do like the floppy glue shoes. Those cracked me up. Wonder how long they last.
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dammit, I didn’t see what you wrote!
Just look at it! https://learn.the3doodler.com/stencils/banana-geometric-fruit/
I have one of these. It’s NOT easy to use. It takes an almost superhuman level of fine motor control to make something that doesn’t look like crap. Even the professional examples on the box look rough.
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I wonder if using some sort of external framework would help. Like an extrudable ruler or some such.
This Is Not a Pen.
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You could always build some sort of computer controlled gantry system to hold the pen steady while it extrudes material.
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The video of using it directly on a iPad screen seems quite a risk too.
I can’t figure out if your comment is in jest or not. My detector is kinda busted, tho.
All the 3d printers I’ve seen are of the, “build something in this printer box” variety. If you needed to build something in an alternate enclosure (inside a model aircraft or electronics assembly), a nozzle you could point in any direction you design for might be useful.
My comment was sarcastic as if to say if you’re going to use one of these 3D pens with any sort of accuracy you’d basically end up with…a regular 3D printer.
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