A Pen that Draws in 3D: 3Doodler is Coming Soon

I like what the industry is doing with 3D printing. In short, we are taking back the idea of manufacturing and innovation being harbored by USA innovators and creatives. What began as a module of craftsmanship (a little too arts and crafts for my liking) is now being discussed in classrooms for the sake of instruction and education.

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How it Works

“As 3Doodler draws, it extrudes heated plastic, which quickly cools and solidifies into a strong stable structure. 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.”

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What’s The Ink Made of?

Photo of ABS Plastic provided by 3Doodler

The Ink (i.e. ABS/PLA plastic): The 3Doodler uses 3mm ABS or PLA plastic as its “ink” – just like a 3D printer. Each 3Doodler backed on Kickstarter comes with at least one bag of plastic; each bag will contain ten 1ft strands of plastic; and each 1 ft strand produces approximately 11 ft of 3Doodling fun… yes, you read that right, a foot of plastic goes a very long way in the 3Doodler.

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Is 3Doodler Funded?

The 3Doddler has already tipped the scale for funding via KickStarter, with 20,336 backers funding over 1,815,867 dollars (3Doodler’s initial goal was a mere 30,000 dollars.) The project will be funded on March 14th of this year. With that first round of major gwap they will be able go mass reproduce their prototype for shipment to the first round investors who contributed at least 100 dollars or more.

Any Drawbacks?

Couple of potential red flags on the handling of the pen’s tip as it can exceed 200 degrees Fahrenheit – children might have to fall back until accessories can be developed to offset an occasional “curious” lad. In fact, as much as I know children will be drawn to this, I can only imagine a parent returning to her house or car to see 3D grafiiti all over the place…at least that would be the case with me. But then again, if you think about it Legos were a health threat in the worse way…from digestion to stepping on them they caused more grief than anything when I was a child. I’m going to give the 3Doodler an A- until they can step up the children challenges.

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