3DPrintingPen
Latest
3Doodler's new pro pen 3D prints in wood and metal
Once the hottest thing in gadgetry, 3D printers have become less buzzy as folks tire of ABS figurines. 3Doodler is trying to shake things up a bit with its 3Doodler Pro, a freehand pen that can print with materials containing real wood, copper and bronze. It doesn't melt copper, obviously, but 3Doodler adds particles of real metal and wood chips to a plastic ink base. The result is wood printouts that smell and sand like the real thing, or copper and bronze inks that glow when you shine them up.
3Doodler 3D printing pen starts shipping to Kickstarter backers, retail models arriving in early 2014
It's not news every time a Kickstarter product starts shipping to backers, but in the case of 3Doodler, it's worth a mention. At last count, the startup had raised $2.3 million to fund its 3D printing pen, and with a cost of $99 per device, well, you do the math: that's a lot of people waiting for their new toy to arrive. And we mean it when we say "toy" -- while you won't be creating anything useful like a gun or a Van Gogh knockoff, there's really nothing more addictive than "drawing" in the air with melted plastic, and watching it solidify. For those of you who ordered early, you already know what you're in for. As for the rest of you, your next chance to get one will be in early 2014, though you can place a pre-order today if you like. Really, though, we suggest you revisit our hands-on video, embedded below; we're descriptive writers, but nothing we say can do justice to a pen with molten plastic flowing out of it.
SwissPen 3D printing pen brings 3Doodler competition well before launch
One's an anomaly, two's a trend, right? And certainly after 3Doodler managed to collect a staggering $2.3 million on Kickstarter (after a modest $30,000 goal), no one would be particularly surprised to see a few other folks rushing to grab a piece of the 3D printing pen action. Really, it's a fairly simple idea with impeccable timing, a glue gun-like device that melts plastic and essentially lets you draw in mid-air as it cools, arriving in the midst of a desktop 3D printing explosion. From what we can tell, the SwissPen is an awfully similar product with two distinctions. First, the company proudly flaunts the fact that the device was designed and is assembled in Switzerland, a fact it assures us is reflected in the quality of the product. Second, the $103 pen (plus international shipping) is expected to ship in October, which puts it well ahead of the $99 3Doodler's anticipated February ship date. The first batch, the company cautions us, is pretty limited -- which is likely to be less of a concern with the 3Doodler, given that company's rather generous backing. It's creators assure us, however, that they're hard at work on accessories, new colors and more for the device. Update: 3Doodler contacted us to clarify the ship date. Those who backed the pen will be getting their device next month. February is being listed as the "latest shipping date" for folks who pre-order the device now.
