Do you want your kid to learn by doing? Or do you want to do something creative and design things for your house? If yes, here is something for you and your kids both: 3D printing pen, which lets your drawing and crafts take shape in three dimensions.
By simply drawing, your children can create 3D figures in whatever shape they want—a cube, a circle, a cuboid or a cylinder. So they can actually touch and feel them.
There are lots of things you can design for use or for learning and education. For instance, your kids can build their own 3D printed toys using the pen. The pen can also be used for artistic and decorative work. You can design your own jewelery or a flower vase.
Using 3D printing pen is as simple as using a normal pen or pencil. You just need to insert the filament, turn on the pen and draw.
3D pens are held in the same way as any other pen, but are able to draw in the air and on the surface as well. As both the pen and the filament are made of plastic, these are safe to use.
How to use
Before you start printing, perform a few simple steps:
1. Connect power supply to your pen and turn it on.
2. Select the filament (or colour) that you want to print with.
3. Select the temperature setting as per the filament you are using. Wait a moment for the pen to heat up. Most models have an indicator light to tell you when these are hot enough.
4. Insert the filament into the filament input port. If you have already used it, trim it to make it flat. This helps to prevent jamming. Once you set the filament, press Extrude button. You should feel the internal motor pulling the filament, which comes out in moulten form.
5. Select Fast setting and press Extrude button. You can adjust the speed based on the design you need to print.
3D printing pens support free-style hand-drawing, whereas 3D printers print pre-instructed design that you cannot change at the time of printing. Pens are easy to use and carry, while printers are heavy and need training on the software to use. In addition to the printer cost, there are expenses on refill, replacement and maintenance as well. That’s why 3D printing pens are a good alternative to printers.
How to select a 3D printing pen
Before choosing a 3D pen, it’s important to study its features and applications in depth. Check out the pen’s weight and dimensions (especially if it is to be used by your kids), LCD, variety of colours in the filament, jam blocking system to prevent clogging and warranty period. The better the control your 3D pen gives you, the better is its quality.
Adjustable temperature and speed can make drawings more targeted and advanced. When the pen is in use for a long time, it might get hot and hurt the user. The display indicates that the pen is ready to use or that the temperature has increased beyond permissible limits.
There are various 3D printing pens available in the market. Here we list select few:
Leo Evs 3D Doodler
Leo Evs 3D Doodler. This pen comes with speed and temperature adjustment, colourful filaments and LCD screen. It weighs 77gm and measures 16x3x3.5cm3 dimensionally.
Scribbler V3. It offers the advantages of colourful filaments, large OLED screen, fast response and ergonomic design. It weighs just 64gm and measures 15.2x5x10cm3.
Scribbler V3
MYNT 3D. It features OLED screen and speed and temperature control. The nozzle can easily be removed and cleaned. The pen supports both PLA and ABS plastic filaments, and is ergonomically designed. It weighs only 36gm and measures 17.8×1.9×1.6cm3.
Soyan. It features slick design, smart standby switching function and adjustable temperature and speed, fast cooling technology and support for ABS as well as PLA materials. It weighs 4.3kg (9.6lb) and measures 3×18.7×4.3cm3.
7Tech 3D printing pen
7Tech 3D printing pen. It features speed and temperature control, advanced unclogging system and aluminium spatula to protect from hot nozzle, and comes with one-year warranty. However, it is not easy to use. It weighs 63gm and measures 18.5x4x2.8cm3.
