Oh, I wish I had a 3D printer.Really? Hold my drink, I’ll be right back.
What’s that? It looks like a pen.Well it is, of sorts. The 3Doodler Create is a 3D printing pen.
That’s not a 3D printer though is it?No, but it does allow you to ‘draw’ both horizontally and vertically, giving you the ability to create intricate 3D structures.
Dare I ask how?It uses a heater to melt plastic strands, which then cool and solidify very quickly once out of the pen. Picture a much more sophisticated glue gun, but one that holds and functions more like a pen.
That sounds, erm, useful…Well not if you want to go about printing your own nuts and bolts, but if you’re into arts and crafts this is the gadgetdu jour. Check these masterpieces!
Lovely, I’m sure Picasso would be quaking in his boots.No need to be sarcastic, I might not be quite as artistically gifted, but if the photos on their website are anything to go by, once you’re good enough you can achieve some great looking things such as jewellery or candle holders.
Candle holders aren’t exactly what I had in mind when I said I wanted a 3D printer.What did you want a 3D printer for anyway? It’s also advertised as a practical device, for designing or even fixing things. So go nuts (and bolts).
Still unconvinced. Does it work?Yeah! Well, first attempts are generally limited to seeing how tall you can get a strand to stay up, but once you actually start trying to build things it becomes pretty engrossing. There is definitely a knack to doing it well, improvement coming with the traditional ‘try, try and try again’.
Looks like you tried a lot.Again with the rudeness! Actually, it wasn’t long before I was building recognisable 3D shapes. The plastic cools very quickly to stand on its own and once it’s formed its shape it’s not particularly easy to alter or break it in any way. It also comes with 75 plastic refills in 15 colours.
That enough?These can be used at quite a rate once you get into it, and given the 3Doodler Create is pretty fun and simple to use it's easy to get carried away. You can create some great stuff with it, and it could potentially be quite useful for other bits and bobs, though perhaps more hardcore crafters or designers will get the most out of it.
So still on the hunt for a 3D printer then.Seriously, what are you trying to print,a house!?
Technical specs
- From £79.99,www.3doodler.com
- Optimized for PLA, ABS and FLEXY plastics
- Auto retraction to prevent oozing
- Dual speed printing
- Auto sleep mode for safety
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