With even the cheapest 3D printer being R20 000, most of the general public has shied away from the possibility of buying one. But a small business in America has taken this as a challenge and, thanks to a very successful Kickstarter campaign, has created something that everyone can afford.
Wobbleworks LLC is a Boston based company that has created a 3D pen that anyone wanting a 3D printer will be interested in. The 3Doodler is a “pen” (but a little more chunky) that uses ABS plastic, a common material that 3D printers use, to draw in the air or on a surface. As you draw with the pen, it squeezes out a heated plastic that then quickly cools and solidifies into a stable structure. This then means that you can draw virtually anything, using your imagination or even a template. Amongst the shapes that can be made, are: 3D models, jewellery, magnets and much more. And it isn’t just a far-off dream. The pens are set to be shipped out as early as this month.
At just R513 for the pen and a bag of plastic, it seems like a dream come true, but the reviews have yet to come in.
Check out the trailer for the mini-3D printer, taken from the Kickstarter campaign:
Source: Kickstarter