WobbleWorks has Created World’s First 3D Pen that Draws Paintings in Air

Wobble Works, a BOSTON based startup, has given hope to those deprived
artists who have yet to put their creative works to an exhibition as they have claimed to create world’s first 3D pen that will allow them to create their work in air and will be present before the world to watch.


The pen’s called the 3Doodler, and it's been a sensation on Kickstarter, the crowdfunding site, since it debuted there Tuesday morning. The makers of the 3Doodler set a modest fundraising goal of $30,000; within 48 hours, backers had pledged more than $1.1 million.

"We knew it was a great product. But we didn't expect the response to be this fast," said Daniel Cowen, a spokesman for the gadget, which is still a prototype. "The velocity of the response caught us by surprise. It's phenomenal."

The 3Doodler plugs into an electrical outlet and works sort of like a glue gun. As the pen draws, it oozes heated plastic, which quickly cools and solidifies, allowing  its user to build an infinite variety of patterns and shapes. Its makers say it works on surfaces or in the air.

Users load spaghetti-like strands of non-toxic ABS plastic - the same stuff that's in 3-D printers - into the back of the pen. (A biogradeable form of plastic made from corn is also available.) The 3Doodler's makers say each one-foot strand of plastic, available in a wide range of colors, can produce about 11 feet of moldable material.

WobbleWorks sees the 3Doodler as a simple and affordable form of 3-D printing,
an emerging form of manufacturing that uses computer models to help machines build plastic objects. The MakerBot Replicator 2, perhaps the best-known 3-D printer for the home, costs $2,200. Cowen said they expect to sell the 3Doodler for $75, which includes a small bag of plastic strands.

Additional 1kg spools of plastic will be available from a variety of sources for $30 to $55, WobbleWorks says.  The pen's makers say the average 1kg spool of 3mm ABS plastic will supply roughly 4,000 feet of 3Doodling, or about the height of three Empire State Buildings.

The gadget is shaping up to be a hit for WobbleWorks, a small toy and robotics company led by computer engineers Peter Dilworth and Maxwell Bogue.

If manufacturing goes according to schedule, the first buyers will receive their 3Doodlers in September, Cowen said. Buyers who order now won't receive the pen until November, he said.

The makers of 3Doodler have been collaborating with wire artists on Etsy, the crafts website, to show how the pen can be used to create artwork, jewelry and other objects.

"We really want to create a community around 3Doodler," Cowen said. With more than 13,000 financial backers already on Kickstarter, they may already have.