The World Greatest Invantion the 3d Pen

The pen that lets you write in THIN AIR: 3D printing tool creates spectacular drawings made of plastic                                                       

   3Doodler from Boston has revealed their 3D-printing pen (shown). It expels melted plastic which then cools to create 3D objects in mid-air. The pen has three 'writing' speeds to allow for different levels of complexity. Artists can also download blueprints to recreate famous landmarks

To create their designs, users download blueprints of world-renowned landmarks, trace them on paper to create plastic lines, and then mend them together with the special 3D pen.
BATTLE OF THE 3D-PRINTING PENS                                                      

                                                                                     

Another pen on the market comes from London-based Lix .

Their pen is 6.45in (16.3 cm) long, 0.55in (1.4 cm) in diameter and weighs 1.23 ounces (34.9 grams).

It is made of aluminum and comes in black or grey.

Inside the pen it heats plastic to 150°C (300°F), which is then pushed out through the nib as a hot liquid at the touch of a button.

The plastic used is a plant-based filament, although it can also use stronger forms of plastic.

When the liquid is exposed to air it solidifies into shapes.

It will retail for £85 ($139.95) when it goes on sale in September. The pen itself is powered by an AC cord and it heats up in less than a minute.Users can then choose from three 'writing' speeds and more than 12 colours - including black, red, yellow, green and blue - to create their designs.

At 7.5 inches (19cm) long, 1.5 inches (3.8cm) in diameter, the £99 pen (US RRP $99) is portable and designs take around two hours to complete.The pen is plugged in to a power source via its cable to be recharged.

It can melt two types of plastic, ABS and PLA, with the former being heated to 230°C (445°F) and the latter 210°C (410°F).

It is distributed by Firebox in the UK and
Hammacher Schlemmerin the US.

A spokeswoman from Hammacher Schlemmer said: 'Instead of releasing ink, this pen extrudes warm thermoplastic that hardens within seconds, allowing you to create three-dimensional freehand drawings.

'Artists can download blueprints of a 6-inch (15cm) tall Eiffel Tower, a napkin holder, or even Istanbul's Sultan Ahmed Mosque.

'They can then trace the designs and mend them together with the 3D pen, creating hand-drawn three-dimensional objects.

'Since the plastic hardens quickly, users can draw in the air to create a bird's outstretched wing or connect two faces of a cube.'  ..........