Bringing 3D printing to the everyday consumer, the team over at the startup WobbleWorks launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to help fund its 3Doodler 3D printing pen back in 2013. The 3Doodler allows the user to draw in the air or on surfaces, heating and solidifying plastic material so that the object being drawn is able to come to life as an actual object.
And after recently giving its 3D printing pen an update in 2015, WobbleWorks is now allowing kids to design their own plastic toys, decorative art, jewelry and pretty much any other 3D model they can imagine, with its latest model aimed for young creators.
"3Doodler Start inspires creativity, design, building and spatial understanding, opening up 3D creation to a whole new generation," WobbleWorks co-founder Daniel Cowen said in a press release. "This is not a fad toy; we believe that, like LEGO and now Minecraft, the 3Doodler Start will become part of every kid's upbringing."
Called the 3Doodler Start, the 3D printing pen works similarly to the adult version, but is redesigned to better suit children. The pen has been designed to fit in smaller hands, being only 138mm long, 35mm high and 41mm wide, or 5.4 by 1.37 by 1.6 inches.
3Doodler Start is complaint with all U.S. safety standards, featuring no hot parts so that parents don't have to worry about their little ones accidentally burning themselves.
The pen has one single temperature, and one speed so that all the child needs to do is pick it up to start creating their masterpieces. They start by inserting a strand of the plastic material into the pen much like a hot glue gun. It takes only 30-40 seconds to warm up, with an LED indicating when the pen is ready to start "printing." The mini-Picasso just has to click the main button once to have the plastic extrude automatically, and click one more time to stop. Doubling clicking on the button will reverse the plastic. The plastic hardens after just a few short seconds so that the child has time to mold the shape they trying to draw.
The kid-friendly doodler pen is also environmentally friendly, using eco-plastic developed by WobbleWorks that it says is biodegradable.
The pen is equipped with a rechargeable battery that provides up to an hour of continuous wireless use. When its time to charge, simply plug it into a wall or a laptop via a microUSB port. 3Doodler Start can still be used when it is charging.
The 3D printing pen is targeted for children ages 8 to 13, encouraging young ones to express and embrace their artistic and creative sides.
"The core values of 3Doodler are creative freedom and limitless imagination, so it was a natural progression to create a pen for a younger audience," Cowen said. "The 3Doodler Start provides the perfect educational platform for kids around the world and we cannot wait to see what the next generation creates."
Since young kids may need some help getting started, the company is also releasing a collection of stencils it calls DoodleBlocks to make creating a bit easier.
The 3Doodler Start, with two packs of eco-plastic, a project book and charger is now available for preorder online for $39.99. The company is also offering a Super Mega Pack that comes with eight packs of plastic and eight DoodleBlocks for $79.99. The pen will start shipping in May.
Source: WobbleWorks
