Skip to main content [aditude-amp id="stickyleaderboard" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":624556,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"mobile,","session":"C"}']

The $75 3Doodler is a simple, handheld 3D-printing pen

The $75 3Doodler is a simple, handheld 3D-printing pen

An enterprising pair of toy designers have managed to cram a 3D printer into a pen. And it's pretty amazing.

3doodlerWhat do you get when you tear the extrusion head out of a 3D printer and cram it into a pen? Not only something quite amazing but something quite cheap as well.

Launching today via Kickstarter is the 3Doodler, a 3D-printing pen that can create solid objects from melted strings of plastic. As with 3D printing as a whole, the 3Doodler works in a way that’s almost magical: You’re actually creating objects out of thin air.

[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":624556,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"mobile,","session":"C"}']

More notable is that the device will retail for roughly $75, which is absurdly cheap in comparison the prices of more full-featured devices like the $2,000 MakerBot Replicator. Obviously, the 3Doodler won’t be able to create the same quality printouts as the Replicator, but for a lot of people, that won’t matter.

Safety, however, is a concern with the 3Doodler. While a pair of toy designers created the device, this isn’t the kind of toy you’d want to give to your kids: The pen’s metal tip can reach temperatures as high as 270 degrees Celsius, which is a burn hazard for just about everyone. This is one case where it’s best to leave the kids to their crayons and paper.

AI Weekly

The must-read newsletter for AI and Big Data industry written by Khari Johnson, Kyle Wiggers, and Seth Colaner.

Included with VentureBeat Insider and VentureBeat VIP memberships.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the 3Doodler’s $30,000 Kickstarter campaign is already fully funded, and creator WobbleWorks says it’s already working with Chinese factories to manufacture the device.

VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Learn More