Nov 16, 2015 | By Benedict

Anyone who has played with a 3D printing pen will probably have noticed these three things: Firstly, 3D printing pens are a whole lot of fun to play with. Secondly, they’re pretty affordable. And thirdly, the human arm is a lot less precise than a 3D printer following digital instructions. So what would happen if a 3D printing pen was controlled by a computer? How would the print quality stack up next to a proper 3D printer? Tinkernut has provided the answers, by hacking a 3D printing pen and turning it into an entire printer.

With every exciting new breakthrough and innovation that occurs in the additive manufacturing industry, more and more people become interested in 3D printing and its many applications. Slowly but surely, observers from a wide range of fields are turning their heads toward 3D printing, and thinking about how the technology could enhance their business, artwork, DIY projects and everything in between. In spite of this rising interest, the prospect of actually buying a 3D printer remains a pipe dream for many of these recent enthusiasts. This is because even the most wallet-friendly entry level machines tend to cost upwards of $300, which is still too high a price for many a would-be maker. Of course, as the technology becomes more and more common, prices of low end printers will eventually drop, making them more affordable for the everyman. Until that significant decrease arrives, newbies and pros alike can consider a clever alternative like this one. Daniel from Tinkernut has posted a guide to building a very basic, extremely affordable 3D printer using a 3D printing pen and CNC mill made from old CD ROM drives. The result is a machine with low grade resolution and high grade potential for fun, and can be built for under $100.

Daniel’s impressive makeshift machine boils the 3D printer down to its essential elements: a bed, a hot end, and an extruder, with filament to feed through the device and make parts with. The most difficult part of that list to produce on the cheap is probably the printing bed, but Daniel has a handy way of creating one of these. The improvisational maker has devised a method for constructing a CNC mill out of three old CD ROM drives, which he explains in this YouTube video. With the moving apparatus assembled, creating an extruder and hot end from scratch may seem like a daunting prospect to the casual mechanic. Luckily, there’s a much easier way to get a functioning extruder and hot end on the cheap. Commercially available 3D printing pens such as the 3Doodler or LIX, made for very casual creating, provide these very functions at a fraction of the price of a 3D printer. This is because, despite performing those two functions in a similar way to 3D printers, 3D printing pens are operated by hand, reducing the need for a stack of expensive components.

To connect the homemade CNC mill and 3D printing pen, Daniel used an Arduino controller, which can be used to turn the pen on and off. Whilst 3D printing pens tend to feature a 'thickness' control and 'backward extrusion' control, it is the forward extrusion control which will play the most vital role in this soon-to-be 3D printer. The maker has outlined the whole circuitry process for hacking the 3D printing pen so that it can be operated by the micro-controller.

Of course, the print quality of the ramshackle 3D printer is far from perfect, but for under $100, Daniel has demonstrated that a functioning piece of kit can be built for a fraction of the price of consumer level 3D printers.

 

 

Posted in 3D Printer

 

 

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M Smith wrote at 12/27/2015 2:18:33 PM:

The LIX pen isn't commercially available. After they got their $1 million plus Kickstarter money, they disappeared into "the mass production" and never produced anything. As of December 2015, the Lix pen doesn't exist and their latest Kickstarter update states that there's a first batch design error that means further delays: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lix3d/lix-the-smallest-3d-printing-pen-in-the-world/posts/1446683 See the comments of angry backers here, many asking for refunds and being ignored by Lix. That means that in almost 3 years, nothing has been produced and they're not giving refunds. Curiously, they're still selling this pen for $150 even though similar pens are now on the market for half that price. This is a scam. Please get the word out: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lix3d/lix-the-smallest-3d-printing-pen-in-the-world

M Smith wrote at 12/27/2015 2:18:02 PM:

The LIX pen isn't commercially available. After they got their $1 million plus Kickstarter money, they disappeared into "the mass production" and never produced anything. As of December 2015, the Lix pen doesn't exist and their latest Kickstarter update states that there's a first batch design error that means further delays: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lix3d/lix-the-smallest-3d-printing-pen-in-the-world/posts/1446683 See the comments of angry backers here, many asking for refunds and being ignored by Lix. That means that in almost 3 years, nothing has been produced and they're not giving refunds. Curiously, they're still selling this pen for $150 even though similar pens are now on the market for half that price. This is a scam. Please get the word out: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lix3d/lix-the-smallest-3d-printing-pen-in-the-world



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