Next Gen 3D Pen

In today's market evolution happens right quick. You barely have time to blink. I remember just reading last year about the great new sensation that the 3Doodler would be and earlier this year the Wix Pen kicked itself off with a thinner option that could extrude filament with less clutter.

Fast forward to the present and now we have a STL (stereolithography) pen. The Polyes Q1 looks a lot like the 3Doodler in shape and size, but, instead of using ABS/PLA plastics the material it takes is resin. Yes, resin, and prints things with lasers.What does that mean for 3D printing enthusiasts? It means quite a lot actually lets break it down into a 3form factor.

1) You'll be able to print without the plastic odor. I know the smell of burning plastic is one of the least enticing things to people and with this pen you'll probably only be smelling the resin for a brief few seconds.

2) You're printing with a laser. Yes, a laser. So that means you won't have to burn yourself or whoever you're printing with if you happen to have sweaty hands. This also means it's safer for children to use than conventional 3D printing pens. There are two features that allow for this, the Polyres Q1 is built so that pointing it upward automatically stops the pen's functions and an alternate optional resin that hardens under blue light excluding the need for higher-energy uv-light.

3) No material feed and wires. Some older models relied on a material feed or to be plugged into an outlet. This means more limited motion and also limited workflow and space. This means bigger more elaborate projects with less down time and mess.

This pen is going to allow a lot of more artistic people the ability to create amazing pieces with the freedom and high resolution of resin and lasers.Will this completely wipe out ABS pens? Specifically the Wix. I don't think so. ABS pens will most likely become cheaper as this comes out and fit into a retro niche market with the plastic also giving a particular styling effect.

Current cons

1) The current iteration of the Polyes Q1 is bulky, I understand that it's resin so the tank has to be large or you won't be able to print anything. However, holding that looks like it could be a challenge for people with smaller hands.

2) It operates on battery. Meaning it needs to be plugged in when it's out of power. That's pesky if you want to make larger sculptures.

3) Cartridge operation. It's a marketing thing. Cartridges are convenient but I would have rather seen a refillable resevoir tank. It would save on the plastic and be more conducive to just being refilled instead of replaced.

However, at the end of the day this is all speculation the Kickstarter for FutureMakes  Polyes Q1 has not yet to start. Look out for the project sometime in November.


You can check out their website here  http://www.3dp.fm/

Magnetic Designs

Something not new but rather unique to the 3D printing world is magnetism. By that, I mean using magnets to create 3D printed work.

Even though his work with magnets isn't entirely headline news. Jólan van der Wiel does have compelling influence and knowledge in this area. Starting from his Gravity Stools.

It is an interesting process. He hangs a magnet right above a rotating potters wheel while extruding a wet clay mixture (slip) with iron filings inside. This allows van der Wiel to manipulate the slip to some degree, creating really interesting pieces. They contain both natural and mechanical elements as the magnetism cannot be influenced, on the other hand the clay extruder nozzle can be directed. Resulting in structures created both by man and nature.

Dragonstone | Jólan van der Wiel from Mir Motion on Vimeo.

Fast forward a few months. Iris van Herpen has created a new line of apparel, her SS15 ready-to-wear collection titled "Magnetic Motion". This line was inspired by the chaotic forces of magnetism.

In her new Spring'15 line, the designer utilizes Jolan van der Wiel's technique of laying down layers of metal and pulling them in different directions with magnets. This yields shoes and accessories with similar stalactite variations.

But, not depending entirely on van der Wiel's methodology she inserts injection molding, laser cutting, and hand crafting to further tailor the clothing to suit her models. The result of this fusion between similar ideas is clothing that looks both wearable, yet, definitively unique. It has both organic and non-organic elements. This embodies van der Wiel's original premise of having both natural and human influence on structure. The flexible materials move with the models contours and create a feeling of chaos yet strange subtlety. It is not quite as gravitationally influenced as van der Wiel's constructions; I believe this will easily pave the way for more designers to embrace natural elements into their clothing. The dresses below show influence from Philip Beesley and Niccolo Casas. Beesley's influences can mostly be seen in dresses like these

Niccolo Casas has influenced this piece in particular.

We see more traditional van der Wiel construction with this dress.