The cool 3D printing pen that even kids can use

While 3D printers continue to fascinate people with the creations they are capable of making, 3D pens have also piqued a lot of interest because of their pick-up-and-play nature with a very low barrier to entry. That's the theory anyway - in practice most attempts at cerating a 3D printing pen have proved somewhat impractical, not least because of the heat they need to generate.

Changing ink cartridges takes just a few seconds

Changing ink cartridges takes just a few seconds

Now, unlike other 3D pens that heat up the plastic then rapidly cool it down to create solid shapes and objects, the Creopop pen uses a light-sensitive ink that solidifies when exposed to ultraviolet light.

The lack of heating components means avoiding lengthy start-up times waiting for the plastic to melt – as well as the chance of accidentally burning yourself while handling the pen.

Add colour, magnetism and even smell to your creations

Add colour, magnetism and even smell to your creations

The pen allows you to create freeform objects in 3D, and there's also a variety of 'inks' you can use to further enhance your creations including plastics that glow in the dark, conduct electricity and even change colour according to the temperature.

It should come as no surprise that the Creopop was successfully crowdfunded on Indiegogo earlier last year smashing its original goal of $40,000 by over five times.

Solidify your designs with ultraviolet light

Solidify your designs with ultraviolet light

Just as the 3Doodler started the craze of 3D printing without the printer and the Lix refined the process, the Creopop takes the next step in to making the process safer for kids and adults alike to start drawing in 3D.

Words: Christian Harries

Christian Harries is a freelance product designer and graduate from Ravensbourne. His portfolio can be seen here.

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The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of eight full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Deals Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Digital Arts and Design Editor Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Beth Nicholls and Staff Writer Natalie Fear, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq.