The creation of volumetric models simplifies the work of engineers, and it is also a great entertainment for children, which helps the development of imagination, logical thinking.
Modern 3D printers are still expensive for home use. Of course, they will gradually fall in price, but for now, stores offer something like a very simple and inaccurate 3D printer - a 3D pen.
What is a 3D pen?
A 3D pen, in fact, is a container in which a small piece of plastic from a skein is heated and fed outside. The device is powered from the mains. Externally, the device looks like a thick ballpoint pen or portable burner, and the modeling process is similar to drawing in the air or on a stand.
Advantages of 3D pens
- It is very easy to create volumetric models using a 3D pen, since the plastic hardens very quickly, and therefore supports for volumetric structures are not needed.
- In the process of creativity, you can use multi-colored plastic, which makes it unnecessary to paint the finished volumetric model.
- With the help of a 3D pen, you can create models from several parts (composite), with moving parts.
- Manufacturers offer different diameters of nozzles for 3D pens, which gives more opportunities for creating models.
Disadvantages of 3D pen
- In my opinion, this is not the cheapest toy (the price for it can range from 3 to 8 thousand rubles).
- It is difficult to talk about the accuracy of the created models. What can be drawn with a 3D pen is, in my opinion, more of a volumetric sketch, rather than an exact model.
- Consumables are also not cheap (I found small skeins of plastic from 1,500 rubles per 1 piece).
If you are thinking of purchasing such a thing for a child, remember that the temperature of the nozzle of a 3D pen can range from 80 to 270 degrees Celsius, so, in my opinion, it is not worth buying it for a preschooler. Rather, it is a toy for middle and high school students, and in the first days of using the gadget, they should not be left alone with the device.
