University of Tokyo students develop 3D-printing pen

A group of University of Tokyo students have created a 3D printing pen that allows architects to draw large-scale free-standing designs.

Dezeen reports that it works by melting a thermoplastic filament, allowing users to create strings that attach with acrylic rods. The device even has a digital tracking system for guidance.

A 3D pen can be a better option than standard 3D printers when it comes to design. The pens allow for more creative, freehand conceptions, and they can make larger and more complicated structures. The largest one the students have made is a small pavilion, which is on display at the Ozone Gallery in Shinjuku, northwest Tokyo. It won’t last forever, though, as the structures made by the pen are designed to last nine months.

The students are part of the University of Tokyo's Obuchi Laboratory. Architect Kengo Kuma oversees the larger program.

BD+C’s second annual Accelerate Live! AEC innovation conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago) featured talks on AI for construction scheduling, regenerative design, the micro-buildings movement, post-occupancy evaluation, predictive visual data analytics, digital fabrication, and more. Take in all 19 talks on demand.

| Jun 11, 2018

Accelerate Live! talk: How advanced digital fabrication techniques are driving design innovation

In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), SOM’s Lucas Tryggestad and Kyle Vansice present the firm’s 3D-printed building project and explore how digital fabrication is pushing design innovation.

| May 30, 2018

Accelerate Live! talk: Seven technologies that restore glory to the master builder

In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), AEC technophile Rohit Arora outlines emerging innovations that are poised to transform how we design and build structures in the near future.

3D Printing | Nov 21, 2017

Europe’s first 3D-printed building has been completed

Construction ran a few weeks behind schedule, but the 3D printing wasn’t to blame.

Codes and Standards | Aug 8, 2017

3D printing industry working to implement standards for products, processes

Additive Manufacturing Standardization Collective (AMSC) will develop industry-wide additive manufacturing standards and specifications.

Accelerate Live! | Jul 6, 2017

Watch all 20 Accelerate Live! talks on demand

BD+C’s inaugural AEC innovation conference, Accelerate Live! (May 11, Chicago), featured talks on machine learning, AI, gaming in construction, maker culture, and health-generating buildings.