David Paskevic and the engineers at 3DSimo developed their 3Dsimo Mini as a 3D printing pen capable of performing several maker functions. Crowdfunded in 2015 the Mini could solder, cut foam and burn. Recently the group developed an Arduino compatible open source kit pen that users could build themselves, and have just released the new MultiPro for preorder. The MultiPro pen is a reimagining of the Mini, still at its core a 3D Printing pen with the same soldering, burning, and foam cutting capabilities. The big differences are the OLED display screen and the commitment to modularity with more feature attachments in development.
Manufacturing and materials both had upgrades, upgrading to steel production molds and now using plastic able to withstand 180 degrees Celsius. The power supply is now 12 Volt and 3 Amperes, up from 5 V / 2.4 A and the tool now gives 48 hours of continuous use between charges. Instead of the previous friction mount for changing out head attachments the system now has a spring loaded attachment system, which should work well for the drill, heat gun and reciprocating saw attachments planned in the coming year.
The 3D Drawing portion of the pen can reach temperatures up to 280 degrees Celsius, a design change made to give users flexibility to use twelve different filament materials. Feed rate for filament can be up to 0 centimeters per minute. Foam cutting was upgraded to 110 millimeter maximum cuts and the ability to do angle cuts, up from its previous 70 millimeter width. The soldering attachment reaches temperatures up to 480 degrees Celsius, as does the burning ‘shovel’ attachment. When the device detects that a new head attachment is added to the body, a short tutorial is displayed on the OLED screen. The iOS / Android compatible app also helps the user to control the system.
3Dsimo’s app and website are full of tutorials and project ideas, along with templates for building things and a gallery of what users have made, including a working camera and its pictures. This is a great revision to a tool that was already highly useful, and the promise of more attachments to be added to this toolbox makes it even more valuable to makers, technicians and engineers. This video focuses on marketing aspects more than technical details but there's a great exploded view of the components and it's hard to imagine how a motor would fit into the mix. In the last month the group has exhibited at Maker Faire’s in Prague and New York. Pre-order for the 3Dsimo MultiPro is open now until this run of 2,999 units is sold.