Tech Tools: Renegade 3D pen

There are plenty of ways that you can create your own 3D models, and the 3D pen is one that 3Doodler, among others, has been touting for a while.

Renegade takes that idea and gives you a ready accessible source of material: the plastic in your own home. You cut strips from your plastic bottles or containers that you were going to get rid of anyway and feed them into the Renegade.

The 3D pen – available to early-bird Kickstarter subscribers for £60 (€69) or more – then churns out hot plastic that you “draw” with in the air, creating sculptures from your household waste. It’s got a dual effect: you aren’t throwing away a lot of plastic and you aren’t buying proprietary material to feed into your 3D pen, although the Renegade will use standard filaments if you prefer.

It all sounds pretty easy, although experience with 3D pens leads us to believe it will still take a lot of practice – but with recycled bottles instead of pricey filaments, you might be more inclined to give it a shot. renegade3dpen.com