Drawing with a 3D Printer: Transforming Your Ender 3 into a 2D Pen Plotter

In the spirit of creativity and innovation, I embarked on a small yet exciting project while spending time at home during the holidays - turning my Ender 3 3D printer into a 2D pen plotter. The idea of drawing on paper using a 3D printer intrigued me, leading to a fun and engaging experiment. Here's how I made it happen:

Modifying the Printer for Pen Plotting

To start off, I decided to equip my printer with a 0.3 millimeter felt tip pen for drawing. After finding a suitable printable attachment for the Ender 3 that allowed customization of pen parameters, I adjusted the tool diameter to 10 millimeters using the provided OpenSCAD file. The modified attachment was then 3D printed.

Fine-Tuning and Assembly

After some adjustments and assembly, involving a captive nut and an m3 screw to secure the pen in place, I attached the modification to the printer's tool head using electrical tape and a zip tie. To address a minor fit issue, I improvised by using a pen cap as a shim for the pen.

Setting up Printing Parameters

For accurate drawing, I determined the Z height of the pen tip from the bed and the X and Y position offsets from the extruder print head. This adjustment ensured precise drawing alignment. In the Cura slicing software, I made several key changes:

Deactivated the heated bed
Aligned the nozzle size to 0.3 millimeters
Adjusted wall thickness and line count for desired outline thickness
Maintained consistent layer thickness for uniform drawing

Preparing for Drawing

To facilitate drawing, I made further adjustments:

Configured infill percentage to 60% for filling black areas
Disabled material heating to prevent extrusion
Enabled retraction and Z-hop settings for smoother movements
Installed a z-offset plugin from the marketplace to manage height adjustments

Bringing Artwork to Life

I imported an STL file converted from an SVG of the Hackbatch logo, making precise adjustments using earlier measurements to ensure proper alignment for drawing. Scaling the print to a single layer and estimating print time were crucial steps in the process.

Reflecting on the Outcome

Despite some trial and error, the results of this project surpassed my expectations. The simplicity of this creative hack resulted in a fascinating outcome, sparking further interest in exploring pen plotting projects in the future.

Conclusion

The fusion of 3D printing technology with the art of pen plotting offers a world of creative possibilities. This project exemplifies how innovation and experimentation can lead to exciting outcomes. Stay tuned for more projects like this on Hackbatch.com, and embrace the endless possibilities of blending technology and artistry.

Thanks for following along on this creative journey!

Meta description:

Explore the exciting process of transforming an Ender 3 3D printer into a 2D pen plotter. Discover the steps involved in converting your printer for unique drawing experiences.

Keywords:

3D printer, Ender 3, pen plotter, drawing, creativity, Cura software

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