Engraved barrels for for Pen kits

thingiverse

The concept of 3D printing a pen barrel isn't new, but I wanted to explore an alternative method for engraving images onto the surface of a pen barrel - suitable for pen kits or sleeves for existing pens or pencils - using flexible filament (TPU) and two specialized software components. These components enable mapping any image onto 3D barrels, saved as STL files, and designing tessellation patterns for images to be mapped onto cylinders. I discovered that dozens of different types of pen kits are available, ranging from elegant to hideous designs, depending on personal taste in pens. Pen kits can be sourced from various websites. One such website is https://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKFP5010.html, which offers the Vertex pen kit. The instructions for this particular model can be found at https://www.pennstateind.com/library/PKFP50xx_ins.pdf. I selected a specific type of pen kit (Vertex-Magnetic), which requires a 10.5 mm brass tube measuring 2 3/8 inches long (60.325 mm). Using software called PhotoToMesh, I generated the cylinder for the pen barrel with an image-engraved surface. A flexible filament (TPU) and a Flashforge Finder 3D printer made it easy to design and print an image-engraved barrel that fits snugly around the brass tube without requiring glue. I utilized PhotoMesh V7 from Ransen software, which I purchased for approximately $55 due to its usefulness, and Tesselmaniac (costing $30) to design unique patterns for engraving. The specifications for a pen barrel suitable for a Vertex pen kit are as follows: - Obtain a Vertex pen kit - It will take about 1 hour and 8 minutes to print the barrel using 1.25 meters of filament with settings for TPU, which is why it seems longer than printing in PLA would take - The bushing diameter for the Vertex pen kit is 11.684 mm or .460 inches - If you want an outer diameter of 11.684 and an inner diameter of 10.5, set the cylinder diameter (in MeshPhoto) to 10.5 + 2(0.6) = 11.7, and 60.375 for a tiny bit proud of the brass tube To get the correct outer diameter at the ends, do not invert the image. The procedure involves: • Opening PhotoMesh and selecting Cylinder from the solid shape tab • Entering the dimensions of the pen kit blank: 60.325 for height, 11.684 for diameter of the Bushing, 11.7 diameter, wall thickness of 0.6mm, and a Mesh Height of 0.7mm (not inverted) • Tinkering with image contrast, size, position on the cylinder, and sharpness settings until you achieve the desired look (live preview window) • Saving as an STL file • Printing out the STL file of the pen barrel and seating the brass tube in one smooth and quick move • Assembling the pen parts around the brass tube and barrel • You can have a longer tube and cut off part of it to make inserting it into the tube easier, or insert the tube over a hole smaller than the outer diameter of the 3D printed part (so it slides on easily without compressing the 3D printed barrel) Other uses for this approach include: • Making any pen kit using these same methods • Using a printed barrel as a sleeve on other existing pens or pencils of any type • Printing an outer cylinder to fill with clear or colored Alumalite for turning on a lathe • Utilizing the barrel as a rolling print stamp or clay impression maker part I printed the part with TPU so that it would be flexible for a nice pressure on the brass tube. Other projects that describe printing pen barrels include: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:195277 https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1196766 https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:17339