On December 6 and 7, we organized two workshops focused on creative activities with a handheld 3D printing pen. These free workshops took place on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, with a total of 20 participants, mostly students of the Third Age University at TUL. The workshops were led by Pavel Sadílek, who had already proven himself at a previous event, Bubble Painting, at the Lessing Primary School in Zittau.
At the beginning of the workshop, participants learned the basic techniques of working with a 3D printing pen. Within the first half hour, everyone mastered the basics, which were essential for the following creative work. The theme of the workshops was creating Christmas decorations. For this occasion, I prepared Christmas-themed templates using AI, which helped participants kick off their creative journey. During the workshop, participants created flat snowflakes and three-dimensional designs, such as Christmas trees with decorations. The trees were made using a technique of wrapping paper cones with melted filament.
Women made up the majority of the workshop participants, but one man joined as well, along with two grandmothers who brought their grandchildren, Eliška and Matěj. The children mainly used low-temperature pens designed for PCL filaments (polycaprolactone). This material melts at 60-80 °C, making it safer for children, while standard pens processed PLA filaments (polylactic acid), which require melting temperatures of around 180-200 °C.
Because our project connects science and art, we introduced participants to more technical information about the materials they worked with, including their production and decomposition. PLA is made from renewable resources, such as corn or sugarcane, and its production leaves a smaller carbon footprint than petrochemical plastics. It is biodegradable but decomposes only under controlled conditions in composting facilities with heating at 50-60 °C. In natural environments, this process can take years or even decades. PCL, on the other hand, is derived from petroleum precursors but has the advantage of high biodegradability: it commonly decomposes in soil within a few months, and in a heated composting facility, it breaks down in just a few weeks. Although the production of both plastics requires organometallic catalysts (typically tin compounds) and significant energy, they can still be considered environmentally friendly materials with some tolerance.
While Friday's workshop participants were skillful, producing many interesting creations and clearly enjoying themselves, we still encountered technical issues. Two pens broke, and because we did not have enough replacements, one participant had to leave on Saturday morning, which saddened us greatly. To prevent such situations in the future, we purchased additional pens and are now fully prepared.
The workshop lasted about three hours and received very positive feedback. Although we initially planned for some creations to remain with us for an exhibition on the theme of 3D printing and crystals, most participants took their creations home, which we fully understand. Our goal is to inspire creativity and education, so the most important thing for us is that the workshops were a success and that participants enjoyed working with the 3D printing pens. Due to high interest, we will repeat the workshop in January and February, although the theme will no longer be Christmas decorations. Next year, the workshop will focus on creating jewelry and fashion accessories.
Hana Křížová
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