HOW IT WORKS
A printer in your hand
A motor feeds plastic into a heated nozzle. It comes out soft and sets within seconds, flat or in mid-air.
See the numbers3D PENS, EXPLAINED
Draw in the air.
Mind the air too.
A 3D pen is a tiny hot-plastic printer you hold in your hand.
HOT TIP about 200 °C
1 million to 10 billion Particles per gram of plastic drawn
- Melt
- Draw
- Ventilate
- Lines that stand up
It melts a strand of plastic at around 200 °C and lets you draw lines that stand up on their own. It also gives off fine particles and vapours, much as desktop 3D printers do. Here is what the research says, in plain English.
Plain English, with the sources linked.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Hot nozzle, real fumes.
Great fun for making things,
with two facts worth knowing first.
PICK THE PLASTIC
PLA or ABS
Most pens take both. In tests, ABS gave off more particles and vapour than PLA.
Compare them
GIVE IT AIR
Fumes, not just fun
Pens emit ultrafine particles at levels similar to workplace 3D printers, close to the face.
See the studyA QUICK FILAMENT CHECK
Which plastic
is in your pen?
Pick a filament or setting to see what a 2019 NIOSH study of children’s 3D pens and printers found about its emissions.
Results are yields measured in a test chamber and modelled for rooms. They compare plastics; they are not a safety rating for any product.
BEFORE YOU DRAW
Four habits
for better doodles.
Start flat, then build up
Trace a shape over a printed template, lift it off when it has cooled, and join flat pieces into 3D models.
Prefer PLA where you can
In the studies above, PLA gave off fewer particles and less vapour than ABS.
Give the room some air
The NIOSH researchers recommended controls where several pens run in a poorly ventilated space, and NIOSH advises ventilation for 3D printing generally.
Respect the tip
The nozzle runs at around 200 °C. Follow the age rating and instructions that come with your pen, and switch it off when you stop.
TWO FINDINGS WORTH KNOWING
Small pen,
printer-sized fumes.
Researchers measured what comes out
of the nozzle, not just the plastic.
1 million to 10 billion
Particles per gram of plastic drawn
Toy 3D pens and a toy printer released particles of 30 to 300 nanometres, at yields similar to 3D printers used in workplaces. Dose modelling suggested they would reach deep into children’s lungs.
3D PENS · NIOSH 2019
PLA ≈ ABS ÷ 10
Modelled vapour from one toy
ABS gave the highest vapour levels, including styrene. PLA came out about an order of magnitude lower. An EPA review of 16 studies also found ABS released more particles than PLA.
PLA VS ABS · NIOSH 2019
The researchers pointed out that the nozzle is likely less than a child’s arm’s length away, which puts the source in the breathing zone. They suggested controls where several pens run in a poorly ventilated room.
PEN FACTS
Five things worth
knowing.
It started as a $30,000 ask
The first mass-market 3D pen was crowdfunded on Kickstarter in 2013. It aimed for $30,000, raised $2.3 million and went on sale for $99.
The tip runs at oven-plus heat
The pens in the NIOSH study ran at about 190 to 230 °C. An early review measured the first pen heating to 464 °F, about 240 °C.
Hotter means more vapour
Across the toys tested, raising the nozzle to 230 °C increased the vapour yield and the size of the particles released.
Ultrafine means very small
The EPA describes these particles as 1 to 100 nanometres across: small enough to travel deep into the airways and hard for the body to clear.
Printers have their own test
In 2019 UL published ANSI/CAN/UL 2904, a method for measuring particle and chemical emissions from 3D printers in homes, schools and offices. Its research found more than 200 different VOCs.
QUICK QUESTIONS
3D pens, answered.
Short answers to the questions people ask most.
What is a 3D pen?
A handheld tool that heats a strand of plastic filament and pushes it out of a hot metal nozzle. The plastic cools within seconds, so you can draw flat shapes, join them, or build lines up into the air.
How hot does a 3D pen get?
Hot enough to melt plastic. In a 2019 NIOSH study, the pens tested ran at about 190 to 230 °C, and a 2013 review of the first mass-market pen reported it heating to 464 °F, about 240 °C.
Should I use PLA or ABS?
Both work in most pens. In the NIOSH study, ABS gave higher particle and vapour yields than PLA, and an EPA review of 16 studies also found ABS released more particles than PLA.
Do 3D pens give off fumes?
Yes. Researchers measured ultrafine particles and volatile organic compounds from children’s 3D pens at levels similar to 3D printers used in workplaces. They suggested controls where several pens are used in a poorly ventilated room.
When did 3D pens appear?
The first mass-market 3D pen was crowdfunded on Kickstarter in 2013. It asked for $30,000, raised $2.3 million and went on sale for $99.
Where the facts come from
Updated
- Particle and organic vapor emissions from children’s 3-D pen and 3-D printer toysInhalation Toxicology, 2019 (NIOSH)
- EPA researchers continue to study the emissions of 3D printers (2021)US Environmental Protection Agency
- UL publishes ANSI/CAN/UL 2904 standard for 3D printers (2019)UL Standards and Engagement
- NIOSH publishes guide to safe 3D printing (2023)AIHA
- Characterizing 3D printing emissions and controls in an office environmentNIOSH Science Blog
- Review of the first mass-market 3D printing penEngadget, 2013