Students at Tokyo University Use 3D Printing Pen to Create Complex Architectural Structures

A team of students at the University of Tokyo has developed a new 3D printing pen that enables them to create large, complex structures.

During the project, led by architect Professor Kengo Kuma, the students used thermoplastic filament sticks that were manually extruded using the 3D printing pen, guided by a digital tracking system. Acrylic rods were incorporated into the structure and bonded with the extruded plastic strings. The architectural pieces are said to feature good structural stability in tension as well as strength in compression.

With this project the team also tries to prove that human instinct still plays an important role in technologies for digital construction: “Technology has traditionally been used to automate and replace human labour,” Kevin Clement, member of the design team, stated. “The issue with this approach is that it fails to take advantage of human intuition during fabrication.” 

The largest structure built is currently showcased at the Ozone Gallery in Shinjuku.