Designer Kostas Metaxas is Offering an Upscale 3D Printed Pen on Kickstarter

Kostas Metaxas is a designer, magazine editor and publisher, and a filmmaker and producer who covers fashion, design, gastronomy, and the arts.

Metaxas has also designed Zylia Code, a line of jewelry which combines geometric, abstract curves with precious stones; Arts De La Table tableware; Oasis luxury bathroom objects; and the Totem line of furniture.

According to Metaxas, his fondness for the shapes and textures of old master painters and sculptors and Hi-Fi equipment have led him to what he calls the “visual music” of his design sensibilities. The designer taught himself electrical engineering, and through his later work with various materials like metal, glass, ceramics, and plastic, and subverting technologies like dental techniques, he began to create his jewelry and watches.

Using traditional manufacturing methods – or the latest software and additive manufacturing — Metaxas says art needs “a balance with a twist in the fight between the chaos and control,” and now he’s using 3D printing and additive manufacturing processes to create a line of writing instruments.

“Research the breathtaking work of others, and wait until your idea exceeds that standard, otherwise it has no reason to exist,” he says. “Do your absolute best. If you’re not motivated, don’t do it. Give life to an object which never existed before.”

It’s that kind of directive which has led Metaxas to create a line of fountain pens.

For his most recent creation, Metaxas designed this very special pen for one of the oldest and most prestigious Paris-based writing instrument icons.

During the process, the designer says he “became fascinated by the incredible quality of the prototypes produced by the latest $800,000 3D printers from Germany.”

It was then that he decided to offer his own collection of Limited Edition 3D printed Fountain Pens in resin, titanium, cobalt chrome, and even stainless steel.

“I wanted to use geometric patterns and shapes that could never be considered for pen manufacturing since pens are traditionally machined on a spinning lathe and hence, shapes are limited to ‘tubes,’” Metaxas said. “I wanted to break free from this and create a very personal sculpture that could also be used as a writing instrument.”

The result, the Black Velvet Fountain Pen which features a Schmidt FH452 Stainless Steel Nib, can be printed in black, red, pink, orange, blue, white, green, and purple in resin-based material for a pledge to the designer’s Kickstarter campaign of $89. The designer also created a pen using a rollerball tip, available for a pledge of $69.

For higher pledge amounts, you can have solid metal versions of the pen in stainless steel, cobalt chrome, titanium, or pure, polished sterling silver version. A pure sterling silver version of the fountain pen cast, polished, and finished by a professional jeweler, will set you back $1,500 or more (the same version with a rollerball tip has a pledge level of $1,350).

Depending on the backing level selected, you can choose the color of your pen and even have it personalized for yourself or as a gift.

The designer says all the pens will be ready for delivery in May 2015, if the campaign is successful. The goal is to raise $10,000 AUD by March 9th.

Product designers are taking advantage of the 3D printing revolution to create lines of products which don’t require expensive tooling and can be manufactured in very small production runs. What do you think of this line of pens from designer Kostas Metaxas? Let us know in the 3D Printed Pen forum thread on 3DPB.com.