Tarn-et-Garonne: Pen’Up, the 3D pen by Dimitri Desseaux awarded in Bordeaux

It’s a good story that is just beginning. Dimitri Desseaux, 20, has just won the “Prix de l’audace” awarded by the Le Roch-Les Mousquetaires Foundation and the Union of Self-employed Entrepreneurs and Self-Employed Workers, on May 11 in Bordeaux. Against four other finalists, out of hundreds of competitors, the young man, based in Barry-d’Islemade, presented the Pen’Up, a 3D pen he invented after three years of research. With this pen-sized tool, users’ imaginations take shape in three dimensions thanks to plastic filaments heated to low or high temperatures. “It’s somewhere between a glue gun and a 3D printer,” he points out.

The young Tarn-et-Garonnais has therefore just won the sum of 4,000 euros which will allow him to contribute to his marketing project scheduled for this summer. “My goal is to build a lasting brand and be able to build a team by the end of the year to help me legally, in terms of engineering and education. But I already offer activities in leisure centers and schools*”, slips Dimitri Desseaux who hopes his Pen’Up will become an educational tool for students.

Emulators all over the world

Writing, mathematics, geometry, plastic arts, physics-chemistry, science and technology of industry and sustainable development, architecture: your 3D pen can clearly become a vehicle for learning, from finishing kindergarten to high school. And the variations seem almost endless, especially for struggling students. “I learned the whole program of cycles 2 and 3 [du CP jusqu’à la 6e] to see how it would be suitable for learning. I created a school kit with a teacher’s guide and a student notebook, ”underlines what has already been noted by Mostafa Fourar, the rector of the Toulouse academy. “The Pen’Up breaks with digital addiction. It is a fun and educational tool that is used to develop creativity and imagination. So put the phone down and come create! smiles Dimitri Desseaux, like a true representative.

This is exactly what happened to him when his mother bought him his first 3D pen several years ago. He gave up video games to create bridges, animals, planets, glasses and so on. But experience with rare foreign models quickly showed his limits. Burns, toxicity of the material, low flow rate of the filaments, little autonomy: Dimitri Desseaux has therefore chosen to create his prototype.

Now the plastic is biodegradable, made from corn starch. Largo at an hour of autonomy and at a better controlled temperature. Despite this, it provides protective gloves. Immersed in initiatives, he had his school kit tested by teachers, occupational therapists, speech therapists from all over the world who seem to have adopted the Pen’Up. Currently the young man is in contact with the Canopé network, which deals with teacher training. So let’s cross our fingers.

*Contact: penup3d.com or 06 88 95 54 55.