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Goal:
During the Formlabs Hackathon, our team of three designed and built a fully functional mechanical pantograph in two days with no prior CAD or design work. We wanted to create something playful, tactile, and polished, so we built a table-mounted drawing machine that could trace an image and reproduce it at a larger scale with a woodburning tip. Aside from a purchased fume extractor, the system was entirely mechanical, which pushed us to focus on clean geometry, smooth motion, and simple interaction. Inspired by Formlabs’ design language, we paired thick resin printed arms, bearing-supported joints, a laser cut enclosure, and the classic orange finish to make the final build feel cohesive and product-like.Challenges
Challenges:
A major challenge was designing the pen attachment and woodburning holder to feel integrated with the rest of the mechanism rather than added on at the end. We focused on a clean, fluid design language by mirroring forms, avoiding hard angles, and using smooth transitions throughout the attachment. Resin printing gave us the freedom to make thicker, more sculpted parts that were both durable and visually consistent with the pantograph.
The holder also needed to perform reliably. I developed a magnetic attachment system so the pen could be quickly attached, removed, or swapped, making the tool more flexible and easier to use by hand. We initially explored a lifting mechanism for the pen, but it introduced too much wiggle, so we simplified the design and instead used a spring-loaded holder to tune pressure on the woodburning tip. That gave us a cleaner mechanism and more consistent contact with the surface. Alongside that work, I contributed to resin printing, laser cutting, and enclosure assembly, which made the project a fast cycle of CAD, fabrication, and iteration.
Outcome:
The final result was a working mechanical pantograph that could trace a smaller image and burn a larger version into wood through a smooth, mechanical interaction. Even within a two-day timeline, we built something that felt intentional and well resolved, from the smooth motion of the arms to the spring-tuned pen holder, enclosed burning area, and integrated fume extraction. I am especially proud that the project did not just function, it felt clean, cohesive, and satisfying to use.