How to minimize the loss of pen pressure? The trick is in the nib material.

It took more than four (!) years from the planning stage all the way to the market release of the Wacom Pro Pen 3. “The development of this pen started off as an undertaking to redefine Wacom’s next-generation digital pen,” explains Masayuki Maeda, a mechanical engineer in charge of technical R&D and the initial conceptual design.

The engineers agreed that the basic concept was “to deliver a pen that offers a wide range of options to users”, which was then worked out in detail through teamwork. The ETC, a cross-sectional taskforce temporarily set up on a project basis, was organized to share their expertise and experience from their respective fields. It was the ETC’s idea to add an element of “customization” to the development.

The new pen is characterized by two main features - “a wider view field” realized through its pointed nib and “a longer pen shaft”, which offers options for customizing the weight and grip size. Maeda’s personal focus was on the design which aimed to minimize the "loss of pen pressure" when the pen is tilted at an angle on the display. The pen pressure decreases as the angle between the display and the pen gets smaller. It’s a simple law of physics. There used to be technical restrictions on the amount of pressure loss that can be reduced with conventional pens. But, Wacom’s engineers did not give up their search for a solution. And then, the answer came – the same carbon material used for fishing rods. This material was adopted for the nibs of the Wacom Pro Pen 3.

“Perfect lines cannot be expected of a pen that fails to deliver its full pressure onto the display. Reducing pressure loss to a minimum was our first priority. In the end, we achieved this objective by incorporating a technical breakthrough into the Wacom Pro Pen 3. Carbon is a material that is less prone to bending. Therefore, pens with carbon shafts accurately convey the pen pressure applied by users onto the display. But, it comes with a higher cost than traditional nibs. I remember having a bit of a fight over cost issues with my boss (giggle, giggle).”

Engineer's spirit inspired to tackle a demanding task

After the product concept was formed by the planning team, the project moved to the mechanical design stage in order to realize the concept. Mamoru Ogata, a manager overseeing this stage, remembered the moment when Maeda passed the task on to him. "His demands sounded desperately high. A sheer sense of despair came over me. Nothing else,” he said jokingly. "Mounting requirements for a super digital pen must be accommodated within an acceptable framework of product structure, shape, and even product costs. For added difficulty, we had to work on a new concept incorporating the necessity of interchangeable components. Accordingly, the number of components expanded explosively in comparison with existing products. And, each of these components were new to us.” Such a demanding task “ignited his engineer’s spirit" recalls Ogata.

“When I heard a comment along the lines of, 'you should be able to manage this task if you give everything you’ve got to it,' my fighting spirit was stirred up. How can you say no? I listened attentively to all the various requests coming from different team members. In the end, I came up with something about which I can proudly say, “this pen should do the job for everyone.” I felt a great sense of achievement! I tapped into an unseen world beyond my comfort zone in developing new technologies and features. As an engineer, I could not think of any better motivation than such a challenge. I greatly enjoyed working on the Wacom Pro Pen 3, ’a pen that genuinely cares about users’ needs.”

Fully dedicated to professional creatives - engineers dream of digital pens at night

Where is Wacom heading in terms of pen development? “I’d like to make the pen core slimmer and sharper without losing any of its robustness. By making the pen shaft as thin as possible, it allows creators to increase the thickness according to their preference.. However, this does not work the other way around. When it comes to a digital pen, too small is better than too big. Unparalleled sleekness is my ambition, and I wish to cut down on the excess ‘flesh’ of our pen. Ideally, creators should find our slim pen so fancy that they want to carry it around with them at all times,” said Maeda.

“I want to challenge our limits in an attempt to align our products with the users’ needs. What do they really need? How should a pen feel in the creators’ hands in order to work as an extension of their arms? These questions were so intriguing and fascinating that I became really absorbed in my research. I am curious to know all the different opinions on this product from our user community. It is possible they may come up with a brand-new “use case” that we had never imagined. How exciting!” says Ogata.

“Previously, the starting point of drawing images was usually analog. This means that people start drawing with a pen and paper. Naturally, engineers used to regard ‘faithfully duplicating the feel of analog drawing’ as the ultimate goal. Yet, times have changed. Digital natives who grew up with smartphones since early childhood are now becoming key players. More often than not, they go straight into digital drawing. Accordingly, our focus should not be the mere reproduction of the analog feel. Instead, we should be aiming for digital tools that approximate analog tools AND leverage the benefits of digital tools,” says Suzuki.

When asked to talk about their professional dreams, three engineers told us three different stories. However, the one thing they had in common was a keen passion for delivering a pen dedicated to professional creatives.

Maeda continued, "if I may blow my own horn, I am proud to say the Wacom Pro Pen 3 is pretty perfect. Honestly, it is an amazing pen. But until now, this pen has been reserved only for the Wacom Cintiq Pro 27, our high-end pen display model. I always found this limitation a pity and wanted many more creators to know the beauty of this pen. Through the release of the Wacom Movink 13, which supports this pen, we can now share the exciting pen experience of the Pro Pen 3 with a wider range of users. I am thrilled." Wacom Movink 13, Wacom's first ever OLED pen tablet, is surely going to broaden the fan base of the Wacom Pro Pen 3. More people will come to appreciate the best pen experience delivered by Wacom engineers’ proudest achievement.