The DIY Automated Tattoo Machine: A Cautionary Tale

Even by its name, an automatic tattoo machine is a device that leaves anyone who has gone through a rough tattoo session wincing in unison. One 3D printing aficionado has taken this concept to an extreme, designing a DIY automated tattoo machine to ink actual human flesh.

Previous Attempts at Mainstreaming Automated Tattoo Machines

There have been previous attempts to make automated tattoo machines mainstream. The Austin, Texas-based company Blackdot still promotes its automated tattoo machine. However, why should anyone consider spending hundreds or even thousands to get a tattoo from a machine that uses many of the same mechanics as a relatively cheap 3D printer? YouTuber Emily Yarid, AKA EmilytheEngineer, has taken a different approach.

Retrofitting a 3D Printer for Tattooing

Yarid, a 3D printing enthusiast, retrofitted a printer to replace the plastic filament with ink, swap out the extruder and nozzle with a tattoo gun, and use human skin as the printing surface. Instead of a build plate, she used a large bracket for the patient’s leg with a small window to expose the skin and make the printing surface as flat as possible.

The Risks and Limitations

You can file this concept under the "do not do this at home" category. You shouldn’t trust a non-professional tattoo artist for your health and safety for numerous reasons. Yarid also made sure viewers know that her creation isn’t for the faint of heart and isn’t the type of thing you should try and replicate on your own.

The Design and Modifications

The device’s design involved modifying the printer’s hardware and software. The 3D printing software can generate an image that is a single layer thick instead of printing in multiple layers. However, this still required a spring attached to the tattoo gun arm to deal with variations in skin height. The firmware also needed to be modified to ignore values like temperature when printing. To address this, Yarid included an emergency lever to raise the gun arm in case the session started getting too painful.

The First Tattoo

The end tattoo Yarid and her patient, fellow YouTuber and costume maker Dan from BuildDanielBuild, decided upon was a simple one-word tattoo in blue ink reading "LEG." The device could potentially draw more elaborate designs, but without fine-tuning the hardware and software to add more variable depth and speed for the sake of finer lines and shading, there’s not much point.

Emily the Engineer’s Background

Emily the Engineer is mostly known for her 3D printing projects, such as one where she 3D printed a boat. She has also made numerous cosplay pieces, including multiple recreations of the Marvel Iron Man suit and Bucky’s arm from Captain America and the Winter Soldier. Her latest design is probably the most brazen yet, though we hope the idea doesn’t catch on any more than it already has.