@planet36 Alumide is much softer than stainless steel, so it won't scratch.

@cw&T Will Alumide scratch the pen? Are there any materials that should be avoided?

@cw&T these still aren't solved, eh? :( What a bummer. cc @ChristianA

Thanks for the responses. I'll have to order again and hope it all works out, I guess. It's a little disappointing, but I understand that 3D printing is still pretty new and not perfected at this point.

@britishcoder If you're not familiar with 3D modeling take a look at Tinkercad. It allows you to import STL files and scale them really easily. www.tinkercad.com

@britishcoder The non fitting sleeves are a mystery that we've tried to solve with the team at shapeways. I think it's either a printing tolerance issue, or a cleaning and finishing issue. I'm wary of increasing the diameter of the sleeve to account for those issues because the pen will slip in and out too easily. But if you want, the model is available for download, and you're welcome to make changes to it as you see fit.

CW&T, can you please give us some guidance about when you'll have updated models that better fit the pen? As I said, shapeways have given me a credit and I really would like to spend it on a nice sleeve for the pen.

I received the white sleeve a few days ago and it just didn't fit. It went in about an inch, like some others have said. I was issued a credit by shapeways, but I'd like one that fits. So if you're going to change the design soon, please let us know when. I don't want to buy another and risk it not fitting again!

One more small piece of feedback. The grey sleeve fits fine, but I think the internal "shelf" that keeps the pen from being inserted too far needs to be longer. I managed to bend the tip of one of my refills the other day.

Just received the white sleeve. Looked cool. Was looking forward to using it (carrying the large ruler/block not so convenient). Tried to put the pen in. Went in (maybe) an inch. Tried the suggestion that joemegf posted (inserting and turning a few times). Did this for about a half hour total (while watching a movie). Now it might slide in inch and a half, maybe two. Oh well. Guess I'm back to carrying the pen around in it's ruler block.

I ordered 2 of the polished alumide. Mine didn't have extra powder on it when I got it but the pens had a hard time getting in. What I did was this and it worked for me and hope it works for others out there. I put the pen in about and inch and turned it a few times for about 10 seconds and pulled it out. There was a little powder on the pen and I blew it off. I put it in again about 1.5-2 inches in and did the same thing, turning it around for about 10 seconds and pulling it out. I repeated this for about 5 minutes and my pen fits perfectly. My wife's pen was also not fitting and I repeated the steps on her sleeve and it worked with that one as well. I hope that helps others because this fits in my pocket very comfortably now and I take my pen everywhere. Good luck!

Well my white sleeve, which was a replacement for the non-fitting black sleeve came in and does not fit. While I was trying to clean the powder out and fit in back on the pen it snapped in half. I give up!

I've looked inside my black one with a high-powered LED light... the problem is definitely NOT from extra powder :( I have emailed shapeways with my order# as advised. I wonder if they will ship me a grey one instead? (although the Red one you demo'd in the powder removal looked pretty sweet!!!)

we haven't heard of non black sleeves not fitting. We suspect, the reason the polished sleeves fit is because they go through the polishing tumbler, which has little beads that get into the sleeve and effectively clean out all the extra powder. The black sleeves don't come polished, so they're cleaned manually, hence the inconsistency of the fit.

Is it safe to get the white or silver sleeve? I had ordered a black one and had the same problem as everyone else. Now I'm very nervous about ordering a different one based on the past experience

I just got my white and silver sleeves and they fit wonderfully. Can't wait to get a black one when it's ready.

Sorry again for the sleeves not fitting. We tested it over and over, but I guess there are still variables to 3D printing that don't guarantee perfect prints every time. We'll make the black sleeve available again when it's offered with a polished finish.

Hi everyone, if your pen is stuck, you can cut it out with an X-Acto. Just score the sleeve and it will crack off, the same way you would cut glass. CW&T, can you let us know when black is back as an option? I want to re-order when it's ready.

Just wanted to say that after some careful work with a small knife I managed to cut enough of the sleeve away so that I could wiggle the rest of the sleeve off. I'm still angry.

Help! How does one get the black sleeve off the pen? I've cut off part of it, but now I have a pen which is partially covered with the sleeve, and I'm afraid to damage the pen if I try cutting the sleeve further. From the comments here it is obvious that the problem with the black sleeve was known more than a week ago, and I received mine today with no warning whatsoever. This is inexcusable.

Yep -- this is a real bummer -- black, which doesn't fit. JSturr www.jsturr.com

Hi all, Shapeways is aware of the printing problems of the sleeve in black. If you have any questions, concerns, or requests, please get in touch with them directly. service@Shapeways.com.

Another black sleeve problem here. For those with their pens stuck in, I was able to get mine out by wrapping a rubber band as tightly as possible around the exposed part of the pen to serve as a grippy handle. Then twist and pull.

Yep, adding myself to the list: the black sleeve simply does not fit. And while I tip my hat to the thoroughness of the suggestion, I'm not going to start going at it with jeweler's files and a drill press.

Sorry to pile on, but... ... my black sleeve arrived today and is stuck half-on/half-off my pen. I don't know how to recover from this state other than to destroy the sleeve. This has nothing to do with "powder." I checked before trying the sleeve--no powder anywhere. I've written to shapeways customer service to request a refund.

I have the same issue. The black sleeve simply does not work. My pen cannot even go in one inch. I will be seeking a refund for this.

I ordered the Black sleeve, and unfortunately the fit was much too tight. One way to fix this is to use a combination of round jeweler's files, or, like I did, find a drill bit that fits inside the sleeve, and hook it up to a drill press. Because the sleeve is made from plastic, you can use the spinning drill bit like a rotating sander, and shave off increasing amounts of plastic out of the inside until the fit is just right. After about 10 minutes of slow, careful shaving, the sleeve fits wonderfully. You can also use a scraper on the "flat" portion of the sleeve to get a more pronounced flat, since the extruded sleeve's original flat part was less than perfect.

@mrwynn Thanks for letting us know. Did you get a black sleeve as well? It seems like shapeways is having problems printing this in black, so we're going to pull the black material from the store. Sorry guys. If you need to get a refund or a reprint, please get in touch with Shapeways' customer service. service@Shapeways.com

Same problem here. I had to crack the sleeve in half to get my pen out :-(

If you are having issues with the sleeve, please contact Shapeways customer services with your order number and they will be able to help you out.

Mine just arrived at my door today and I was hoping that I wouldn't face the same issue as the others. I was wrong :-( I also purchased the black version and my awesome GENUINE pen (been following the drama of the day) unfortunately doesn't go into the sleeve I purchased. HELP?!

I have the same problem. I ordered the black version. Got it yesterday but my pen doesn't go in. I have cleaned the powder as suggested (although there wasn't that much) but the pen only goes in about 1/3 and it gets so tight that I can't move it further (and it takes a lot of hard work to get it tout).

@seanlynch @jgertler can you send me the order number, material, and your lastname so I can forward your info to shapeways' customer service to straighten this out. Thanks! cwandt (at) cwandt (d0t) com

Had the same problem as Josh. This is the unfortunate fate of mine: http://i.imgur.com/BzaLB.jpg

Here's a video of us getting the powder out of the sleeve so your pen will fit : https://vimeo.com/47323037. Sometimes when these arrive from shapeways, there is still powder left inside the sleeve. It takes a lot of banging to get it all out. And then some more banging. Shapeways knows about this and is working on a way to get the sleeves more clean for us.

Hi guys, I just got the sleeve but the pen keeps getting stuck about 1/4 in and it takes a lot of effort to pull it out of the sleeve. I removed all of the dust like you recommended but it's almost impossible to push all the way in and impossible to pull out once you've tried. Josh

This is just for the plastic sleeve. The stainless steel pen is not included. You can buy one at http://shop.cwandt.com/