What is filament for a 3D printer?

If you are new to 3D printing, here’s a quick description of printer filament.  3D printers use plastic filament (think weed eater string) to print in 3D very much like your 2D paper printer.  If you still can’t visualize what the 3D printer filament looks like, here’s a picture.

Blue
Blue

Pretty much the 3D printer filament is like plastic “wire” that gets fed into the printer and melted and used to build 3D models.  Most Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) printers print with ABS plastic (think Lego), as well as PLA (Polylactic acid), a biodegradable polymer made from organic material.  In general, ABS filament is opaque and more malleable than PLA, while PLA is translucent and shrinks less than ABS.  As you get more familiar with 3D printing, you will begin to get your own style and preferences for printing filament.  In the meantime if you’re new to the scene, we suggest picking a few ABS colors you like and perhaps a roll or two of the PLA or other specialty filament.  Personally, I like to start with black ABS and white ABS.  I also like to use clear PLA.  But it’s up to your taste, maybe you just want to print everything in neon green like my daughter!!

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About

Muahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!! Ok, now that I have that out... I can get to work. For as long as I can remember, I have been making things. This habit used to be called "Inventing" but has lately been repurposed by the Maker community with the term "Maker". While there are some subtle differences between Inventing and Making, I have discovered my passion for both by inspiring a new generation of Makers. In this quest to spark creative thinking and problem solving through practical and exciting projects, I draw on my background in biomedical research, high energy fiber laser development, and 15 years of building laboratory devices. As an experimental physicist with a PhD from Case Western Reserve University, I have seen research and development from many angles and am now bringing that experience to middle school and high school students who want to make everything from catapults to cybernetic augmentations. Through the medium of Making and Inventing, students are transformed from passive observers of education to active learners. This powerful shift fosters deep insights, creative expression, collaborative thinking and a host of other skills that are difficult to learn in traditional settings. Along with my wife Debby, an accomplished constructivist educator, I am on a quest to transform education and am looking for like-minded collaborators to bring hands-on learning to future generations.

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