< 3D Printing
3D Printer materials come in a variety of colors and physical properties.

Plastics

FFF 3D printers typically accept a filament of a certain diameter.

Some FFF 3D printers are modified to use pellets for ease of using recycled material.[1]

PLA

PLA is a common 3D printing material. It's inexpensive and easy to use, making it a good choice as a starter material for beginners, and a general material for more advanced operators.[2]

Compared to using ABS, a typical FFF printer using PLA should emit less particles.[3]

ABS

A spool of ABS filament.

ABS is cheap and strong, but needs the right environment to print well.[4]

Compared to using PLA, a typical FFF printer using ABS should emit more particles.[3][5] Ventilation should be used when printing ABS.[4]

HIPS

HIPS is a good starting material due to its ease of use and because it is not expensive.[6]

PETG

Despite it's very different chemistry, PETG prints are similar to ABS prints but are less temperamental about the print environment making them easier to print.[2]

PETG can't be directly printed on a glass bed.[2] An intermediate material like tape must be used.[7]

Nylon

A spool of nylon filament, with printed example object on top.

Nylon 3D prints are known for being somewhat flexible and durable.[7][8]

Nylon can also be dyed to produce different color materials.[7]

Nylon can be temperamental and difficult to work with.[4]

Flexible

Flexible filaments are expensive to buy and temperamental to use, but gives prints unique properties, allowing them to deform slightly.[2] These filaments tend to jam, and are best used on direct drive printers.[4]

Ideal Support Materials

Support material is used to temporarily hold up objects while printing.

PVA

PVA is water soluble, so PVA material melts in water while leaving the primary plastic intact.[4] This makes it ideal for support material when used in a dual extruder or a multi material printer, since supports can be dissolved instead of manually removed.

Composite Materials

Composite materials mix a printable material with a material that typically can't be printed, giving it unique properties, as well as unique challenges.

Composite Examples

  • Magnetic Iron PLA - Can attract strong magnets and rust.[9][10]
  • Conductive PLA - Prints are electrically conductive and can carry small currents for simple electronics or to enable parts to trigger touchscreens.[11]

Resins

SLA printers use liquid resin, instead of filaments.

These resins can usually be colored with dye.[12][13]

Exotic Materials

3D printers geared towards directly printing in exotic materials exist.[14][15]

It is often a better idea to try 3D printing a mold in a conventional material and then using that mold to make the end product.[16][17]

3D printing food in particular has unique challenges, as the food must be printed in a way that avoids contamination and is safe to eat.[18]

  • Food
    • Chocolate[19]
    • Pizza Ingredients (Dough, Sauce and Cheese)[20]
  • Metal
  • Sandstone

Material Storage

When possible FFF filaments should be kept in a drybox to avoid contamination of material from humidity and dust.[21] If this is impractical, a dust filter can also be used on the filament feed.[22]

References

  1. ↑ "10 Tips for Converting a 3D Printer to Pellet Extrusion | Make:" (in en). 25 November 2020. https://makezine.com/2020/11/25/10-tips-for-converting-a-3d-printer-to-pellet-extrusion/.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "3D Printer Filaments: Definitions, Applications, and Tips". https://www.designreview.byu.edu/collections/3D%20Printer%20Filaments:%20Definitions,%20Applications,%20and%20Tips. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  3. 1 2 "3D Printer Safety – Environment, Health, and Safety". https://aeroastro-ehs.mit.edu/resources/3d-printer-safety/. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Materials for 3D Printing – build IT @SDSU Library". https://buildit.sdsu.edu/materials-for-3d-printing/. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  5. ↑ "Particles Emitted by Consumer 3D Printers Could Hurt Indoor Air Quality" (in en). https://www.news.gatech.edu/2019/10/07/particles-emitted-consumer-3d-printers-could-hurt-indoor-air-quality. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  6. ↑ "Printing Materials – Innovation Studio". https://innovationstudio.mechse.illinois.edu/design-resources/3d-printable-materials/. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 "Closing the Loop On 3D Printing". 30 November 2017. https://www.library.ucsf.edu/news/closing-the-loop-on-3d-printing/.
  8. ↑ Meher, Robin. "Library Guides: 3D Printing at the Library of Engineering and Science: Filament Guide" (in en). https://guides.lib.purdue.edu/3dprinting/filament.
  9. ↑ "Magnetic Iron PLA Magnetic 3D Printer Filament" (in en). 18 September 2015. https://www.lulzbot.com/store/filament/magnetic-iron-pla. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  10. ↑ "Iron-filled Metal Composite PLA". https://www.proto-pasta.com/products/magnetic-iron-pla. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  11. ↑ "Conductive PLA" (in en). 18 September 2015. https://www.lulzbot.com/store/filament/conductive-pla. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  12. ↑ "Color Kit" (in en-us). https://formlabs.com/store/color-kit/.
  13. ↑ "How Do I Dye Resin 3D Prints? - Easy To Create Custom Colored Resin". 31 January 2020. https://www.3dprintedminiature.com/how-do-i-dye-resin-3d-prints/.
  14. ↑ "CES 2014: 3D food printers create sweets and chocolates". 8 January 2014. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-25647918. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  15. ↑ "Engineers Create A Titanium Rib Cage Worthy Of Wolverine" (in en). https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/09/15/440361621/engineers-create-a-titanium-rib-cage-worthy-of-wolverine. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  16. ↑ Says, Jobfor778 (7 February 2020). "The beginner's guide to mold making and casting". https://blog.prusaprinters.org/the-beginners-guide-to-mold-making-and-casting_31561/. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  17. ↑ "Casting Metal Parts And Silicone Molds From 3D Prints". 25 February 2018. https://hackaday.com/2018/02/25/casting-metal-parts-and-silicone-molds-from-3d-prints/. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  18. ↑ "Maker Faire NY: Cocoa Press Chocolate Printer". 29 September 2018. https://hackaday.com/2018/09/29/maker-faire-ny-cocoa-press-chocolate-printer/. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  19. ↑ Mishan, Ligaya (21 February 2019). "The Secret Ingredient for These Desserts: A 3-D Printer (Published 2019)". https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/21/t-magazine/3d-printed-food-dessert.html.
  20. ↑ "NASA’s 3D Food Printer Will Make Pizza at Amusement Parks" (in en). https://www.vice.com/en/article/aekjnb/nasas-3d-food-printer-will-make-pizza-at-amusement-parks.
  21. ↑ "Filament dryboxes and alternative spool holders - not only for MMU2S". 26 July 2019. https://blog.prusaprinters.org/dryboxes-and-alternative-spool-holders-not-only-for-multimaterial-upgrade_30525/. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  22. ↑ "Filament Dust Filter Helps Keep Your Print Quality High". 6 September 2020. https://hackaday.com/2020/09/06/filament-dust-filter-helps-keep-your-print-quality-high/. Retrieved 6 November 2020.

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