What are the flavors of 3D printing?
Who can I turn to on YouTube when I want to learn more?
What 3D printers do you “currently” recommend?
What filaments do you recommend?
FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) printers use rolls of thermoplastic filament to create 3D objects. There are an overwhelming variety of chemical concoctions that are available – each with different properties and known by their abbreviations – but you can do all your printing with just two filament types PLA and TPU.
PLA stands for Polylactic Acid. It is a compound derived from corn starch. Because it’s not derived from petroleum, it’s the safest filament from a chemical toxin standpoint. At the same time, it’s strong and very easy to print, meaning that it:
- sticks well to the build surface (the build surface doesn’t even need to be heated),
- it can be stored in relatively humid environments,
- and it doesn’t have stringing or overhang/bridging issues.
Because it’s also the most popular filament, you can get it inexpensively in a rainbow of colors:
TPU stands for Thermoplastic Polyurethane. TPU is a flexible filament. That means that the objects you create can bend without breaking. It’s a little harder to print than PLA and I’ve had trouble getting some brands of TPU to stick well, but when you need a flexible object, TPU is the solution. You’ll have fewer color choices than PLA and you’ll pay a bit more for a 1 kg roll, but the end result will be almost indestructible!
Here’s a good video extoling the virtues of TPU. You can ignore the video once Angus starts talking about slicer settings and using TPU in robot fighting – or you might enjoy that as well.
Once you’ve been successful printing with these two filaments you can branch out and try others like PETG, ASA, and an alphabet soup of others. You can even get carbon-fiber infused filaments! Still, for now, 3D printing has some inherent features that limit its strength in certain contexts. So, if the failure of that device could result in injury, avoid addressing those needs with a 3D-printed device.
I also found this video a good presentation on the topic of The 5 Filament Types You Need to Know (And What They’re Good For).
On a related topic, 3D-printing is an additive manufacturing technique – meaning that an object is formed by adding material to a base until the full object is created. That’s in contrast to subtractive manufacturing like milling (or chainsaw sculpting) where one starts with a solid mass and you cut away from that solid mass until what’s left is the object you wanted to create.
Subtractive manufacturing produces a lot of waste. By comparison, 3D-printing produces very little waste during the manufacturing process. But 3D-printing filament is always mounted on a spool. These large spools are very often made of plastic that can’t be recycled and most people just throw them in the trash when the filament has been completely used up. That’s just how it was for a long time. It’s now possible to purchase filament on cardboard spools that can easily be recycled:
Overture is one of the filament manufacturers who utilize these recyclable spools. I encourage you to give these companies your business.
How do I obtain 3D-printed devices if I don’t have a 3D printer?
Where should I look for things to print?
How can I start designing my own 3D objects?