We toured several 3D Printer factories, including Prusa Research, Printed Solid, Printerior, and ProtoPasta, to learn how 3D Printing filament is made.

The filament is sold in spools by the various 3D printer manufacturers and specialty vendors–it comes in a multitude of colors and textures, including coffee-based.

In this installment, Charles tells us why using high-quality filament is one of the most important parameters in achieving good results.

Toybox sells standard half-pound spools of PLA in a variety of colors for $10 each, and specialty filaments such as gloss and sparkle varieties for $14 a spool.

The molten plastic is then extruded out through interchangeable nozzles – 3mm or 1.75mm in diameter – to produce the plastic filament. The filament is then shaped to the right size for printing as it ...

In another and similar effort to make filament-based 3D printing more green, Purdue University students recently created a soy-based recyclable filament for 3D printing — and have the top prize ...