FILAMENT

3D PRINTING
(FDM/FFF)

A Maker’s Muse
Quick Start Guide
 MAKERS MUSE
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WHAT IS 3D PRINTING?
3D Printing is an umbrella term for many Additive Manufacturing processes.
Unlike traditional subtractive manufacturing where you may start with a block
of material, these technologies build physical objects from raw materials in an
additive manner, like you would a sand drip castle on the beach.

There are many different 3D Printing technologies, they all turn digital models
into real world objects and share the same key feature:

LAYER BY LAYER
Additive manufacturing processes create three-dimensional objects through
the process of stacking layers of a certain thickness. These layers represent a
cross section of the object.

Through the repetition of hundreds to thousands of layers, a physical object is

created.

Digital object to be created Stacked layers create the object

(side view)
WHAT IS FDM/FFF?
In FDM/FFF, plastic filament is melted and extruded through a precisely
controlled nozzle to construct 3 dimensional products line by line, layer by
layer.

The nozzle fills in cross sections of the part before moving to the next layer,
building the part additively. Think of the technology a little like a computer
controlled hot glue gun!

FDM/FFF produces low cost, strong parts with a characteristic layered

appearance and is the perfect 3D Printing technology for beginners.

How the FDM/FFF

extrusion process works
(direct drive type extruder)
Why Two Acronyms?
While confusing, the two acronyms refer to the same technology and are
often used interchangeably.

FDM or “Fused Deposition Modeling” is an acronym trademarked by Stratasys,

the company behind its invention in 1988.

FFF or “Fused Filament Fabrication” is the trademark-free description of the

same technology, coined by the open source RepRap project.

FDM and FFF refer to the

SAME TECHNOLOGY:
A close up image of a FFF/FDM
3D Print, showing the lines
and resulting layers of molten
plastic used to create it.
What FDM/FFF is great for
Incredibly affordable

Filament 3D Printing has become incredibly accessible and affordable in

recent years. In fact, even Aldi supermarkets here in Australia have sold 3D
Printers several times in the past! You can buy a good beginner 3D Printer
for $US200 and under and it will quickly repay itself in education value and
convenience of creating 3D Prints on site.

No geometric limitations*

Unlike almost any other manufacturing technique, 3D Printers don’t have

any geometric limitations. These machines take your digital 3D model and
reproduces it layer by layer, additively. This is very different to traditional
subtractive processes such as CNC milling which is limited in what geometries
it can reproduce.

*In reality, additive manufacturing technologies do have some limitations, such

as the need for support materials and print volume, but almost anything can
be reproduced which is incredibly liberating for designers and makers!

Every print is unique

Every 3D Print is a unique object, which makes the technology perfect for
prototyping and mass customisation where you may need many objects which
are similar in design but not identical.

A microfactory in your own home

3D Printers create objects all on their own and can easily fit into your home,
making them the perfect miniature factory in your own home. You can use
this machine to print educational models, to spare parts and even functional
products that you download online.
What it ISNT great for...
Mass production

3D Printing is not a replacement for automated industrial processes such as

injection molding, which can make countless identical copies of a part rapidly
and cheaply. 3D Printing with FDM/FFF is not easily scale-able as every object
will take the same amount of time to print no matter how many copies you
make, and each will be slightly different. While it is possible to make large
batches using a print farm (a large collection of automated 3D Printers), it’s
best to rely on these machines for on-demand production, prototyping and
small batch production.

High performance, safety critical, medical grade products

Unless you’re running a professional outfit, 3D Printed parts cannot be

subjected to the same rigorous safety checks and certification as those in
industry and should never be used in critical applications where their failure
could result in injury or death.

Further, FDM/FFF 3D Prints should not be considered food safe or fit for
medical use due to their semi-porous nature. Don’t risk it, always protect
yourself and others if printing on demand!

Clear models

Sadly, it’s almost impossible to 3D Print clear objects without a lot of post
processing (sanding and polishing). You can easily produce translucent parts
using clear PLA or PETG for fantastic light dispersal, but injection molding,
CNC or vacuum forming processes are the only reasonable method of reliably
producing transparent parts. Clear resin printing is possible with careful post
processing, however the parts will yellow over time.
EXAMPLES
Functional Prototypes

3D Printed plastic is strong enough to

create working prototypes so you can
iterate quickly and efficiently.

This robotics platform was designed to

test a range of experimental wheels, all
created on an entry level FDM/FFF 3D
Printer.
Spare Parts

Need to replace a broken part? You can

easily design and 3D Print a replacement in
a matter of hours!

This simple latching door stop saved a trip

to the store and only replaced the broken
part, using 50c worth of PLA plastic.

Curiosities and Learning Tools

Because there is very little geometric

limitations, you can 3D Print many
interesting objects for education and
learning.

This is a “Sphericon”, an unusual object

which rolls in an unusual manner.
OTHER 3D PRINTING
TECHNOLOGIES
SLA - “Stereolithography”

The first 3D Printing technology, invented in the 1980’s. Stereolithography

works by selectively curing areas of a photo-polymer resin using a UV laser.
Slices of a 3 dimensional object are rapidly filled in using the laser, and the
platform moves down in small increments, creating a solid object.

MSLA - “Masked SLA”

A cost effective variation of Stereolithography using a UV light source and LCD

panel to “mask” layer cross sections of resin to be cured, instead of a laser.
MSLA is rapidly gaining popularity as a high detail 3D Printing process for
miniatures and model makers and you can find its own quick start guide here.

SLS - “Selective Laser Sintering”

This process uses a laser to sinter plastic powder together. SLS has a unique
advantage among other processes of not requiring support materials - as the
unsintered powder supports the part as it’s printed. A number of polymers
are suitable for SLS and a variations DMLS “Direct Metal Laser Sintering” and
SLM “Selective Laser Melting” can even be used to create real metal 3D Printed
parts.

There are many more additive manufacturing processes with new ones being
developed and refined all the time. There are even developments in processes
for printing body parts, all the way to 3D Printed houses!
MUST KNOW TERMS
The 3D Printing community throws around a LOT of acronyms and terms!
Here’s some of the must know terms before getting started.

CAD

Short for Computer-aided Design, this is software you can use to create your
designs using a computer (as well as phone, tablet or even in VR!). Many CAD
programs exist with vastly different functionality and intended uses.

Extruder

The assembly on a 3D Printer which pulls plastic filament into the machine, to
be melted and extruded out in a precisely controlled line.

Filament

A spool of plastic wire of a specific diameter which is melted by the 3D Printer

in a controlled manner to form 3D Printed objects. The most common filament
diameters used are 1.75mm and 2.85mm (sometimes referred to as 3mm).

G-code

The instructions followed by your 3D Printer to create an object. 3D Printers

are “dumb” and for the most part will follow blindly the G-code instructions
provided. It is not necessary to learn G-code commands to run a 3D Printer,
but it can be a useful skill for advanced or experimental use.
MUST KNOW TERMS cont.
Print Bed

A specialty surface on which your object is created. Some 3D Printers will heat
this surface to help parts stick securely during the 3D Printing process.

Slicer

The software used to convert STL models into commands your 3D Printer can
understand, with a wide range of options such as temperature, print speed
and layer height. There are many slicers available, ranging from free and open
source to paid and proprietary options.

Stepper Motor

A low cost, precisely controlled motor used to control the movement axis’ and
extruder. These motors move in precise “steps” provided by the control board
as it follows G-code instructions.

STL

The file format used in 3D Printing processes.

An example of G-code, but

don’t worry! You don’t have to
learn it to use a 3D Printer!
That’s the job of your Slicer.
FILAMENT TYPES
PLA - Polylactic Acid (190-215°C)

The perfect beginner’s filament! PLA is a

renewable bioplastic made from starch.
Easy to print and doesn’t require a heated
bed. Low temperature resistance and
toughness, however modified PLAs exist,
with improved properties.

PETG - Polyethylene terephthalate glycol

(230-250°C)

Rapidly gaining popularity for 3D Printing

due to its higher strength than PLA and
lower shrinkage than ABS. Requires a
heated bed and must be kept dry for
optimum print quality.

ABS - Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (220-

260°C)

Petroleum based thermoplastic with good

toughness and temperature resistance.
Difficult to print without warping, requiring
a high ambient temperature and heated
print bed. Easily solvent welded, sanded
and painted.
FILAMENT TYPES cont.
Flexibles

There are many kinds of flexible filaments

such as TPU, TPE and modified flex PLA.
These materials can be difficult for some
extruders to handle without jamming but
allow you to print durable, flexible models!
Printing with flexibles is challenging and not
recommended for beginners.

Others

There are countless more filaments available

for your FDM/FFF 3D Printer, as well as
modified materials with interesting finishes
and properties, such as this gorgeous and
shiny Elixir PLA from Polyalchemy.
FURTHER LEARNING
Want to dive deeper?

If you are interested in joining the 3D Printing revolution but unsure what
machine to buy, consider our popular buyers guide -

Purchasing your First 3D Printer (FDM/FFF)

This video course will teach you how to source the perfect 3D Printer for your
needs, whether for Work, Education or Hobby use.

Discover how FDM/FFF 3D Printers work, what makes them move and how
they’re manufactured with over 3 hours of learning content.

VISIT https://www.makersmuse.com/purchasing-your-first-3d-printer-fdm-fff
ABOUT
​ aker’s Muse is a Technology YouTube channel based in Sydney, Australia. It is
M
our aim to empower creativity through technology.

We showcase advanced manufacturing technologies through reviews, tutorials

and projects.

Angus has been producing educational content on YouTube since 2014 and has
worked with advanced manufacuring technologies such as 3D printing since
2008.

Join over 800 thousand subscribers around the world in learning more about
this facinating technology, and how how to apply it to what you are passionate
about - www.youtube.com/MakersMuse

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