{"id":8093,"date":"2020-09-24T08:21:22","date_gmt":"2020-09-24T08:21:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/?p=8093"},"modified":"2024-12-04T15:55:52","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T15:55:52","slug":"why-3d-printers-use-thermoplastic-materials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/why-3d-printers-use-thermoplastic-materials\/","title":{"rendered":"Why 3D Printers Use Thermoplastic Materials"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"215\" src=\"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/3d-printing-3758154_640-300x215.jpg\" alt=\"3D printer with thermoplastic material\" class=\"wp-image-8094\" srcset=\"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/3d-printing-3758154_640-300x215.jpg 300w, https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/3d-printing-3758154_640.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Thermoplastic is the most common material from which 3D printers build objects. Nearly all fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printers use a spool of thermoplastic filament. During operation, the FFF 3D printer will feed the filament into its nozzle head. As the filament is forced into the nozzle head, it&#8217;s extruded and released onto the print bed, thus building the object. Why do so many 3D printers use thermoplastic exactly?<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Is Thermoplastic?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Thermoplastic is defined as any polymer-based material that becomes moldable when exposed to heat and reverts back to a solid and hard consistency when cooled. It&#8217;s solid in its default state. When heated, though, thermoplastic material becomes softer and more pliable. It will then change to a solid state once the thermoplastic material has cooled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Supports Extrusion<br><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Thermoplastic material can be extruded, which is a necessary process for FFF 3D printers to build objects. FFF 3D printers have a nozzle head through which thermoplastic filament is extruded. The filament is fed into the nozzle where a patterned extrusion component gives it a cross-sectional profile. The extruded filament will then land in a specific area of the print bed to build the object layer by layer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Variety of Colors<br><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Another reason 3D printers use thermoplastic material is because it allows for a variety of colors. Thermoplastic material isn&#8217;t restricted to a single color. Rather, it can be dyed to achieve nearly any color. And since 3D printed objects are often colored, 3D printers use thermoplastic material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Allows for Transparency<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to a variety of colors, thermoplastic material can be transparent. If the object is designed to be see-through, a transparent material will be required. Thermoplastic is one such material that allows for transparency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">No Adhesives Needed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Thermoplastic material eliminates the need for adhesives. As previously mentioned, it changes from a semi-liquid to a solid state when cooled. There are other materials from which 3D printers can build objects. Unfortunately, many of them require the use of adhesives. If the material doesn&#8217;t harden on its own, an adhesive may be required. Thermoplastic material doesn&#8217;t require the use of an adhesive since it hardens when cooled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Low Cost<br><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Thermoplastic material is relatively inexpensive. Like with most materials, prices can fluctuate. Some thermoplastic material may cost less than $1 per pound, whereas other thermoplastic material may cost over $10 per pound. Regardless, it generally costs less than other materials used in 3D printing applications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thermoplastic is the most common material from which 3D printers build objects. Nearly all fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printers use a spool of thermoplastic filament. During operation, the FFF 3D printer will feed the filament into its nozzle head. &hellip; <a class=\"continue-reading\" href=\"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/why-3d-printers-use-thermoplastic-materials\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8094,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5475],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-3dprinting"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why 3D Printers Use Thermoplastic Materials | OneMonroe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/monroeengineering.com\/blog\/why-3d-printers-use-thermoplastic-materials\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why 3D Printers Use Thermoplastic Materials | OneMonroe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Thermoplastic is the most common material from which 3D printers build objects. Nearly all fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printers use a spool of thermoplastic filament. 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