How Are Filaments Used for 3D Printing Made?

3D printing is not just one technique. Instead, it is an umbrella term for a plethora of techniques. This includes Fused Deposition Modeling, which is often referred to as FDM. FDM is a rather popular 3D printing process. Most of the 3D printers used by individuals actually make use of this technique. However, online 3D printing Canada with Fused Deposition Modeling would not be possible without filaments. Nowadays, there are many different types of filaments available at a 3D printing service UK. Below you can read how they are made.

Plastic

Producing filament starts with manufacturing the plastic. After all, filament is made out of plastic. During refinement, crude oil will be heated in a furnace. This separates its different components. One will be used in making plastics a lot: naphtha. Naphtha will be chemically bonded with other components in a polymerization reactor, which will then be compounded and processed to form plastic. 

Preparation

The plastic will be turned into small pieces. These will then be prepared for the next step. In the preparation phase, the pellets are placed in a blender. There, they will be mixed with additives. This is done to create a consistent blend, while it will give the filament particular properties too.

Shaping

The plastic can now be shaped. The pellets will thus be shaped into a string shape, this is done by heating and cooling it. Heating will be done in a filament extruder. This machine includes a heating chamber, where the pellets will be melted into a goo-like substance. After this is done, the filament will be cooled in several water chambers. This process will solidify the filament into a new shape.

Spooling

The filament can then be pulled from the cooling chamber. It will be placed into a spooling mechanism. First, the filament's diameter will be measured by a laser device. This is done to check if it is within the tolerance of the target diameter. If this is the case, the filament will be attached to a spool and wound around it. 

Packaging

The last step of the filament producing process consists of making the spools ready before they can be sold. Obviously, the filament will be placed into branded packaging based on the brand. Labels and barcodes will probably be added to the packaging as well. Subsequently, the filament can be shipped to the customers.