Conductive thread for 3D printers

Kickstarter is currently running a campaign by entrepreneur Michael Tutongi, who claims to have created a conductive thread for use in 3D printers. With the help of such a thread it is possible to print the circuits directly on the printer - for example, print finished plastic products with conductive paths embedded in them. In the campaign, as an example of working devices, LED flashlights printed on the printer, electromagnetic locks and electromagnetic levitator are presented.

The beauty of technology is that its use does not require any special equipment - such a thread can be filled with ordinary low-cost PLA-printers. Compared to existing conductive materials for 3D printing, this material, called the maker of F-Electric, has 1000 times more conductivity. According to the author, its specific resistance is not more than one Ohm • cm. The campaign will last another 16 days, until a fifth of the funds collected. Based on the prices for a thread indicated on Kickstarter, its cost is about 32 cents per gram.


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The campaign author shares his vision of the future: “Imagine a world where you can print yourself a mobile phone, sensors for the“ Internet of things ”, drones, worn and embedded in the clothing of the device, with all electronic components at once. This is what we are striving for, and our F-Electric line is a big step in that direction. ” For the first time, the author thought about printing conductive elements when he helped his son to make an electromagnetic launch system for a toy rocket for a school project. Searching on the Internet and finding nothing suitable, he, as often happens, decided to do everything himself. Having built a laboratory at home and experimented with various materials, he came to the material that is now being proposed.