Conductive thread for 3D printers

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

The beauty of the technology is that it does not require any special equipment - such a thread can run ordinary inexpensive PLA printers. Compared with existing conductive materials for 3D printing, this material, called the creator of F-Electric, has 1000 times more conductivity. Its resistivity is, according to the author, no more than one Ohm • cm. The campaign will last another 16 days, while a fifth of the funds have been raised. Based on the price of a thread indicated on Kickstarter, its cost is about 32 cents per gram.



The author of the campaign shares his vision of the future: “Imagine a world where you can print a mobile phone, sensors for the“ Internet of things ”, drones, wearable and built-in devices, with all electronic components at once. This is what we are striving for, and our F-Electric thread is a big step in that direction. ” For the first time, the author thought about printing conductive elements when he helped his son make an electromagnetic system for launching a toy rocket for a school project. Searching the Internet and not finding anything suitable, he, as often happens, decided to do everything himself. Having built a laboratory at home and experimenting with various materials, he came to the material that is now offered.