ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

3D printing filament

3D printing filament is a long, thin strand of material that is used to create things in a 3D printer. Think of it like spaghetti that we use to make crafts instead of eating!

There are many different types of materials that can be used for 3D printing filament, such as plastic, metal, rubber and even food! Just like how we can use different types of play-doh to make different shapes and colors, using different filament materials can allow us to create objects with different properties, like being flexible or resistant to heat.

When we want to create an object using a 3D printer, we have to feed the filament through a little hole in the printer called the extruder. Once the filament is in the extruder, the printer heats it up until it becomes a liquid. This is kind of like when we melt some chocolate in a pan before pouring it into a mold.

Then, using a complex set of movements, the printer moves the melted filament around and squirts it out in tiny, precise lines. These lines are stacked on top of each other until the printer has built the entire object, layer by layer!

After the printer is finished building the object, the melted filament cools down and hardens, forming a solid 3D shape you can hold in your hand. It’s like how we wait for cookies to cool down after they come out of the oven.

So, just like we can use different colors and shapes of spaghetti to make crafts, 3D printing allows us to make all kinds of unique objects using different types of filament materials!