Michael Larson
Lead R&D Engineer (Aerospace)
Just like you've got to pick the right horse for the right course, you've got to pick the right filament for your 3D printing ...
Just like you've got to pick the right horse for the right course, you've got to pick the right filament for your 3D printing project.
Sometimes, electrical conductivity is a main priority. Here are some filament types for those times.
Carbon Fibre
Carbon fibre is perhaps the prime choice for conductive filaments. It conducts well and has a reasonably high durability level, but it can be brittle.
CNT Polycarbonate
Polycarbonate filaments are renowned for high levels of tensile strength. Adding carbon nanotubes (CNTs) provides electrical conductivity too.
ABS
ABS, or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, is a widely used filament type in a lot of 3D printing applications. It offers some electrical conductivity, which can be enhanced with the addition of carbon.
PLA
Polylactic acid is another popular filament type due to its low cost. Not all types of PLA are conductive, but some are.
You've got a lot of choice here. Carbon fibre or CNT poly is probably your best bet.