Material extrusion is an additive manufacturing (AM) technology that uses a continuous filament of a composite or thermoplastic material to create 3D parts layer by layer. The filament is fed from the spool through a heated extrusion nozzle which heats the material and deposits it onto the platform.
Although this method is not as accurate and fast as other additive manufacturing processes, the material extrusion technology and materials are inexpensive, making it the most popular 3D printing method for home hobbies. In industrial settings, material extrusion is used for rapid prototyping.
The material extrusion process is as follows:
The heated nozzle delivers material to the build platform to create the first cross section of the final object.
Further layers are added as needed, with each layer fused to the previous one either by temperature control or by chemical agents.
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