Home printing – Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) printers

Currently, the most common printers you would find in a home, library, makerspace, or neighborhood 3D Hub are what are called the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) or Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) printers. I often describe these printers as similar to the hot glue guns you would see used for crafting or electronics projects. A spool of plastic string (filament) is fed through a hot end that heats the plastic up to the point where it is malleable and the printer can draw with it. The printer will print one layer of your object directly on a platform called the built plate, move up, print the next layer, and so on until your piece is finished.