Mikey77 didn’t actually 3D print circuits. In fact, he did the exact opposite by using his MakerBot Replicator 2 3D printer to help him etch the circuits on a copper clad board, using Ninjaflex filament.
First, using a free 3D modeling program called 123D Design, he drew out the circuit board pattern. He then equipped his MakerBot Replicator with Ninjaflex elastomeric rubber filament. He had to shy away from the typical ABS, PLA, or nylon filaments many of us are used to printing with, simply because of their lack of adhesion to copper clad boards. The NinjaFlex filament, on the other hand, sticks right to it and probably pretty much anything else one would try printing onto.
Read more details on 3D Print blog
We carry the Flex PCB Material – Pyralux – 6″ by 6″ Square in the shop!
Finally, the conductive material you’ve known you wanted but never knew you could have, its a sheet of flex PCB material! This is the stuff used to make flexible circuits, but raw and unetched.
We also carry Ninjaflex for making your own DIY 3d printed projects.
Looking beyond ABS? Tired of PLA? Open a world of possibilities, limited only by your imagination. NinjaFlex, a cutting-edge filament for 3D printers, is a specially formulated thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) that produces flexible prints with elastic properties.
Every Thursday is #3dthursday here at Adafruit! The DIY 3D printing community has passion and dedication for making solid objects from digital models. Recently, we have noticed electronics projects integrated with 3D printed enclosures, brackets, and sculptures, so each Thursday we celebrate and highlight these bold pioneers!
Have you considered building a 3D project around an Arduino or other microcontroller? How about printing a bracket to mount your Raspberry Pi to the back of your HD monitor? And don’t forget the countless LED projects that are possible when you are modeling your projects in 3D!
The Adafruit Learning System has dozens of great tools to get you well on your way to creating incredible works of engineering, interactive art, and design with your 3D printer! If you’ve made a cool project that combines 3D printing and electronics, be sure to let us know, and we’ll feature it here!