Have you ever wondered if conductive filament could be used to light up LEDs in your 3D prints? We did too! So we put it to the test in this exciting experiment. I’m Bryan DeLuca, and welcome to Maker Build It. This is part three in our series on integrating LEDs into 3D prints, and if you’re just joining us now, it’s a great time to catch up on the previous installments and subscribe for more!
Let’s see if we can use conductive filament to light up a 3D-printed Great Worm. Here’s how it went.
The Experiment: Conductive Filament Meets LEDs
We started with a spool of Amolen conductive filament, a small 200-gram roll. To keep things simple, we decided to use the Bambu Lab A1 printer with an AMS unit to handle this specialty filament. Despite the smaller spool size, the filament fit perfectly into the AMS, making setup easy.
To test the filament’s conductivity, we designed a small circuit-like pattern meant to mimic a PCB (printed circuit board). The pattern included two channels extended to connect the LED and the power source. The goal? Print these channels in conductive filament alongside standard PLA and test their ability to conduct electricity.
First Test: A Simple Circuit
We printed two strips of conductive filament and connected them to a 9-volt battery, quick-connect terminals, and a blue LED. The LED lit up! This proved the conductive filament could complete a circuit. However, the intricate pattern I designed was fragile, and I managed to break part of it during assembly. Still, it worked, showing promise for smaller-scale circuits.
This success inspired us to think bigger—and more complicated. Naturally, that meant testing the concept on a much larger print.
Scaling Up: The Great Worm
For our next test, we printed a massive, highly-detailed purple Great Worm (inspired by Dune or your favorite tabletop RPG monster). The plan was ambitious: run two channels of conductive filament through the worm’s body to power an LED in its mouth. A glowing Great Worm would certainly look intimidating and make a fun project to showcase!
Before hooking it up, we had one quirky idea: testing the conductive properties of the Bambu Lab’s multi-color “poop.” If you’ve used a Bambu Lab printer, you know it starts prints with a little purge block or “poop” to clean the nozzle. Could this leftover filament be conductive?
The Poop Test
We picked two small blobs of conductive filament purge, connected a battery and an LED, and… it worked! The purge blobs conducted electricity well enough to light the LED. While it was faint, this small success hinted that the filament’s conductivity could remain intact even in discarded material.
With our confidence boosted, we returned to the Great Worm to see if the larger-scale channels could power an LED.
Challenges with the Worm
Here’s where things got tricky. Despite my best efforts over 30 minutes of testing, the conductivity through the worm’s printed channels wasn’t enough to reliably light the LED in its mouth. Even when using multiple power sources, various LEDs, and different wiring methods, the results were inconsistent.
If the LED was placed close to where the power entered the conductive filament, it would light up. However, the conductivity decreased over longer pathways, likely due to the layer-by-layer printing process and mixing of materials in the AMS. The conductive filament wasn’t isolated in the channels—it bled slightly into surrounding layers, reducing its effectiveness.
Lessons Learned
Here’s what we learned from this experiment:
1. Conductive filament works… but not perfectly. It’s great for small circuits or simple pathways but struggles with complex designs involving long runs or mixed materials.
2. Design matters. Intricate patterns are fragile and prone to breaking, making simpler designs more practical.
3. Multi-material printing affects conductivity. Using an AMS to mix conductive filament with standard PLA reduced the filament’s effectiveness in this case.
4. Alternative approaches may be better. For larger prints, it might be easier to manually bore channels and run traditional wires for LEDs.
The Takeaway
Does conductive filament conduct? Yes. Is it practical for large, intricate designs? Not quite. While the filament worked beautifully in smaller tests, scaling up presented challenges. If you’re designing 3D prints with conductive filament, stick to straightforward circuits and avoid mixing conductive materials with non-conductive ones unless absolutely necessary.
This experiment wasn’t a total failure, though. Even in failure, there’s plenty of learning. For example, we proved the concept works for smaller applications and even discovered that leftover purge blobs could conduct electricity. Plus, we ended up with an awesome 3D-printed Great Worm that we’re excited to paint!
What’s Next?
While this experiment didn’t fully light up the Great Worm as intended, it’s opened the door to more creative possibilities. If you’re interested in learning more about 3D printing, DIY, or maker projects, be sure to follow Maker Build It. And remember—sometimes, the journey is just as fun as the destination.