User's Manual Part 2

Glossary
3D printer
The Polar3D printer melts plastic filament and d eposits
in layers or “slices” to additively build up a solid, three-
dimensional object. More generally, there are a variety of
forms of “3D printing”; see http://www.3dhubs.com/what-
is-3d-printing for an overview.
Plastic filament 3D printers are relatively inexpensive, and
accessible to stud e nts. Students may find it interesting to
consider how the sorts of thinking and skills developed using
aplasticfilament3Dprintercouldtransfertoalternate
forms of 3D printing.
ABS
ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene Styre n e) is an oil-based plas-
tic. If not qu i t e as environmentally friendly as PLA, it is
a bit tougher material, and besides its use as 3D printer
filament, it is also used in making plastic objects for every-
day use, including Lego bricks. 211, 213–215, 222, See also
filament & PLA
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