From Wiki

Filament used by RapMan's extruder is a plastic rod with 3mm diameter. You will most likely found it in specialised shops under name "welding rod" as these are generally used for welding plastic. Note that "welding filament's" come in few different shapes .. triangle cross section, circular cross section and stripes (cubical cross section). You need ones that are circular cross section 3mm diameter. Note that there are also 6mm and 12mm welding rods available but those are not suitable for BFB extruder.

There is a wide viariety of materials that have been tried and tested with RapMan. At the moment these are all polymers but there has been some experimenting in the RepRap community with "exotic" materials such as sugar or chocolate.

The often used polymers with RapMan are:

• ABS
• HDPE
• LDPE
• PP
• uPVC
• PLA
• Acrylic Not used for printing but many component parts of RapMan are made from it.

Note. MSDS safety data sheets for these materials can be downloaded from the BfB website. Downloads

Plastic Identification Code

Seven groups of plastic polymers, each with specific properties, are used worldwide for packaging applications (see table below). Each group of plastic polymer can be identified by its Plastic Identification code (PIC) - usually a number or a letter abbreviation. For instance, Low-Density Polyethylene can be identified by the number 4 and/or the letters "LDPE". The PIC appears inside a three-chasing arrow recycling symbol. The symbol is used to indicate whether the plastic can be recycled into new products.

The PIC was introduced by the Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. which provides a uniform system for the identification of different polymer types and helps recycling companies to separate different plastics for reprocessing. Manufacturers of plastic products are required to use PIC labels in some countries/regions and can voluntarily mark their products with the PIC where there are no requirements. Consumers can identify the plastic types based on the codes usually found at the base or at the side of the plastic products, including food/chemical packaging and containers. The PIC is usually not present on packaging films, as it is not practical to collect and recycle most of this type of waste.

Plastic Identification Code	Type of plastic polymer	Properties	Common Packaging Applications
	Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET, PETE)	Clarity, strength, toughness, barrier to gas and moisture.	Soft drink, water and salad dressing bottles; peanut butter and jam jars
	High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)	Stiffness, strength, toughness, resistance to moisture, permeability to gas.	Milk, juice and water bottles; trash and retail bags.
	Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)	Versatility, clarity, ease of blending, strength, toughness.	Juice bottles; cling films; PVC piping
	Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)	Ease of processing, strength, toughness, flexibility, ease of sealing, barrier to moisture.	Frozen food bags; squeezable bottles, e.g. honey, mustard; cling films; flexible container lids.
	Polypropylene (PP)	Strength, toughness, resistance to heat, chemicals, grease and oil, versatile, barrier to moisture.	Reusable microwaveable ware; kitchenware; yogurt containers; margarine tubs; microwaveable disposable take-away containers; disposable cups and plates.
	Polystyrene (PS)	Versatility, clarity, easily formed	Egg cartons; packing peanuts; disposable cups, plates, trays and cutlery; disposable take-away containers;
	Other (often polycarbonate or Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS))	Dependent on polymers or combination of polymers	Beverage bottles; baby milk bottles; electronic casing.