1. Why Conductive 3D Printing Needs a New Class of Materials
Introduce Electrifi™ at a high level, explain why conventional conductive plastics fall short, and frame Electrifi™ as a fundamentally different approach.
ELECTRIFI 101
1/1/20261 min read
For years, “conductive” 3D printing materials have existed largely at the margins of electronics manufacturing. Carbon-filled plastics—based on carbon black, graphene, or carbon fiber—made it possible to print antistatic parts, sensors, or touch elements. But they stopped short of enabling real electrical functionality.
Electrifi™ was developed to address this gap. Rather than relying on carbon fillers, Electrifi™ uses a percolated copper network embedded in a thermoplastic matrix, allowing electrical conductivity much closer to metals while preserving polymer processability.
Typical conductivity ranges:
Carbon-based conductive plastics: 1–1,000 S/m
Electrifi™: ~1,000–100,000 S/m
This leap in conductivity unlocks a new design space—one where conductors, contacts, and functional electrical features can be printed directly into plastic structures.
Electrifi™ is not intended to replace copper wire or traditional PCBs. Instead, it enables structural electronics, where electrical and mechanical functions are integrated into the same printed part.