We can already 3D print with filaments based on beer and coffee. Are you ready to 3D print with Entwined, a new sustainable hemp filament?

Specialist 3D printing filament company 3Dom USA has launched an interesting new product; Entwined, a eco-friendly filament based on hemp. According to their website, it’s the first commercially available hemp filament in the world.

“For centuries people have made countless things from the fibrous plant, hemp. Things like rope, ship sails, canvas, twines and cloth. Grown by many Founding Fathers on their own farms, it has at multiple points in history been a mandatory crop because of the many things from which it can be made.”

You’re probably also aware — and what the company is counting on to generate publicity — that hemp actually comes from the same plant as marijuana. It’s the third in a stimulating series of releases by 3Dom USA; Wound Up, a filament made from coffee, and Buzzed, a filament made from beer. Aside from tobacco, it looks like they’ve cornered the market in 3D printing buzz!

Ecological Benefits of Entwined Hemp Filament

Whilst the publicity around these exotic filaments has entertainment value, 3Dom USA is serious about producing sustainable 3D printing materials.

For Entwined, they’re using Manitoba, an industrial strain of hemp that’s grown in Canada. In order to grow the hemp crops, the company promises that no herbicides or pesticides are used. No dyes are used in the production of the filament, either, allowing it to maintain a natural brown color.

Compare and contrast with the use of corn crops used in the production of PLA filament, which grows less densely than hemp and is more agriculturally intensive. “The ecological benefits of using hemp are clear,” says Jake Clark, 3Dom USA CEO.

“It’s almost iridescent in its ability to showcase different shades and densities within the same printed object,” he says. And referring to the texture and grain of finished products, “there’s a large amount of visible bio-fill, something you don’t get with standard PLA.”

Check out the video below to get a feel for the hemp filament, or visit their store page here. Each 1kg spool of filament is available in either 1.75mm diameter or 2.85mm diameter, and retails for $59. Unfortunately, Entwined is already out of stock, but you can sign up for a waiting list to be notified when more becomes available.

We’ve already seen objects like coffee mugs printed with coffee filament and beer steins printed with beer. So the next question is, what will we make with hemp?