Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Join Jonathan and Keqing for a behind-the-scenes tour of Protoplant, the makers of Protopasta, one of our all-time favorite 3D printing filaments.
In this episode of Shop Talk, we visit Alex, co-founder of Protopasta, to:
- Hear the origin story of Protopasta and how it started with DIY extrusion machinery and a 2013 Kickstarter
- Explore their early engineering-grade materials like carbon fiber PLA, PC-ABS, and HTPLA
- See how they develop unique colors and effects, from High Five Blue to Lapis Lazuli and marble-style filaments
- Learn how they use master batches, pigments, pearl powders, glass fiber, and calcium carbonate to tune performance and appearance
- Watch the full filament production process: from raw pellets, mixing, extrusion, water cooling, and diameter control, all the way to precise winding
- Discover how community workshops and user-created recipes influence many of their released products
We also get hands-on and work with Alex to design and extrude a custom orange filament inspired by Nerf darts, using glass fiber and fillers to dial in both look and performance.
If you’re into 3D printing, materials, or just love seeing how things are made, this episode is for you.
Chapters:
0:00 – Intro: Why We Love Protopasta!
2:18 – Early experiments: carbon fiber PLA, PC-ABS, HTPLA
6:49 – Factory floor: pellets, pigments & master batches
8:42 – How filament is extruded, cooled & diameter-controlled
15:04 – Designing our custom orange filament
21:44 – Mixing the recipe: pigments, glass fiber & fillers
23:20 – Extruding and finishing the custom filament
►FREE TRIAL | https://autode.sk/3Wtfi20
►SUBSCRIBE | https://autode.sk/30njGGX
►GET STARTED | https://autode.sk/30k2DWh
►TRY AN EXTENSION | https://autode.sk/3EOUidW
CONNECT with Fusion on social media:
INSTAGRAM | https://autode.sk/2Enzh8P
TWITTER | https://autode.sk/45cIYTK
LINKEDIN | https://autode.sk/3UyieZS
FACEBOOK | https://autode.sk/3WaaZLb
Join Jonathan and Keqing for a behind-the-scenes tour of Protoplant, the makers of Protopasta, one of our all-time favorite 3D printing filaments.
In this episode of Shop Talk, we visit Alex, co-founder of Protopasta, to:
- Hear the origin story of Protopasta and how it started with DIY extrusion machinery and a 2013 Kickstarter
- Explore their early engineering-grade materials like carbon fiber PLA, PC-ABS, and HTPLA
- See how they develop unique colors and effects, from High Five Blue to Lapis Lazuli and marble-style filaments
- Learn how they use master batches, pigments, pearl powders, glass fiber, and calcium carbonate to tune performance and appearance
- Watch the full filament production process: from raw pellets, mixing, extrusion, water cooling, and diameter control, all the way to precise winding
- Discover how community workshops and user-created recipes influence many of their released products
We also get hands-on and work with Alex to design and extrude a custom orange filament inspired by Nerf darts, using glass fiber and fillers to dial in both look and performance.
If you’re into 3D printing, materials, or just love seeing how things are made, this episode is for you.
Chapters:
0:00 – Intro: Why We Love Protopasta!
2:18 – Early experiments: carbon fiber PLA, PC-ABS, HTPLA
6:49 – Factory floor: pellets, pigments & master batches
8:42 – How filament is extruded, cooled & diameter-controlled
15:04 – Designing our custom orange filament
21:44 – Mixing the recipe: pigments, glass fiber & fillers
23:20 – Extruding and finishing the custom filament
►FREE TRIAL | https://autode.sk/3Wtfi20
►SUBSCRIBE | https://autode.sk/30njGGX
►GET STARTED | https://autode.sk/30k2DWh
►TRY AN EXTENSION | https://autode.sk/3EOUidW
CONNECT with Fusion on social media:
INSTAGRAM | https://autode.sk/2Enzh8P
TWITTER | https://autode.sk/45cIYTK
LINKEDIN | https://autode.sk/3UyieZS
FACEBOOK | https://autode.sk/3WaaZLb
