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Why This New Filament for 3-D Printers Could Make the Production Process Easier 3D Systems today unveiled a new support filament that dissolves in water as opposed to chemicals.

By Catherine Clifford

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Cubify

A new water-soluble material now available for 3-D printers is aiming to make the production process a little bit easier for creators.

Released today by 3D Systems, the new Infinity Support filament is like other support filaments in that it acts like a scaffolding for 3-D printed objects, allowing creators to print overhangs, suspensions and intricate patterns. However, unlike other filaments, the new biodegradable, corn-based plastic material rinses away with warm water as opposed to a chemical such as limonene. That could create fewer headaches for creators; it generally takes between 8 and 24 hours to dissolve a filament with limonene, not to mention that people who 3-D print have to keep the chemical on hand.

Related: How 3-D Printing Is Sweetening Your Eating Experience (VIDEO)

For a look at how this water-soluble filament is intended to be used, have a look at the video below.

The material is available starting at $49.99 on the 3D Systems ecommerce site, on Cubify, and through some retailers.

Related: 'We Had a Crush on the MakerBot': How 3-D Printing Won These Fashion Designers Over

Catherine Clifford

Frequently covers crowdfunding, the sharing economy and social entrepreneurship.

Catherine Clifford is a senior writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was the small business reporter at CNNMoney and an assistant in the New York bureau for CNN. Catherine attended Columbia University where she earned a bachelor's degree. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. Email her at CClifford@entrepreneur.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @CatClifford.

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