Debuting at CES 2026 in collaboration with Quantum Light. Be among the 1st to own and 3D print with Quantum Dot Filament by subscribing to Endless Exploration by Feb 28, 2026 for March's shipment which includes 3 Quantum Dot Filament colors - coil subs get a 100 g coils of each color - spool subs get a 500 g spool of each color. Enjoy the pasta!
-
Admittedly, this title of this blog was influenced by the recent experience of my oldest girl, Teagan, performing in the Wizard of Oz at the Judy. While being a "children's theater" the main actors were adults and the whole production was impressively professional, the costumes were ornate, and the use of video (in black and white) for a mixed media stage experience was absolutely mind-blowing. The creativity that seeing productions like this inspires in my own personal and professional life encourages me to fund art!
Art and exploration go hand and hand. Art is at the intersection of science, craft, mastery, curiosity, technology, failure, and success. What I love about art is that it encourages free expression, satisfying academic and obsessive interest in a subject. Being at the forefront of one's craft and having creative growth in what's next be the value, rather than protectionism of past success, may not be the most financial rewarding, but it is the most personally rewarding. While our founding team is a multi-disciplinary group of engineers, the business we've created is really to satiate the passion for creating new things, and we just happen to choose 3D printing filament as our obsession.
Okay, if you're still with me, I swear this relates to quantum dots...
While having functional purpose and practical use, quantum dots are also a new creative medium for expression. I love that with science, the form in which quantum dots can be prepared, enables their use as a pigment in which Olga Alexapoulou of Quantum Light can express herself. Her creativity and collaboration is why Protoplant, makers of Protopasta 3D printing filament, can now make quantum dot 3D printer filament. Further, how rewarding to, as a filament artist, formulate creative blends that other artists using 3D printing, like Daniel Bettencourt (also known as Kaizen3D), can express themselves and through novel applications like fashion and apparel. Mind blowing to say the least!
What is a quantum dot?
According to Google's AI overview, A quantum dot is a tiny semiconductor crystal, just a few nanometers across, whose optical and electronic properties change with its size due to quantum mechanics, allowing them to emit specific colors of light when excited, making them useful for vibrant TV displays, medical imaging, and advanced solar cells. They are often called "artificial atoms" because their confined electrons behave like those in isolated atoms, creating discrete energy levels that determine the color of light emitted (smaller dots emit bluer light, larger ones redder).
In practical terms and use, quantum dots create a hyper fluorescence when excited by black light, especially 365nm wavelength. You may think, "Well, that's nice, but so what?" The use can be simply visual pleasure. There's entertainment in the appearance alone! It could be wild to wear quantum dot 3D prints on the runway at a fashion show or in a playful game of black-light lit laser tag or golf. Maybe quantum dot filament will get used in industry as an indicator in some application or maybe someone designs + 3D prints a light that has an incomparable glow when using a black light bulb. Who am I to limit the potential use to my own ideas or what's been done before?
Part of Protoplant's core interest + values has been and continues to be making new things even when we don't always know how they will be used. Why that's interesting is because we learn from our customers and others through their creative interpretations. Courtney at Filament Stories was the first to change my mind about our own products, sharing that each spool and length of our multicolor filament like Nebula being unique was a feature, not a bug. Instead of making each 3D print the same solid color, why not make them vary so no 3D print is the same as another? I love how this challenges my rigid, middle-aged engineering neuropathways to realize the value in variety.
You see, engineers like myself often trying to normalize and make things the same, but there is also beauty and value in variation. Making something new available, you never know how someone will see things differently and what they'll make! That might sound scary to some people, but individual creativity contributing to collective growth is how you create a flourishing community. That's the good stuff!!! It's the potential in billions of people that makes the accessibility and maturation of desktop 3D printing so exciting.
When I started 3D printing 20+ years ago, only a few big companies and engineers at those companies had access to 3D printing. I mean, it makes sense, 3D printing was new, expensive, and companies worked to control the technology with IP so they could see return on their investments. Still, in my opinion, this goes too far, allowing companies to grow too large and stifle broader technology growth. Regardless, it was the expiration of key 3D printing IP that was the impetus in bringing 3D printing to the masses.
While we may be a niche company, our focus is not in spending time and money to protect IP, instead we invest in our own creative understanding and capabilities as well as connecting and collaborating with other pioneers they prioritize being creatively nimble. Community collaboration for shared creativity with other's like the 3D Printing Nerd, Joel Telling, to make Highfive Blue or AmieDD to make Blood of my Enemies is something special. That's not to knock IP protection and patents as a whole. They are a strategic choice that have value (especially perceived when seeking outside investment), but we enjoy our conservative customer-funded independence, growing organically while embracing the open collaboration and artistry made possible through 3D printing.
Back to the Wizard of Oz example, what if a future interpretation was performed with black light and Dorothy's Ruby slippers fluoresced with a brilliant red glow like seen below? Wouldn't that be visually stunning???
It's the collective creativity in collaboration with Olga and you (our community of fellow 3D printing nerds) that makes me excited and hopeful for the future of 3D printing!
With a little will and practice, anyone could design some ruby slippers in CAD with a free trial of Autodesk Fusion and 3D print quantum dot footwear. At the time of this article, the Bambu Lab A1 Mini 3D printer without AMS is currently $219.99 with free shipping. Endless Exploration subscribers can get started with 100g coils for only $24.99 + shipping. In total, you could be printing slippers for less than $300 plus your time. How accessible is that? When I started machines were $100ks-$1m+ and less capable.
What I want to know is, "What will you create with quantum dot 3D printing filament?"
I can't wait to see! Be sure to tag us on social so we can see. Thanks for exploring Protopasta and making our filament part of your creative journey!!!
All our best,
Alex and the Protopasta Team
Photos courtesy of Olga Alexapoulou of Quantum Light
P.S. Don’t have a 3D printer? You should! 3D printers are easier to use + more affordable, capable, and reliable than ever. There has never been a better time to start 3D printing. Find a friend, family member, library, or makerspace that has one. Ask a young person. Give 3D printing a try. It’s ok, 3D printers don’t bite!
Protopasta is made in the USA by Protoplant Inc. Founded by engineers in 2013, we control every step of the process with in-house machinery and materials. We’re a small team with a passion for making things, just like you! Thank you for choosing Protopasta!