Materials
The right plastic matters more than the printer. We print production parts in nine families of engineering and everyday plastics, and we choose the material from where your part will be used: heat, sunlight, chemicals, wear or flex. Tell us the job and we'll recommend the material.
Quick guide
Indoors, light duty
PLA or PETG
Outdoors or in sunlight
ASA
Wet, washed down or in water
PETG, ASA or PP
Heat above about 100 °C
Nylon or PC
Wear, sliding or snap-fits
Nylon (PA6 or PA12)
Needs to flex or seal
TPU
Chemicals or cleaning agents
PP or PETG
Stiff, structural parts
Carbon- or glass-filled
Flame-retardant required
FR ABS or FR PC
The materials
Each material below is one we run in production. The temperature on each card is a rough guide to where the plastic starts to soften.
Softens around 55 °C
Good for: indoor jigs, fixtures, dummy units, display parts and fit-check samples. Stiff, accurate and the lowest cost per part.
Watch out: not for outdoors, vehicles or anything near heat. It can deform in a hot car or a sunny window.
Softens around 70 °C
Good for: everyday production parts such as enclosures, covers, clips and brackets. Tougher than PLA, handles moisture and many cleaning chemicals.
Watch out: fair UV resistance only, so we'd choose ASA for parts that live in full sun.
Softens around 95 °C
Good for: housings and parts that run warm, like electronics enclosures. Tough, and it can be sanded, glued or painted. Flame-retardant grade available.
Watch out: yellows and goes brittle in sunlight over time. Use ASA outdoors.
Softens around 95 °C · UV-stable
Good for: anything outdoors. Outdoor enclosures, sensor housings, caps and covers, signage and vehicle exterior parts. Similar to ABS, but built to handle sunlight.
Watch out: costs a little more than ABS, so we only use it where sun exposure is real.
Softens around 110 °C or higher
Good for: strong, impact-resistant parts and housings near heat sources. Flame-retardant grade available for electrical applications.
Watch out: higher cost per part, and some solvents attack it. Tell us what it will be cleaned with.
Softens around 150–180 °C, depending on grade
Good for: gears, bushes, hinges, snap-fits and wear parts, including parts that run hot. Tough, slightly flexible and low-friction, so it survives repeated use.
Watch out: absorbs moisture, PA6 more than PA12, which can change dimensions slightly. We allow for it in the design.
Flexible · rubber-like
Good for: gaskets, seals, bumpers, feet, grips, cable strain reliefs and protective sleeves.
Watch out: not for rigid or very precise parts. Tight tolerances are harder to hold.
Chemical-resistant · light
Good for: parts that meet chemicals, oils or cleaning agents, and living hinges that bend thousands of times.
Watch out: less stiff than other options and harder to print accurately on large flat parts.
Stiffer · more stable
Good for: structural brackets, jigs and fixtures that must stay stiff and hold their shape. Available in nylon, PETG and other base plastics.
Watch out: more brittle under sudden impact, and higher cost per part.
Temperatures are typical figures for standard grades. The real limit depends on the load and the part's design, so we confirm it for your part. Food contact needs the right grade and design, so we advise on it case by case. We print in plastic only and don't make metal parts.
Send us the part and tick where it will be used on the quote form. We'll recommend a material, explain why, and price it before anything is printed.
