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Pick a material
What each one is good at, where it fails, and roughly what it costs. Availability depends on the maker.
PLA
The default choice for models, prototypes and display pieces: sharp detail, easy to print, but it softens in a hot car.
Good for: Models and display pieces
Black, White, Grey, Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Natural
- Strength
- Heat resistance
- Flexibility
- Detail
- Outdoors
- Example priceA 20 cm³ part at 20% infill
- $9.06
PETG
Tougher and more heat-tolerant than PLA without needing an enclosure. The everyday pick for functional parts.
Good for: Everyday functional parts
Black, White, Grey, Clear, Red, Blue, Green, Orange
- Strength
- Heat resistance
- Flexibility
- Detail
- Outdoors
- Example priceA 20 cm³ part at 20% infill
- $9.08
ABS
Heat-resistant and machinable, and it can be smoothed with acetone. Good for enclosures and automotive interior parts.
Good for: Heat-resistant enclosures
Black, White, Grey, Red, Blue, Natural
- Strength
- Heat resistance
- Flexibility
- Detail
- Outdoors
- Example priceA 20 cm³ part at 20% infill
- $8.96
ASA
ABS that survives the sun, the one to pick for anything that lives outdoors year-round.
Good for: Outdoor parts
Black, White, Grey, Red, Blue, Natural
- Strength
- Heat resistance
- Flexibility
- Detail
- Outdoors
- Example priceA 20 cm³ part at 20% infill
- $9.22
TPU (flexible)
Rubber-like and bendable: gaskets, phone cases, grips and anything that has to squish and spring back.
Good for: Flexible grips and gaskets
Black, White, Clear, Red, Blue
- Strength
- Heat resistance
- Flexibility
- Detail
- Outdoors
- Example priceA 20 cm³ part at 20% infill
- $9.51
Nylon (PA)
Slippery, tough and fatigue-resistant. The choice for living hinges, gears and snap-fits that get used every day.
Good for: Gears and living hinges
Black, Natural, White
- Strength
- Heat resistance
- Flexibility
- Detail
- Outdoors
- Example priceA 20 cm³ part at 20% infill
- $10.01
PETG carbon fibre
PETG with chopped carbon fibre: much stiffer and dimensionally stable, with a matte black finish that hides layer lines.
Good for: Stiff, dimensionally stable parts
Black
- Strength
- Heat resistance
- Flexibility
- Detail
- Outdoors
- Example priceA 20 cm³ part at 20% infill
- $9.51
Nylon carbon fibre
The strongest thing on an FDM printer: jigs, brackets and end-use parts that have to take real load and heat.
Good for: Loaded brackets and jigs
Black
- Strength
- Heat resistance
- Flexibility
- Detail
- Outdoors
- Example priceA 20 cm³ part at 20% infill
- $11.08
Polycarbonate
Impact-proof and good past 110 °C: light housings, guards and anything that gets dropped or gets hot.
Good for: Impact-resistant guards
Black, White, Clear
- Strength
- Heat resistance
- Flexibility
- Detail
- Outdoors
- Example priceA 20 cm³ part at 20% infill
- $9.73
Standard resin
Resin printing at its sharpest: miniatures, jewellery masters and any part where surface finish is the whole point.
Good for: Miniatures and detailed models
Grey, White, Black, Clear, Beige
- Strength
- Heat resistance
- Flexibility
- Detail
- Outdoors
- Example priceA 20 cm³ part at 20% infill
- $19.82
Tough resin
Resin detail without the brittleness: snap-fits, housings and functional prototypes that need to survive being handled.
Good for: Detailed functional prototypes
Grey, Black, Amber
- Strength
- Heat resistance
- Flexibility
- Detail
- Outdoors
- Example priceA 20 cm³ part at 20% infill
- $21.26
PA12 (SLS)
Laser-sintered nylon: no supports, so interlocking and hollow geometry prints in one piece with isotropic strength.
Good for: Interlocking functional parts
White, Natural, Dyed Black
- Strength
- Heat resistance
- Flexibility
- Detail
- Outdoors
- Example priceA 20 cm³ part at 20% infill
- $17.45
These are general properties, not a spec sheet. If your part has to hold a load or survive heat, say so in your request and the maker will tell you what they'd use.