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Materials

PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU and resin, and an honest guide to which one your part actually needs.

  • ✓ PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU and standard resin stocked
  • ✓ Material recommended against what the part does
  • ✓ Specialist filaments sourced on request

Choosing by what the part does

Most material questions answer themselves once you say what the part is for. The honest short version is below.

PLA

Stiff, cheap, dimensionally accurate and easy to print well. Best surface finish of the filaments. Softens around 60 degrees, so it is wrong for anything that sits in a car or near heat, and it becomes brittle outdoors over time.

Use it for display pieces, prototypes, models and indoor parts that do not take load.

PETG

The default for functional parts. Handles UV, moisture and impact far better than PLA, flexes rather than shattering, and holds up outdoors for years. Slightly less crisp on fine detail and more prone to stringing, both of which are manageable with a tuned profile.

Use it for outdoor fittings, brackets, enclosures, replacement parts and anything that will be used rather than looked at.

ABS

Tolerates heat well and can be vapour smoothed to a glossy finish. It warps readily while printing and needs an enclosure, which makes it more expensive to run reliably.

Use it where operating temperature genuinely rules out PETG.

TPU

Flexible and very tough. Prints slowly and does not suit fine detail, but nothing else gives you a part that bends repeatedly without failing.

Use it for gaskets, grips, bumpers, straps and protective feet.

Resin

Layer heights to 0.025 mm and a surface that usually needs no sanding. Harder but more brittle than filament, and standard resins degrade in sunlight.

Use it for miniatures, masters, jewellery patterns and presentation models. Do not use it for parts that take load. See resin 3D printing.

Still not sure

Describe what the part does, where it lives and what would count as failure. That is enough for us to recommend one, and the recommendation comes with the quote.

Frequently asked

PLA or PETG?
PLA if the part lives indoors, is decorative, and needs to be dimensionally crisp. PETG if it goes outside, takes load, gets warm, or will be handled hard. PETG is the default for anything functional.
Can you print a material you do not stock?
Usually yes, sourced for the order. Carbon fibre filled, high temperature and engineering filaments are all available, though they carry a lead time and a higher price. Ask when you send the model.