PLA is the most common material but there is such a wide variety of raw materials for 3D printing that sometimes it is difficult to reach the best decision for your project. The comprehensive article that will help you do this, while learning about the properties of each material for example – type, minimum thickness, texture, strength and more.
When choosing a raw material for 3D printing, one must understand the advantages and disadvantages of each material according to the intended use. Choosing the right material will improve the quality of the product, save time, and meet the unique needs of each project. In the following table you can see a comparison between the main materials on the market:
| raw material | Main features | Advantages | Disadvantages | Recommended uses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLA | Easy to print, biodegradable | Environmentally friendly, no high heating required | Less resistant to heat and abrasion | Prototypes, decorative objects |
| ABS | Heat resistant, flexible | Tough and durable in outdoor conditions | Requires a controlled printing environment due to odor | Mechanical products, automotive components |
| PETG | Break-resistant, odorless | High flexibility with excellent durability | Less suitable for very small details | Functional parts, durable toys |
| TPU | Flexible, extremely durable | High flexibility, resistance to friction | Slow and complex printing | Pipes, flexible parts |
PLA : An easy-to-print 3D printer material suitable for basic and aesthetic uses. It is biodegradable and therefore considered environmentally friendly. On the other hand, it is not suitable for parts that need to withstand heavy loads.
ABS : highly durable and suitable for parts required to withstand heat and pressure conditions. Requires a ventilated environment due to the smell emitted during printing.
PETG : material resistant to breaking and combines flexibility with rigidity. Suitable for a variety of uses that require high durability, but less accurate for very small details.
TPU : an extremely flexible material that allows the creation of parts with resistance to friction and wear. Its printing requires skill due to it being very soft and flexible.
In outdoor conditions, the corners sometimes warp (depending on thickness and heat) if you perform a full and thick finish (finish in automotive materials) to the product, it can be resistant to outdoor conditions.
The second material in the world according to consumption level of bioplastic according to Wikipedia Printing temperature: 195-220 degrees for the printer head (nozzle) work surface – 60 degrees. Nozzle working temperature: 210 degrees, when the nozzle is not steel (less good thermal conductivity) if 10 degrees higher. In a very large product (about 100 hours of printing) it is recommended to add glue and lower the heat of the bed fans.
If polishing or easy disassembly of supports is required (in an organic product) you can purchase SILK PLA, it must be taken into account that it is more fragile.
The article compares the different types of PLA Silk
Not every printer can print the material (a hermetically sealed printer is recommended) /
Durable up to 100 degrees, very comfortable to finish, rigid (less fragile than PLA) thermoplastic oil-based polymer.
One of the common filaments, preferred mainly by engineers, due to being lightweight, slightly flexible and durable. Excellent for manufacturing interlocking parts. Removal of supports will be done more easily compared to the use of other types of filament.
ABS Easy to sand or smooth with acetone.
The disadvantage that can not be filled with a product with a thickness thick over 20% filling.
The material has a contraction.
These effects are manifested in models that detach from the printing surface in the middle of a process, with poor connection of the model layers or warping. (Therefore, a closed compartment is needed to reduce the phenomenon) Fans.
Printing temperature: 235-250 degrees for the printer head (nozzle)
Work surface temperature: 95-105 degrees
(ABS has shrinkage properties. In printers without a closed compartment, care must be taken to adhere to the surface).
TPU -Thermoplastic polyurethane
Elastic material (does not stretch just bending), the easiest to print of the flexible, durable and unbreakable material.
Used mainly for skimmer shields (a final product that is resistant to blows from a concrete wall above 200 km / h), gaskets and telephone shields.
Print temperature:
220-230 degrees to the top of the printer (Diza)
Surface usually does not need heating (excellent adhesion to most surfaces)
Mechanically strong material, durable up to 80 degrees, a little harder to print than PLA (harder to disassemble supports), harder to finish a product.
This material is better known for its use in the beverage bottle industry, due to its toughness and breakability properties (more than PLA or ABS) and its specific gravity is light. This filament is odorless in the work process, due to its strength and stability in the printing process PET-G can be used to build unsupported models, which it is able to handle relatively easily.
Print temperature:
230-250 degrees to the top of the printer (Diza)
Work surface temperature – 70-85 degrees
In addition, the fan must be weakened to 50% (depending on the fan) in order to prevent clogging of the nozzle (depending on the printer).
While other materials are used to build the model itself, these are filaments used to build supports. Usually, a printer with an additional printhead will be used, in order to produce a combined model of supports from PVA or HIPS.
The main advantage of using these materials to build supports is the valve feature with soaking in certain liquids.
The HIPS usually comes in white.
It tends to bend, shrink and not adhere properly to an unheated surface. The dissolution process will be done with the help of a chemical called limonene (hydrocarbon limonene). Similar to its name, the material emits a very pungent lemon scent, is environmentally friendly and biodegradable, and is even biocompatible, so that it can be applied to bare skin, without fear of allergies.
HIPS is suitable for materials with a higher temperature in contrast to PVA which is usually suitable for PLA.
PVA is easy to use to create supports and requires work with a heated surface. Since it dissolves with water only, there is no need to lemon. Manufacturers recommend using lukewarm water to prevent damage to the rest of the model. The PVA is suitable for printers with FFF or FDM technology mainly.
Print temperature:
220-225 degrees to the top of the printer (Diza)
Work surface temperature: 55-60 degrees.
Despite the benefits of removing melting supports, it should be borne in mind that the process is complex, both in terms of designing the model for work on two printheads and in terms of the melting process.
Carbon Fiber PETG (carbon fiber)
An innovative XT-based filament, made of 10% carbon fiber. Carbon fiber is important as one of the strongest materials in the world and is used for construction and lightweight parts for the aviation industry as well as race cars.
There are several types of carbon such as: PLA Carbon, PETG Carbon, PA Carbon.
PETG-CF is stronger and indeed the carbon fibers grant strength and easier resistance to heat (about 10 degrees).
At the end of printing, The 3D model will get a matte finish.
PETG CF printing temperature:
230-250 degrees to the top of the printer (Diza)
Work surface – 60 degrees.
The temperature of the nozzle: 255 degrees, when the nozzle is not steel (thermal conduction is less good) if so 10 degrees more.
Fans: very much depends on the size of the product and the model of the machine.
Carbon Fiber PA – nylon (carbon fiber)
An innovative XT-based filament, made of 10% carbon fiber. Carbon fiber is important as one of the strongest materials in the world and is used for construction and lightweight parts for the aviation industry as well as race cars.
There are several types of carbon such as: PLA Carbon, PETG Carbon, PA Carbon.
PA-CF are stronger and indeed the carbon fibers grant strength and easier resistance to heat (about 10 degrees).
PA – nylon has a high shrinkage and indeed the carbon fibers significantly reduce the shrinkage.
At the end of printing, The 3D model will get a matte finish.
PA CF printing temperature:
250-270 degrees to the printer head (nozzle)
Work surface – 60 degrees.
The temperature of the nozzle: 275 degrees, when the nozzle is not steel (thermal conduction is less good) if so 10 degrees more.
Fans: very much depends on the size of the product and the model of the machine.
