Comprehensive Guide to Selecting Plastic Materials for 3D Printing

3D Print Plastic Parts Quickly After Selecting Your Material

The beauty of working with a custom manufacturer is access to a full range of materials and production methods that allow you to bring your unique design to life exactly as imagined. But when time is of the essence, fast decision making for a reliable material to accomplish your goals can be essential.

To help streamline the “let’s get it done” projects, we’ve compiled a list of our most popular materials and their reliable properties.

10 Most Popular Plastic 3D Printing Materials

FDM® Technology

ABS-M30™

ABS-M30 is an FDM material ideal for conceptual modeling, functional prototyping, manufacturing tools and end-use parts. Up to 70% stronger than standard FDM ABS, ABS-M30 is ideal for production parts, thermoform tools, lightweight jigs & fixtures and concept models. This thermoplastic has good tensile, impact and flexural strength properties.

 

ASA

ASA (Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate) is a UV-stable, production-grade thermoplastic. In addition to being UV-stable, ASA has color repeatability batch to batch. These features when combined with mechanical properties on par with ABS-M30 make ASA an ideal material choice for production and functional prototyping of outdoor applications.

 

 

PC-ABS

PC-ABS Black is a polycarbonate FDM material with superior strength and high-heat resistance when compared to other FDM materials. It offers the most desirable properties of both PC and ABS materials, including high strength with the heat resistance of PC and the flexibility of ABS. PC-ABS blends are commonly used in automotive, electronics and telecommunications applications.

 

 

Laser Sintering (LS)

Nylon 12 PA

Nylon 12 PA is an unfilled general-purpose LS Nylon 12 that offers strength and durability with a bright, white surface finish, good accuracy, and fine feature details. The LS Nylon has a good surface finish and feature definition, high chemical resistance and less deformation than Nylon 11.

 

Nylon 12 GF

Glass-filled Nylon 12 offers increased modulus for more rigid LS parts with greater strength. Surface finish and fine feature details are very good and heat deflection temperature (HDT) values are the best of the LS prototype materials. The LS Nylon 12 GF has higher tensile modulus & HDT that unfilled Nylon 12.

 

Stereolithography (SL)

Somos® ProtoGen 18420 

When you need a thermal and humidity resistant material for your parts, Somos ProtoGen 18420 delivers the performance you need. This material creates accurate, easy-to-clean off-white/ivory parts, ideal for automotive and medical prototyping applications.

 

 

Somos® WaterShed XC 11122 

Somos WaterShed XC 11122 is one of the industry’s most popular Stereolithography (SL) materials. It’s a clear, colorless material that mimics the look and feel of clear thermoplastics, such as acrylic. The photopolymer material is suited for prototyping lenses and electronic covers due to its acrylic-like appearance. Somos Watershed XC 11122 is a popular material in markets such as automotive, aerospace and consumer electronics for applications including packaging, RTV patterns, and durable concept models. This material also has excellent water resistance making it great for functional testing in humid and wet environments.

 

Somos® NeXt 

Somos NeXt is a durable SL resin that combines the accuracy of SL manufacturing with a toughness and durability not normally found in other resins. Based on the Somos DMX technology, Somos NeXt is a next generation of material that facilitates the production of tough, complex parts with improved moisture resistance and greater thermal properties. The photopolymer boasts higher impact resistance than standard SL resins.

 

PolyJet™

Vero™ 

Vero is a rigid photopolymer material family utilized in the PolyJet process for production of highly detailed prototypes and concept modeling. Vero materials can be built in a range of colors or produce parts in multiple colors and applied photo textures. Vero parts have fine feature detail and smooth surface finish from raw parts. Vero produces the best accuracy and edge visualization of other PolyJet materials.

 

 

Agilus™

Agilus30 is a rubber-like, elastomeric material utilized with the PolyJet 3D printing technology for flexible prototypes and components of models. Agilus30 is built in a range of transparencies and colors to create diverse, detailed parts. Capable of withstanding repeated flexing and bending, Agilus30 is an ideal PolyJet material for rapid prototyping and design validation. The material simulates the look, feel and function of rubber-like products, recommending it to prototypes like grips, gaskets and hinges.