By far the most popular choice for a printing material is PLA. Polylactic Acid is the easiest material to print and often printers will come with some presets in the software specifically for PLA.
However there are other choices including ABS, TPU, PETG and Nylon. This page looks at the benefits of some of the most popular materials and gives some suggested settings for getting started.
Many printers will come with a length of PLA to get a new user started. PLA uses a reasonably low temperature of 180°C -> 220°C. It is dimensionally accurate and parts that are not too thin can be mechanically strong. It is UV tolerant, fuel proof and food safe. A decent print speed of about 60mm/s will allow parts to be created quite quickly.
PLA is one of a few materials that can be printed without a heated bed, however a bed temperature of 45°C or 60°C will help the initial layers stick. Slicer software will often have presets for PLA plastic which is a good starting point.
One downside of PLA is its glass transition temperature of 60°C. This means it is not suitable for moderate to high temperature applications. It also means drilling or cutting threads has to be done slowly to avoid damage.
PLA is suitable for space models, ornaments, vases and cookie cutters; with good design it can produce functional and robust brackets, bezels, levers, switches, handles and pullies.
ABS is a more durable option to PLA. Although it is weaker and less rigid, it is tougher and about 25% lighter. This toughness means it will distort and deform under load, rather than fracture. It also has four times the impact resistance.
The recommended nozzle temperatures for ABS are 220°C -> 250°C.
The glass transition temperature of ABS is 105°C making it suitable for higher-temperature applications.
ABS is more difficult to print but can give better functional parts than PLA. A heated bed is essential and a heated enclosure will help prevent taller parts warping. The part cooling fan settings will need to be reduced or in some cases switched off to get good layer adhesion. ABS is an easier material to machine and sand afterwards, because of its higher melting temperatures. The example bracket shown here was for a brake light switch for a moto-cross bike, so ABS was chosen to create a rugged and more heat resistant part.
Most people are already familiar with ABS from using LEGO, and the same properties you expect from a LEGO part, apply when it is 3D printed.
Be aware that fumes from ABS printing are not healthy, so put your printer in the garage rather than in the house, or install a fume extractor.
If you have an interest in printing flexible rubber-like parts then TPU is the easiest of the flexible materials to print. For trouble free printing, you really need a direct feed print head. Printing with a Bowden feed is possible but print speed will have to be lowered and you may run into bunching and jamming problems. Even with a direct feed, expect to lower the print speed to
15->20mm/s
Unlike the rigid materials, TPU is best printed with no retraction. There will be a small amount of stringing, but because it is flexible, pushing and pulling the material is not effective in reducing this. Hot end temperature should be 210°C -> 230°C. A heated bed is useful to ensure adhesion and a temperature of 40°C -> 60°C is recommended.
Projects needing flexible filaments might be gaskets and seals, grommets, grips, cushion pads, rubber feet, gaiters, tyres, bellows and drive belts.
At 50% infill, compression under 5kgs was very slight with a deflection of 1.9mm.
20% infill allowed a compression of 3.7mm and slight bucking of the side walls.
10% infill produced a very soft part and allowed a compression of 14mm.
5% was very soft and was completely squashed flat under less than 5kgs.
The native PET material is most associated with drinking bottles, but the addition of Glycol lowers the melting point to make it more suitable for 3D printing. Typical hot-end temperatures for PETG are therefore 220°C -> 250°C.
PETG is known for its durability and strength, and it is fairly resistant to elevated temperatures and provides good resistance to UV rays, water and many chemicals. However, PETG is less stiff then PLA, making it tougher, but less rigid. The glass transition temperature of PETG is 85ºC, so it is not as temperature tolerant as ABS. The main problem printing PETG is stringing which can be reduced with optimised retraction settings and temperatures but some stringing can be expected in most prints.
Although available in transparent colours, a printed part will allow light through but should not be thought of as clear. The light is diffused and so you cannot print see-through windows or lenses. The image shows three 20mm blocks printed with 1, 2, 3, and 4 bead wall thicknesses, to show how this affects opaqueness.
Nylon is well suited to mechanical parts due to its unmatched durability and dimensional stability. It is also known for its low friction coefficient and high melting point.
The temperatures required to print Nylon may not be possible with every printer and in most cases an all metal hot-end is recommended . Print temperature is between 240°C -> 290°C and the bed temperature should be 70°C -> 90°C.
Typical uses for nylon printed parts include gears, hinges, bushings and tools.
The table below contains some suggested starting parameters for these materials.
This document only covers some of the most common 3D printing materials.
Other options include ASA, Polycarbonate, Polypropylene, PVA and HIPS; and there are further materials which contain fillers such as metal filled, carbon filled and wood filled polymers.
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