ASA is a plastic with similar mechanical properties to ABS, but with substantially better UV and chemical resistance. ASA is ideal for use outdoors, as it can handle a wide range of temperatures, moisture, and UV exposure without significant degradation.

Polycarbonate is a htih strength and high temperature plastic that is often used in clear sheets under the brand name lexan. It is a highly durable and impact resistant plastic that can take a beating without significant damage.

PC is great for printing industrial equipment components and replacement parts, since it has the stiffness, impact resistance, and temperature resistance to survive in difficult environments. PC does not handle some solvents well however, specifically petroleum based solvents like WD40, cutting fluid, and loctite. These will cause PC parts to become brittle and crack under load.

Polypropylene is a soft plastic that is commonly used in the manufacturing industry to produce lightweight parts in a softer and more semi-flexible material. One of the more interesting features of PP is that it is significantly less dense than most other plastics, meaning that the same parts can be made lighter. It also has a very soft surface feel, but is still scratch and cut resistant enough to handle consistent use.

The layer adhesion of PP is off the charts strong, meaning that parts printed in this material are nearly the same strength in all axes. This incredible layer adhesion also makes PP the only FDM plastic that we can offer a 100% watertightness guarantee (under certain conditions).

PA6-CF is an extremely rigid plastic that can withstand temperatures hot enough to fully melt some other polymers. It achieves this with the combination of nylon and chopped carbon fibers which stiffen the material and make it exceptionally dimensionally stable.

Carbon Fiber filled materials are NOT good choices for direct contact with skin. The fibers inside of the part are able to be rubbed off the surface and embed themselves as splinters into your skin, which will cause itching and irritation. To use carbon filled materials in contact with skin, we strongly suggest either coating them or having us coat them in a layer of resin to seal the fibers away.

PA6 is extremely hydroscopic, so it will change material properties after it is printed and begins picking up moisture from the environment. To keep the extremely high stiffness, PA6-CF will need to be kept dry. We offer sealing services for our PA6 parts to lock out moisture (a thin coat of resin over the part) to achieve this in all environments. However, for parts that need increased toughness, adding moisture to the parts by boiling them increases elongation at break and decreases Young’s modulus, turning the material into a gummy consistency. This is especially popular with combat robotics builders, as moisture loaded nylons are extremely hard to crack and make great impact resistant parts inside of a robot.

PA12 is similar to PA6, but with a little less temperature resistance, lower strength, and less moisture absorption. This makes PA12 a popular choice for high moisture environments, as it undergoes little changes in performance as it absorbs moisture.

Just like PA6-CF, PA12-CF should not be directly in contact with skin or handled consistently, as the fibers can splinter off into skin. We can post process CF filled parts on request to seal the surface in resin or a coat of paint to make them safe to handle.

PA12 is often referred to as a diet nylon because of it’s lower potential than PA6, but it still exhibits excellent properties compared to many other materials. If you are in need of cost effectiveness, strength, toughness, and temperature resistance; PA12 may be the plastic for you.

PPA is a semi aromatic member of the Nylon family that exhibits incredible yield strength, stiffness, and temperature resistance. PPA is an extremely powerful plastic for use in demanding applications like automotive, industrial equipment, and even some aerospace applications.

PPA is a semi crystalline material, meaning that it forms interlocking structures in the polymer chains when it cools that gives the plastic many of it’s incredible characteristics. This is similar to some ultra high performance plastics like PEEK, making PPA a viable alternative in many conditions.

Like all fiber filled materials, PPA-CF should not be directly handled as it can leave splinters of fiber in the skin that cause irritation. We suggest sealing any PPA parts in a resin or paint if they will be in consistent contact with skin, and we will seal PPA-CF parts on request for our customers.

PPS-CF is a high performance polymer similar to PPA that also exhibits a semi crystalline structure. This produces a plastic that is slightly stronger and more temperature resistant than PPA, but with slightly lower stiffness.

In many ways, this plastic is interchangeable with PPA and provides extreme dimensional stability for automotive, industrial equipment, and aerospace applications. To decide between PPA and PPS, you need to choose between slightly higher strength and temperature resistance, or higher stiffness.

Like with all of our CF materials, PPS-CF should not make direct contact with skin otherwise it will leave irritating splinters behind. We recommend sealing PPS-CF parts in some form of resin or paint if they are to be handled, and customers can choose to have us seal parts for them so there is no exposure risk or hassle needed for installation and use.

Our soft TPU and TPE materials are some of the most flexible materials that can be 3D printed. These plastics excel at producing liners for equipment, grippers, shock absorbers, wheels, tires, and various other components. With layer adhesion off the charts and extreme elongation at break, snapping these parts is like trying to snap a rubber band. Our TPE materials (especially our nitrile based TPE) are exceptionally grippy and are fantastic for compliant grippers on robots, wheels, or any other parts that need to generate a lot of friction.