This is our internal research and developed reference
PLA
Stats
Polylactic Acid
Print Temp: 215-260°C (Hotend) 60-80°C (Bed)
Glass Transition Temperature: ~65°C
Density: 1.24 g/cm^3
Tensile Strength: ~37 MPa
Flexural Modulus: ~4 GPa
Elongation: ~4%
Hyrdoscopic: Yes
Enclosure: Not Needed
Best Applications
PLA is the best general purpose material. It's low cost, easy to print, and pretty strong. However PLA isn't necessarily the most durable material for outdoor use due to its low temperature resistance. A hot sunny day could lead to your PLA prints warping outdoors! SOme variants of PLA such as PLA Pro or PLA+ can overcome these warping risks in higher ambient heat, however it still remains a risk. With careful consideration of this however, PLA is still a suitable prototyping material for outdoor testable parts, though likely not suited for final parts.
Model
Our Rating
Price per KG
Notes
Inland PLA
$18
Okay for general use, however tends to be very brittle. Horrible temperature resistance.
Inland PLA+
$19
Best general purpose PLA at an afforable price.
Inland PLA Tough
$25
Stronger than normal PLA and has higher heat resistance, really good material.
Prusament PLA
$30
Best PLA all around, premium feel and beautiful print results, just a little too expensive for general use.
PETG
Stats
Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol
Print Temp: 215-260°C (Hotend) 60-80°C (Bed)
Glass Transition Temperature: ~80°C
Density: 1.27 g/cm^3
Tensile Strength: ~28 MPa
Flexural Modulus: ~2 GPa
Elongation: ~25%
Hyrdoscopic: Yes
Enclosure: Not needed but good to have
Best Application
Though not as strong as PLA, PETG has superior temperature resistance. It's a great general use material for any part that could be printed in PLA but needs that extra bit of heat resistance. It's flexibility is also something that can be useful, however its challenging to achieve good layer adhesion on PETG, so any high flex appliances will lead to cracking. PETG is also increibly challneing to paint or use adhesives on. Most paints will stick, and strong adhesives like epoxy will work, but in our experience both fail quite easily overtime on PETG.
Model
Our Rating
Price per KG
Notes
Inland PETG
$19
Overture PETG
$25
ASA
Produces Toxic Fumes when printing! Make sure to ventilate!
Stats
Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate
Print Temp: 220-250°C (Hotend) 90-100°C (Bed)
Glass Transition Temperature: ~100°C
Density: 1.07 g/cm^3
Tensile Strength: ~30 MPa
Flexural Modulus: ~2 GPa
Elongation: ~5%
Hyrdoscopic: Yes
Enclosure: Needed
Best Applications
Contrary to popular belief, ASA isn't the king of strong 3D prints, as we can see from it's rather poor tensile strength, it's a rather brittle material. However its primary advantage is at heat and weather resistance, making it a rather durable material for outdoor applications that won't require very high loads. Keep in mind it's not the easiest material to work with due to it's likeliness to warp and toxic fumes produced during printing.
Model
Our Rating
Price per KG
Notes
Inland ASA
25
Cheap ASA good for general high temp parts, though not the best finish.
PA (Nylon)
Stats
Nylon
Print Temp: 250-300°C (Hotend) 90-100°C (Bed)
Glass Transition Temperature: ~70-80°C
Density: 1.15 g/cm^3 (May vary for fiber reinforced)
Tensile Strength: ~76 MPa (~150 Mpa for fiber reinforced)
Flexural Modulus: ~110 GPa
Elongation: ~90%
Hyrdoscopic: Yes
Enclosure: Needed
Best Applications
Nylon isn't an easy material to work with and can be very expensive, but it yields amazing qualities in terms of strength and overall performance. It yields incredibly durable parts. However it's flexibility may limit its usable applications. There are many Glass Fiber and Carbon Fiber reinforced Nylons that can yield very stiff parts while retaining many of the great qualities of nylon. As stated earlier, it is a very expensive material to work with, hence why we reserve it for final parts rather than prototyping.
Model
Our Rating
Price per KG
Notes
Polymaker Polymide PA12-CF
$140
Best Carbon Fiber reinforced nylon for humid applications, absolutely durable prints, but very expensive.
Polymaker Polymide PA6-CF
$70
Best Carbon Fiber reinforced nylon overall in terms of price and performance. Being PA-6, it will absorb more moisture. Has better mechanical properties than PA-12.
Qidi Tech PA12-CF
$100
Very close to Polymaker PA-12-CF but cheaper. Seems to be slighty weaker but yields very clean prints.
Cleaning Filament
Best Application
Cleaning filament helps to capture any debris captured inside the hotend and clean/purge out the old material. Regular use of cleaning filament will not only ensure the longetivity of your hot end, but prevent clogs, and even in some circumstances help unclog small obstructions. It's a great addition to your 3D printing maintenance toolbox. Where cleaning filament really shines is with materials with additives such as composite filaments. We regularly purge our hotends with cleaning filament every so often when using composite filaments to prevent a jam.
Model
Our Rating
Price per KG
Notes
eSUN Cleaning Filament
$120 (sold for $12 for 100 grams)
This cleaning filament has expanding propertise, so it really catches every bit of small foriegn debris trapped. We really like this cleaning filament.
