Material Guide and Information
Standard Filaments
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PLA is the most common filament type you'll find in the world of 3D printing. It's cost effective, strong, lightweight and available in a huge range of finishes, such as colour shift, marble effect and metal effect, as well as countless regular colours. For most decorative or light-duty structural projects used indoors, PLA will be perfect. It's also great for prototyping in a range of industries, or for testing parts before printing in a more specialised material. If visual appeal is very important, PLA-CF is a better choice.
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PETG is another very common grade of plastic used in 3D printing. It offers enough strength with slightly less stiffness than PLA, but with more flexibility and almost twice as much impact resistance. It also has increased UV and temperature resistancr. PETG lends itself well to most applications PLA is suitable for, as well as being useful outdoors thanks to its weatherproof characteristics. As a trade-off, it is slightly more expensive, and isn't available in quite as many finishes.
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ABS is a grade of plastic very commonly used in consumer products for its low cost and versatility. In 3D printing, its use is less widespread, but not uncommon. ABS filament has a very low density and noteworthy temperature resistance, and is available in a wide range of finishes. It is best suited to batch jobs where larger quantities of non-structural small parts will be printed, as this maximises its cost advantage. While offering higher temperature resistance, ASA or PC is a better choice if UV resistance is required. For large parts requiring the same temperature resistance, we recommend ABS-GF, as it experiences less warping when printing.
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ASA is a modified version of ABS with increased temperature resistance, strength and most notably, increased UV resistance. Of course, ASA comes at a small premium, and isn't available in as many colours as ABS or PETG, but it is cost-effective for many outdoor applications. It can withstand harsh Australian summers while providing decent levels of strength and durability. For decorative and light-duty structural outdoor applications, ASA is a perfect fit. For outdoor parts requiring higher strength, we recommend PA6-CF or PC.
Specialised Filaments
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PLA-CF is a high-strength version of the same ubiquitous PLA used in the 3D printing industry. It serves as a two-in-one material - it has an ability to mask printing layer lines and provide a very even finish, making it well suited to decorative prints and projects with a focus on aesthetics. But it's also a great choice for indoor parts where high stiffness and rigidity are needed. PLA-CF comes at a small premium to regular PLA, but its improved functionality and visual appeal makes it well worth the upgrade in many instances.
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PC is another material very common in everyday products that has less prevalence in 3D printing. It has a somewhat limited scope of application, as it can normally be traded for much cheaper ASA, or the similarly priced but much stronger PA6-CF. PC is really only necessary in two specific applications; where high UV resistance is important and ASA won't be strong enough, or; where a part needs to have high temperature resistance and and translucency (PC can be printed in clear and dark-tinted clear finishes).
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PA6-CF, more commonly known as Carbon Fibre Reinforced Nylon, is our highest-performing material available. Extremely strong and rigid while still being very lightweight, there isn't much that PA6-CF can't handle. And with a temperature resistance of 186ºC, it will hold up in demanding engineering and mechanical applications. PA6-CF will be overkill for most 3D printing projects, but if you have a complex engineered part that demands the best material available, look no further.
