3D Printing Material Library

3d printing material selectionToday's 3D Printing material selection seems endless!  While consumer grade 3D printing offers the most options in terms of color, affordability, industrial material options offer the highest performance of in terms of strength and thermal properties, at the expense of high cost.

 

Innova 3D, LLC's in-house printing options support the widest range of colors and materials available in the non-industrial 3D printing market.  Options are limited only by your budget and your style!  When we work with clients on their projects we confirm the material choices match the performance needs of the part. Here we discuss a few limitations of some materials.

PLA (Polylactic Acid)

This material has its roots as a bio-plastic material, as it is typically derived from corn-starch.  While this sounds environmentally friendly, PLA is not typically recyclable, and while it holds claims to being a biodegradable material, this is only true in industrial composting systems.

PETG (Polyethylene terephthalate with glycol additive)

PETG is a thermoplastic that delivers great chemical resistance, durability and offers a bit of tensile strength and flexibility (not like TPU or rubber) that helps prevent parts from breaking due to sudden impact or drops.

ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)

ABS is a tough, durable plastic used extensively in manufacturing.  ABS is typically available in a limited color selection, and is usually chosen for functional parts where function is prioritized over form and appearance.

ASA (Acrylonitrile styrene acrylate)

ASA was developed as an alternative to ABS in order to add additional desirable features such as UV resistance to an already immensely useful thermoplastic.  ASA 3D printing materials have enjoyed an uptick in popularity as a result of the added benefits it provides over ABS.  As a result, ASA materials are available in a wide range of attractive colors.

TPU (Thermoplastic polyurethane)

TPU is often the material of choice when flexibility is the key requirement.  While not officially "rubber" in it's chemical make-up, TPU parts perform like rubber parts.  The degree of flexibility is specified as a shore hardness number.  Most common TPU materials for 3D printing will range from 78 to 95a.  Owing to its flexibility, TPU produces extremely tough parts.