Material
ABS
Nylon
PETG
ASA
Resin
Strength
Stiffness
Durability
Detail
Cost
ABS
ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is one of the most common 3D printing plastics around. ABS is well known for its toughness and impact resistance, perfect for durable prints. It has a high glass transition temperature making it a great choice for outdoor / high-temperature applications.
Nylon
Perfect for engineering applications. This material is well-known for its excellent chemical, impact and fatigue resistance. This 3D printing material is best used to simulate the rigidity of injection moulded components / parts.
PETG
PETG is a Glycol Modified version of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). It’s a semi-rigid material with good impact resistance, but it has a slightly softer surface which makes it prone to wear.
ASA
ASA (Acrylic Styrene Acrylonitrile) is a material with characteristics similar to ABS. It’s a more UV resistant variant of ABS, making it even more ideal for outdoor applications. It’s known for its high-impact and high-temperature resistance. This material has a matte finish, requiring minimal post-processing.
Resin
This material can only be printed in SLA and provides incredible detail on small objects. It has very low impact resistance and strength qualities, however can be used as a ‘master part’ for lost casting processes in different materials such as plastics, ceramics and metals.