Materials — The Printing Pilot
Materials

Eleven FDM materials, matched to the job

Tell me what the part has to survive — heat, load, flex, UV, fine detail — and I'll point you at the right one. Values below are typical published figures, not a spec sheet; send the load case and I'll confirm.

PLAStandard

Stiff, dimensionally stable, prints crisp. The default for anything that lives indoors and isn't under real load.

Tensile strength~50 MPa
Max service temp~55 °C
Density1.24 g/cm³
Finishas-printed, sanded

Good for

  • Fit checks & prototypes
  • Display & presentation models
  • Sharp detail, text, logos
  • Low-stress brackets

Watch out for

  • Anything warm — car interiors, near motors
  • Sustained load (it creeps)
  • Outdoor UV exposure
PETGStandard

The everyday workhorse — tougher and more heat-tolerant than PLA, shrugs off moisture and most splashes.

Tensile strength~45 MPa
Max service temp~70 °C
Density1.27 g/cm³
Finishas-printed, sanded

Good for

  • Functional brackets & enclosures
  • Parts with press-fit inserts
  • Chemical / water splash
  • Mechanical parts that flex a little

Watch out for

  • Very fine detail (slightly stringy)
  • High heat above ~70 °C
  • Heavy structural load
PETG-rCF08Engineering · carbon

PETG with 8% recycled carbon fibre — stiffer than plain PETG, easy to print, and a matte finish that hides layer lines.

Tensile strength~60 MPa
Max service temp~70 °C
Density1.30 g/cm³
Finishmatte as-printed

Good for

  • Jigs & fixtures
  • Stiff brackets & enclosures
  • Matte, professional-looking parts
  • Functional prototypes

Watch out for

  • Heat above ~70 °C
  • Sharp internal detail (fibre blunts it)
  • Hard impacts (stiffer, less forgiving than plain PETG)
ABSEngineering

Impact-tough and heat-resistant, and it vapor-smooths to a glossy, near-injection-moulded finish.

Tensile strength~40 MPa
Max service temp~95 °C
Density1.04 g/cm³
Finishas-printed, sanded, vapor-smoothed

Good for

  • Housings & consumer-style parts
  • Snap-fits & living clips
  • Warm environments
  • Smooth cosmetic surfaces

Watch out for

  • Large flat parts (can warp)
  • Outdoor UV (use ASA instead)
  • Tight tolerance on big footprints
ASAEngineering

ABS's outdoor cousin — same toughness and heat range, but UV-stable so it doesn't chalk or yellow in sunlight.

Tensile strength~44 MPa
Max service temp~95 °C
Density1.07 g/cm³
Finishas-printed, sanded, vapor-smoothed

Good for

  • Outdoor enclosures & mounts
  • Automotive trim & underhood-adjacent
  • Weather-exposed brackets
  • Gasket channels

Watch out for

  • Warp on large flat parts
  • Very fine cosmetic detail
ASA-CFEngineering · carbon

Chopped-carbon ASA — stiffer, far lower warp, and holds dimension better than plain ASA. Matte black finish.

Tensile strength~55 MPa
Max service temp~100 °C
Density1.11 g/cm³
Finishmatte as-printed

Good for

  • Jigs, fixtures & tooling
  • Low-warp dimensional parts
  • Stiff brackets that stay flat
  • Outdoor + structural combined

Watch out for

  • Sharp internal detail (fibre blunts it)
  • Parts needing a glossy finish
ASA-GFEngineering · glass fibre

Glass-fibre ASA — UV-stable like ASA, but stiffer, for outdoor parts that also have to hold their shape.

Tensile strength~36 MPa
Max service temp~90 °C
Density1.12 g/cm³
Finishas-printed

Good for

  • Outdoor structural parts
  • Weather-exposed brackets & mounts
  • Stiff enclosures
  • Automotive trim

Watch out for

  • Lower tensile strength than ASA-CF
  • Sharp internal detail (fibre blunts it)
  • Glossy or vapor-smoothed finishes
PET-GF15Engineering · glass fibre

Glass-fibre PET — tough and stiff with a smooth, refined surface. Annealing (on request) lifts its heat resistance a long way.

Tensile strength~60 MPa
Max service temp~80 °C
Annealedup to ~130 °C — contact us
Density1.43 g/cm³
Finishsmooth, faint layer lines

Good for

  • Automotive & industrial parts
  • Jigs, fixtures & tooling
  • Tough functional prototypes
  • Parts that need more heat (anneal on request)

Watch out for

  • Heat above ~80 °C unless annealed (contact us)
  • Sharp internal detail (fibre blunts it)
  • Cost & print time
PET-CF17Engineering · carbon

Carbon-fibre PET — high stiffness, far less moisture-sensitive than most engineering filaments, and annealing (on request) for higher heat resistance.

Tensile strength~66 MPa (along the layers)
Max service temp~70 °C
Annealed~100 °C — contact us
Density1.34 g/cm³
Finishmatte as-printed

Good for

  • Stiff, dimensionally stable brackets
  • Robotics, automotive & industrial parts
  • Jigs, fixtures & tooling
  • Heat near motors (anneal on request)

Watch out for

  • Heat above ~70 °C unless annealed (contact us)
  • Loads across the layers (about 28 MPa that way)
  • Sharp internal detail (fibre blunts it)
PC-CFEngineering · carbon

The strong one. Carbon-filled polycarbonate — high stiffness and strength, and it holds up near real heat.

Tensile strength~90 MPa
Max service temp~110 °C
Density1.19 g/cm³
Finishmatte as-printed

Good for

  • Load-bearing brackets & mounts
  • Heat near motors or electronics
  • Replacement parts for metal originals
  • Tight-tolerance functional parts

Watch out for

  • Cost & print time (highest of the range)
  • Thin unsupported walls
TPUFlexible

Rubber-like. Bends, compresses and springs back — ~95A shore, roughly a firm skateboard wheel.

Hardness~95A shore
Max service temp~80 °C
Density1.21 g/cm³
Finishas-printed

Good for

  • Gaskets, seals & bumpers
  • Vibration-damping feet
  • Living hinges & flexures
  • Grippy over-moulded-style covers

Watch out for

  • Rigid structural parts
  • Very fine detail
  • Tight press-fits (it gives)
Not sure which one? Tell me what the part has to do — load, heat, outdoors, how it's finished — and I'll recommend a material. Strength values are typical published figures along the layers. Annealing, a heat treatment that raises the heat resistance of PET-GF15 and PET-CF17, is not part of the standard service, so contact us if you need it. Full manufacturer datasheets on request.