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What’s the best material for FDM 3D printing? The short answer is “It depends”. What are your requirements for strength, flexibility, UV and temperature resistance, color, and price point? All of these factors influence material selection.  ABS Black, printed at 0.007" layer resolution with soluble supports. ABS is our workhorse material. When in doubt, print it in ABS. It’s inexpensive, durable, and does a good job of simulating an injection molded part for functional prototyping. It comes in a wide variety of colors. It can be printed with breakaway or soluble supports to allow the widest range of geometries, and heat-set inserts allow for threaded holes or studs that can be used over and over without wearing out. It is also available in biocompatible or static-dissipative (ESD) versions.  ASA natural ASA is very similar to ABS and is used interchangeably in some cases. It’s slightly more expensive, and has better UV resistance than ABS. For a part that will see significant time outdoors, ASA is a great choice. 3. PC-ABS A blend of Polycarbonate and ABS, PC-ABS is designed to offer the advantages of both: the high strength and temperature resistance of PC, and the flexibility of ABS. PC-ABS slightly less expensive than PC, but costs significantly more than ABS. With costs in mind, if an "upgrade" to PC-ABS over standard ABS, PC (below) is often a more attractive option as the costs are similar but PC will offer higher stiffness and temperature resistance.  PC-ABS black  PC clear Polycarbonate is a very tough material with high heat resistance, well suited to making parts that see demanding use. For an example of how PC can be used in mechanically demanding situations, check out this Stratasys whitepaper on using 3d printed PC tooling for custom metal forming dies. Downsides to PC are its higher cost compared to ABS, and poorer UV resistance. It gets significantly more yellow and more brittle after UV exposure. 5. Ultem 9085  Ultem 9085 natural (tan) As the name implies, Ultem gives parts the ultimate in temperature resistance. With a glass transition temperature of 186ºC (367ºF), few other materials can withstand as high a temperature. It’s also very strong, with one of the highest tensile strengths of any FDM material. The drawback is its high cost. 6. Nylon 12  CF Nylon Nylon is an especially fatigue-resistant material for FDM, which makes it great for printing parts with snap tabs, or other flexural elements. There’s also a carbon fiber-reinforced version for even higher strength and stiffness. The downside is that it’s expensive and difficult to print, with a higher propensity for warpage than other materials (despite being printed in a heated enclosure).  TPU clear A flexible material that we stock in translucent. Usually we recommend that customers go with PolyJet instead of FDM for elastomers, as the former achieves far better accuracy with the ability to print small and large features alike with support structures that are easy to clean – at similar costs. But, when needed, FDM TPU can be a good option for specific geometries.
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