What Are The Most Common Materials Used In 3D Printing?

There are a variety of different materials used in 3D printing, including PLA, PETG, ABS, and TPU as the most common. Each of these materials have their own advantages and disadvantages when it comes to deciding which material is best for your specific project. Today, we will go over these materials and hopefully get you on the right track.

PLA

The most common material you will see in 3D printing is Polylactic Acid or PLA. PLA is a thermoplastic polymer that is derived from renewable resources like corn starch or sugar cane. It is a biodegradable and has characteristics similar to polypropylene. PLA can be produced from already existing manufacturing equipment, those designed and originally used for petrochemical industry plastics, which makes it extremely cost effective to produce and easy to get ahold of. It is also an easy material to print with in comparison to other materials.

PETG

Another common material is Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol, commonly known as PETG. It is a thermoplastic polyester that provides significant chemical resistance, durability, and excellent formability for manufacturing. PETG has a relatively low forming temperature which makes it great for 3D printing or other heat-forming manufacturing techniques. It is also a food-safe plastic commonly used for food containers and beverage bottles. In fact, most times PETG is made from recycled water bottles that have been ground up into filament. 

ABS

Next, we have Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, or ABS, which is another thermoplastic polymer typically used in manufacturing processes. ABS was the "original" 3D printing material because it is the most common thermoplastic available in the world. For a short period of time, it was the most popular material used in 3D printing, however its reign was short lived due to it being difficult to use. ABS is known to suffer from pretty bad warping which is detrimental when it comes to 3D printing. It also has a high forming temperature which means you have to have really high temperatures on your printing bed in order to support it. ABS can also be fairly dangerous due to the outgassing, so it can potentially become harmful if you are printing a high volume of parts.

TPU

Lastly, Thermoplastic Polyurethane, or TPU, is often referred to as the bridge between rubber and plastics. It is an extremely flexible material that be somewhat difficult to work with at times unless you are using a direct drive 3D printer. This is due to the fact that TPU pulls water out of the air, which can cause the material to bubble up, leading to a jammed extruder. It generally runs at a higher temperature than other materials, but it results in a very durable and chemical resistant finished product. TPU is great if you are looking to make a product that is more malleable and has softer properties.

---

Make sure to check out our YouTube video covering this same topic.