Choosing the right 3D printing materials for your project

Selecting the right 3D printing materials can make the difference between a part that just about works and one that truly excels. At 3D People we focus on a chosen range of high-performance polymer materials that balance versatility, mechanical strength, flexibility, detail, durability and heat resistance.

As a heads up, this is not an exhaustive list of all 3D printing polymer materials ever. Instead, we zero in on the most common industrial-grade polymers, along with their key characteristics, ideal use cases and, importantly, how they compare. Our aim here is to support designers and engineers to make better decisions in their product development and manufacturing processes.

Our 3D printing materials

The following polymer materials are carefully selected to offer a range of mechanical properties and characteristics. Our materials are validated and tested to ensure consistent, high-quality results for our customers.

PA12 Nylon: The all-rounder material

Versatile and strong, PA12 Nylon is one of the most trusted and widely used thermoplastic materials for industrial 3D printing. This is because it offers an exceptional balance of strength, stiffness, flexibility and detail resolution, making it suitable for everything from functional prototypes to end-use series production parts.

PA12 Nylon parts produced with Selective Laser Sintering SLS

PA12 Nylon parts produced with Multi Jet Fusion MJF

Both SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) and MJF (Multi Jet Fusion) are powder bed fusion (PBF) processes and produce strong, precise PA12 parts, but each process has its own strengths:

What’s the same?

1. High durability and mechanical strength
2. Excellent chemical resistance to oils, greases and hydrocarbons
3. Reliable dimensional accuracy for production-grade parts
4. Very good UV resistance (MJF only)
5. Suitable for complex geometries, including parts with rigid and flexible sections
6. Compatible with multiple post-processing / finishing techniques such as vibro-polishing, shot peening, vapour smoothing and/or colour dye.

Key differences

SLS PA12 Nylon (DuraForm ProX PA) is a best-in-class material for heat deflection with the ability to withstand continuous 66 psi loads up to 182°C. This makes it suitable for high-temperature applications such as light fixtures, electronics housings and automotive components.
It produces white parts, but does have a slightly ‘grainier’ surface finish than MJF, which can be smoothed with our finishing techniques. The white parts are also particularly receptive to colour dyes, including our colour match service.

MJF PA12 Nylon (HP High Reusability PA12) produces parts with higher density and lower porosity. This results in overall smoother surfaces and finer detail resolution straight off the machine. MJF PA12 also maintains thermal stability up to ~175°C in thicker parts. Parts are grey off the machine, but can be dyed black.

Typical applications

As we’ve mentioned, PA12 Nylon is one of the most attractive materials for product and part manufacturers because of its incredibly versatile properties. This sees it being used for a wide range of applications including, but not limited to, OEM parts, jigs, fixtures, housings, connectors, brackets, automotive components, construction parts, drone components and robotic systems.

*MJF parts can have different properties depending on build orientation (XY vs Z).

TPU01 (MJF): Flexible and durable

For applications that demand flexibility without compromising strength TPU (MJF) is the go-to choice. Under the brand name Ultrasint™ TPU01, this powder thermoplastic material is specifically designed for the MJF process and engineered for high-performance. With a Shore hardness of 88A, it offers excellent elasticity, shock absorption and long-term resilience, making it ideal for a broad range of applications.

Ultrasint TPU01 in action

Lattice structure on TPU can adjust the shore hardness

Ultrasint™ TPU01 key advantages

1.  High wear and tear resistance, ensuring reliable performance, without cracking, in high-friction and high-use environments.
2. Chemical resistance to oil, grease and industrial solvents, making it suitable for harsh operating conditions.
3. UV and weather resistance, allowing long-term outdoor use without degradation.
4. Smooth surface finish, with minimal layer lines.
5. Available in natural grey and vapour-smoothed dark grey finishes, TPU01 (MJF) can also be dyed.

Typical applications

TPU01 is used across many industrial sectors including, but not limited to drones, industrial equipment, healthcare and medical devices, automotive, aerospace (and defense), performance sports, agricultural technology and robotics.

*MJF parts can have different properties depending on build orientation (XY vs Z).

Read more about when you should and shouldn’t use 3D printing