PLA Filament

General purpose 3D printing material

Derived from renewable resources such as corn starch and sugarcane, PLA is one of the most popular 3D Printing materials for prototypers, educators and hobbyists due to its low printing requirements and excellent dimensional stability at a low cost.

Types - PLA / PLA+ / PolyMax™ PLA

Print Requirements - Low Requirements / 190-220°C Extruder Temperature / Optional 0 – 60°C Heated Bed.

Print Quality - High print quality and compatibility with most 3D printers. Prints with excellent dimensional stability and minimal warping.

Mechanical / Thermal - Regular PLA exhibits high tensile strength and stiffness but is brittle with low heat resistance. PLA+ materials further improve tensile strength. Our toughest PLA is Polymakers PolyMax™ PLA which is nano-reinforced with vastly superior impact resistance and ductility.

Other - N/A

ABS Filament

General Purpose 3D Printer Plastic

ABS is one of the earliest and most common everyday 3D Printing materials which has maintained its popularity for prototyping and production due to its low cost, balanced mechanical properties, thermal properties and excellent printing quality.

Types - ABS

Print Requirements - Medium - High Requirements / 240-265°C Extruder Temperature / 80-100°C Heated Bed / Enclosure Recommended / Optional 50-60°C Heated Chamber

Print Quality - High print quality and compatibility with most 3D printers equipped with a heated bed. A high environmental temperature is key to printing ABS with excellent dimensional stability, so an enclosure is recommended. Additionally a heated chamber may be required to print large parts without warping or cracking.

Mechanical / Thermal - ABS exhibits good tensile strength, medium-high heat resistance (90-95°C) and improved toughness when compared to PLA or PETG.

Other - We recommend good ventilation when printing ABS.

TPU

Flexible Plastic

TPU is a flexible filament with excellent durability, inter-layer adhesion and resistance to oils. The Shore hardness scale is used to rate the flexibility of a TPU material, with TPU95 offering a balance between flexibility and ease of use.

Types - TPU (Various hardness ratings)

Print Requirements - Medium - High Requirements / 220-240°C Extruder Temperature / Filament feeding path with minimal drag

Print Quality - Great print quality. Compatibility varies based hardness of the TPU. More flexible TPU plastics like TPU80 or TPU60 may require extruder modifications.

Mechanical - TPU is durable, elastic with excellent flexibility. The flexible properties of TPU vary on the filaments hardness rating. For example 60A is more flexible than 80A or 90A.

Other - Due to their elasticity and softness, it is important to minimize drag on the feeding path when printing TPU. With a single extruder, TPU supports are very difficult to remove, limiting which geometries can be printed well. Soluble supports can be used to vastly expand the complexity and applications for TPU.

PolyCarbonate (PC)

Engineering Grade Material

PC (PolyCarbonate) quickly became one of the most popular materials for engineering and industrial applications, offering vastly superior mechanical properties to ABS. PC exhibits excellent mechanical and thermal properties.

Types – PC / PolyMax™ PC

Print Requirements - Medium - High Requirements / 240-265°C Extruder Temperature / 80-100°C Heated Bed / Enclosure Recommended / Optional 50-60°C Heated Chamber

Print Quality - High print quality and compatibility with most 3D printers equipped with a heated bed. A high environmental temperature is key to printing PC with excellent dimensional stability, so an enclosure is recommended. Additionally a heated chamber is required to print large parts without warping or cracking.

Mechanical / Thermal - PC exhibits great tensile strength and high heat resistance (110°C). Our toughest PC is Polymakers PolyMax™ PC which is nano-reinforced, exhibiting vastly superior impact resistance and ductility.

Other - We recommend good ventilation when printing PC.

PEEK

Industrial-Grade Material

PEEK is an industrial aerospace-grade material used for demanding applications in aerospace, automotive, oil and gas, advanced research and medical industries.

• An industrial-grade 3D printer capable of PEEK 3D Printing is required due to its high printing temperature (400°C).
• PEEK superior high mechanical strength, toughness, chemical resistance and self-extinguishing properties, making it the best material for demanding applications.

PolySmooth™

Specialty 'Polishable' Material

PolySmooth™ is a first of its kind 'polishable' material which can be polished with Isopropyl Alcohol to acheive an attractive glossy and smooth surface.

• PolySmooth™ prints between 190-230°C, with no heated bed required (For good adhesion 60-70°C is recommended)
• Mechanically, PolySmooth™ exhibits a good tensile strength, low heat resistance (70°C), low UV resistance, and parts exhibit good impact resistance. PolySmooth has improved mechanical properties when compared to ABS.
• PolySmooth™ can be polished in the Polysher™ (via Polymaker’s patented Micro-Droplet Polishing™ technology), eliminating the layers from filament-based printing processes and resulting in a very smooth part surface.
• Prints with near-zero warping and low printing odor.
• PolySmooth™ is a hygroscopic filament, absorbing moisture from the air. We recommend storing PolySmooth in a moisture protection storage box during printing and a resealable bag with desiccant during storage.