Initializing Precision Pipeline
SLICING_GEOMETRY // CALIBRATING_BUILD_CHAMBER
“Bringing Idea into Reality within Minutes”
SLICING_GEOMETRY // CALIBRATING_BUILD_CHAMBER
“Bringing Idea into Reality within Minutes”
What PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, fibre-filled filaments and photopolymer resins are actually good at.
MetaFuse3D
Material choice decides whether a print survives contact with the real world. This is a plain-language guide to the common thermoplastics and resins, and what each one is suited to.
• PLA: the easiest to print and the most dimensionally stable, because it contracts very little as it cools. It softens at fairly modest temperatures, so it is a poor choice for anything that will sit in a hot car or near a heat source.
• PETG: tougher and more ductile than PLA, and it shrugs off moisture and many oils. A good default for enclosures, brackets and anything that will get handled.
• ABS and ASA: higher-temperature polymers with good impact resistance. They contract more as they cool, which is why they are printed in an enclosed chamber. ASA is the more UV-stable of the two and holds its colour outdoors.
• TPU: a flexible elastomer. It bends rather than breaks, and resists abrasion — used for gaskets, dampers, grips and protective cases.
• Fibre-filled filaments (carbon fibre, glass fibre): chopped fibre raises stiffness and leaves a matte finish. The fibre is abrasive, so these need hardened nozzles.
PETG, nylon and TPU absorb moisture from the air. Wet filament prints badly — the trapped water flashes to steam in the nozzle and leaves the surface stringy and pitted. Dry storage is not optional for these materials.
• Standard model resins: pigmented and fast-curing, formulated for fine detail. This is the default for display models, miniatures and styling models.
• Tough and impact-resistant resins: reformulated to flex a little before they break, at the cost of some detail. Used where a part has to survive handling or a snap fit.
• High-temperature resins: hold their shape at higher temperatures than standard resin, which suits fixtures and mould patterns.
• Castable resins: formulated to burn out cleanly and leave no ash, so a printed pattern can be used directly for investment casting.
Resin grades vary enormously between formulations. If a specific property matters to your part, ask — do not assume it from the family name.
Filament and resin both come in a wide range of colours, and in different finishes — matte, gloss, silk, translucent, and the matte surface that fibre-filled grades give.
On the FDM side, colour can also change during a print rather than only between prints: MetaFuse3D prints up to 16 colours in a single print, so the colour is part of the material rather than a coat on top of it.
Colour availability for a given job is confirmed when the job is quoted. On-screen swatches are indicative; physical samples are available on request.
Browse the filaments and resins we print with, and the colour range they come in.