What we run, and what each one is actually for.

The material most injection-moulded consumer plastic actually is, which makes it the honest choice for validating a part destined for a mould. Tough rather than stiff, good to around 95–100 °C, and smoothable in acetone vapour to something close to a moulded finish. It warps hard without a heated chamber and it smells while printing; both are why it lives in the enclosed tier.

Surface and finishing. Layer lines show moderately. Acetone vapour smooths it to a near-moulded gloss — the one route that erases the layers rather than hiding them.

• Automotive interior trim prototypes
• Enclosures destined for injection-moulding validation
• Jigs and fixtures needing impact toughness

ABS that survives outdoors. Comparable toughness and the same acetone-smoothing behaviour, plus genuine UV stabilisation — where ABS yellows and embrittles over a season in the sun, ASA holds both its colour and its properties. If a part is going to spend its life outside, this is usually the cheapest material that will not disappoint you in a year.

Surface and finishing. Layer lines show moderately. Acetone vapour smooths it like ABS, and it keeps that finish outdoors.

• Outdoor automotive parts — mirror housings, exterior trim
• Weatherproof sensor and electronics enclosures
• Agricultural equipment and outdoor signage

The toughest common FDM plastic by some distance — this is the polymer safety goggles and machine guards are made of — with useful heat resistance to around 110–140 °C and natural optical clarity. It is hygroscopic enough that drying is not optional, and it wants both a hot nozzle and a hot chamber, which is why it sits where it does.

Surface and finishing. Layer lines show, and the gloss exaggerates them. There is no safe solvent for it: sand and polish by hand, or leave a functional part as printed.

• Aerospace and automotive impact-resistant components
• Machine guards and high-stress fixtures
• Headlight-lens and optical prototyping

The wear material. Nylon shrugs off the repeated sliding and flexing that fatigues everything else here, and some grades are self-lubricating enough to run as a bearing surface without grease. The catch is water: nylon pulls it out of the air faster than any other material on this page, and printing it wet is the single most common way a nylon part fails.

Surface and finishing. A satin surface with moderate layer lines. Too tough to sand pleasantly; tumbling gives an even matte, and it takes dye well.

• Gears, bushings, hinges and low-load tooling
• Aerospace brackets and under-hood components
• Robotics end-effectors and wear parts

The workhorse of this shop's engineering work. Carbon-reinforced nylon reaches stiffness-to-weight in aluminium's neighbourhood while keeping the fatigue and wear resistance that makes nylon worth using, which is the combination that lets a printed bracket replace a machined one. Needs thorough drying and a hardened nozzle; both are routine here.

Surface and finishing. Matte and slightly rough from the fibres, which hide the layer lines. Leave it as printed — sanding exposes fibres.

• Aerospace brackets and structural mounts
• Automotive under-hood brackets
• Composite-layup tooling and robotics

PETG's harder-to-print parent, and worth the trouble for two specific reasons: it anneals to better heat resistance, and it is the reference polymer for food-contact regulation, so a part meant to demonstrate compliance is made of this rather than something adjacent. It is also the material drinks bottles are made of, which makes it the natural route to a genuine recycled-content run.

Surface and finishing. Layer lines show, most on translucent colours. Sanding and primer work, and tumbling gives an even matte; no household solvent smooths it.

• Food-contact-reference component prototyping
• Recycled-content (rPET) manufacturing runs
• Packaging component development

Chopped carbon fibre in PLA: markedly stiffer and far more dimensionally stable than plain PLA, with a matte finish that hides layer lines. The fibre does nothing for heat resistance — this is still a material that softens in a hot car — so it belongs on parts that need to hold their shape at room temperature and be light while doing it.

Surface and finishing. Matte and slightly rough from the fibres, which hide the layer lines. Leave it as printed — sanding exposes fibres.

• Drone and RC frames prized for stiffness-to-weight
• Lightweight temporary fixtures and structural display models

Where reinforcement starts earning its money. PETG's toughness and layer adhesion survive the fibre, and what you gain is rigidity and much less warp on large flat parts. For a bracket that has to be stiff, hold tolerance and cost sensible money, this is usually the first thing to try.

Surface and finishing. Matte and slightly rough from the fibres, which hide the layer lines. Leave it as printed — sanding exposes fibres.

• Mechanical brackets, fixtures and enclosures
• Bicycle components and robotics chassis
• Gears and latches under moderate load

An uncommon combination bought for a specific reason: PET's dimensional stability with fibre reinforcement on top, usually where a low-warp structural part also has to satisfy a recycled-content requirement. It will not feed the automatic changer, so it runs attended.

Surface and finishing. Matte and slightly rough from the fibres, which hide the layer lines. Leave it as printed — sanding exposes fibres.

• Stiff, low-warp structural components
• Sustainability-driven manufacturing programmes

Polycarbonate's impact resistance and heat tolerance, stiffened and made far better behaved on the plate — plain PC warps, and the fibre is largely what stops it. The result is a part that takes a knock, holds its shape near an engine bay, and does not need to be printed in three attempts.

Surface and finishing. Matte and slightly rough from the fibres, which hide the layer lines. Leave it as printed — sanding exposes fibres.

• Aerospace and automotive under-hood fixtures
• High-stress jigs needing both toughness and rigidity

The economical way to stiffen ABS well past its standard rigidity without changing anything else about how it behaves — same chamber, same familiar bed adhesion, same smoothing. Chosen when an ABS part is right in every respect except that it flexes.

Surface and finishing. Matte from the fibres, which hide the layer lines, and it still smooths in acetone vapour if a gloss is wanted.

• Enclosures and fixtures needing added rigidity
• Automotive interior structural mock-ups

Outdoor-rated and structurally stiffened at once. It holds up under sustained sun and weather where reinforced ABS gradually gives in, which makes it the material for exterior mounts and frames that are expected to still be doing their job in several years.

Surface and finishing. Matte from the fibres, which hide the layer lines, and it still smooths in acetone vapour if a gloss is wanted — and keeps it outdoors.

• UV-stable brackets and mounts for exterior equipment
• Agricultural and marine fixtures, outdoor signage frames