Material Selection Guide
Pick the right filament for your part: answer nine questions about temperature, loads and environment, compare materials, and adapt the design to the material.
Material Selection Guide helps you choose the right filament for your part on the Vision Miner 22IDEX. The best material is not the strongest one - it is the one that survives your part's temperature, loads, and environment at a reasonable cost and print effort. Work through the questions below, then use the comparison tables and scenario recommendations to narrow the choice down to one or two candidates.
All filaments we recommend are available in the Vision Miner shop. For printing settings and tuning, see the Material Guides and Material Types video libraries.
Start With These Questions
Answer these nine questions about the part before looking at any material table. Write the answers down - each one eliminates part of the lineup.
- Operating temperature. What is the continuous temperature the part lives at, and what are the short-term peaks? A part near an engine, a heater, or in a car interior in summer sees far more than room temperature.
- Type of load. Constant static load (beware of creep - plastics slowly deform under permanent stress), cyclic load (fatigue), or impacts and shocks? These favor different materials.
- Environment. Outdoors in sunlight (UV)? Humidity or water contact? Vacuum? Radiation?
- Chemicals. Will the part touch fuels, oils, coolants, acids, bases, solvents, or cleaning agents? Which exactly?
- Sterilization. Does the part need autoclaving or chemical sterilization, once or repeatedly?
- Contact requirements. Food contact, skin contact, medical use?
- Electrical. Does the part need to be an insulator, or ESD-safe?
- Weight and friction. Is weight critical? Does the part slide or rotate against another part (bearings, guides, gears)?
- Certifications and budget. Does your industry require certified materials (aerospace FST, FDA, biocompatibility)? What does a failed part cost you compared to a more expensive filament?
Material Comparison
Where these numbers come from
Numeric values are taken from the manufacturers' technical data sheets: 3DXTech for the filament lineup and igus for the iglidur tribo-filaments. 3DXTech publishes data measured on printed test specimens, so the values are realistic for printed parts but lower than injection-molding datasheets for the same polymers. Properties the manufacturers do not publish (impact, UV behavior, detailed chemical tables for some materials) are shown as qualitative ratings based on the polymer family. For exact figures, open the TDS on the manufacturer's product page.
Mechanical and Thermal
| Material | Max operating temp | Strength | Stiffness | Impact resistance | Ductility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLA | ~55 °C | 56 MPa | High | Low | Brittle |
| PETG | 70 °C | 45 MPa | Medium | Medium-High | Ductile |
| ABS | 95 °C | 42 MPa | Medium | High | Moderate |
| ASA | 95 °C | 45 MPa | Medium | High | Moderate |
| HIPS | 80 °C | 40 MPa | Low | Medium-High | Ductile |
| PP | 94 °C | 38 MPa | Medium | High, fatigue-resistant | Ductile |
| TPU 95A | 49 °C | Elastomer | Very low | Highest | Elastic (580%) |
| PC | 135 °C | 62 MPa | High | High | Moderate |
| Nylon PA6+CF | 147 °C | 63 MPa | Very high | Medium | Brittle |
| Nylon PA12+CF | 150 °C | 72 MPa | Highest (8000 MPa) | Medium-Low | Brittle |
| igus A350 | 180 °C | High | High | Medium | - |
| igus i150 / i151 | 65 °C | Low-Medium | Low | Medium | - |
| PSU | 172 °C | 52 MPa | Medium | Good | Moderate |
| PPSU | 190 °C | 55 MPa | Medium | Good | Brittle as printed |
| PEKK-A | 182 °C | 105 MPa | High | Good | Moderate |
| PEEK | 140 °C printed* | 100 MPa | Highest | Good | Ductile (28%) |
| ULTEM 9085 | 158 °C | 54 MPa | Medium | Medium | Brittle as printed |
| ULTEM 1010 | 208 °C | 56 MPa | Medium-High | Lower than 9085 | Brittle as printed |
*PEEK needs annealing to reach its famous heat resistance
As printed, PEEK is largely amorphous and its heat deflection temperature is only about 140 °C. The 240-260 °C continuous-use figures everyone associates with PEEK apply to properly crystallized (annealed) parts. If you choose PEEK for high-temperature service, plan for an annealing step - or consider PEKK-A or ULTEM 1010, which deliver their rated temperatures as printed.
Environment and Chemistry
| Material | Fuels / oils | Acids / bases | Solvents | UV / outdoor | Moisture uptake |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLA | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate |
| PETG | Good | Good (dilute) | Fair | Good | Moderate |
| ABS | Fair | Good (dilute) | Poor (acetone dissolves it) | Poor | Moderate |
| ASA | Fair | Good (dilute) | Poor | Excellent | Moderate |
| HIPS | Poor | Good (dilute) | Poor (dissolves in d-limonene) | Poor | Very low |
| PP | Very good | Excellent | Good | Poor | Very low |
| TPU 95A | Very good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Low |
| PC | OK with oils | Poor with bases | Poor (ketones, aromatics) | Poor | Moderate |
| Nylon PA6+CF | Good | Poor with strong acids | Good | Poor | High - keep dry |
| Nylon PA12+CF | Excellent | Fair | Good | Fair | Low |
| igus A350 | Good | Good, incl. strong acids | Poor (ketones, chlorinated) | UV resistant | Low |
| igus i150 / i151 | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Low |
| PSU | Automotive fluids | Good, hydrolysis-proof | Poor (ketones, chlorinated) | Poor | Low |
| PPSU | Automotive fluids | Excellent, hydrolysis-proof | Poor (ketones, chlorinated) | Poor | Low |
| PEKK-A | Excellent | Excellent (except conc. sulfuric) | Resists nearly all | Not rated | Very low |
| PEEK | Excellent, incl. hot steam | Excellent (except conc. sulfuric) | Resists nearly all | Not rated | Very low |
| ULTEM 9085 | Good | Fair | Poor (ketones stress-crack it) | Moderate | Moderate |
| ULTEM 1010 | Good | Fair | Poor (ketones stress-crack it) | Moderate | Moderate |
Weight, Wear, Cost
| Material | Density | Special property | Price tier | Printing difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLA | 1.24 | Easiest material to print | Budget | Easy |
| PETG | 1.24 | Best budget all-rounder | Budget | Easy |
| ABS | 1.05 | Acetone vapor smoothing | Mid | Moderate |
| ASA | 1.07 | The outdoor ABS | Mid | Moderate |
| HIPS | 1.04 | Soluble support for ABS/ASA | Budget | Moderate |
| PP | 0.90 | Lightest, living hinges | Mid | Hard |
| TPU 95A | 1.22 | Flexible, gaskets and seals | Mid | Moderate-Hard |
| PC | 1.20 | Optical clarity available | Mid | Moderate-Hard |
| Nylon PA6+CF | 1.17 | Stiff, affordable CF workhorse | Mid-High | Moderate |
| Nylon PA12+CF | 1.16 | Dimensionally stable, low moisture | Premium | Moderate |
| igus A350 | 1.42 | Self-lubricating, food contact (FDA/EU), autoclavable | Specialty | Hard (180 °C chamber) |
| igus i150 / i151 | 1.30-1.42 | Self-lubricating, up to 50x wear life; i151 food contact | Specialty | Easy |
| PSU | 1.24 | Budget entry to sterilizable HT parts | High-temp | Hard |
| PPSU | 1.28 | Repeated steam autoclaving champion | High-temp | Hard |
| PEKK-A | 1.29 | Easiest ultrapolymer, UL94 V-0 | High-temp | Hard |
| PEEK | 1.30 | Strongest, most chemical-proof | Highest | Hardest |
| ULTEM 9085 | 1.34 | Aerospace FST pedigree | High-temp | Hard |
| ULTEM 1010 | 1.27 | Highest heat deflection (208 °C) | High-temp | Hard |
PVA is not in the tables on purpose: it is a water-soluble support material for multi-material printing, not a material for parts. See Multi-Material Printing.
Certifications - always verify for your application
Certification claims (FDA food contact for igus A350/i151, FST heritage of ULTEM 9085, resin-level FDA approval of PETG) apply to the base material as stated by its manufacturer. They do not automatically transfer to your printed part - printing changes the surface, density, and traceability. If your application requires certified parts, contact our support team and the material manufacturer before committing.
Recommendations by Application
| You need | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| General prototyping | PLA, PETG | Cheap, easy, fast iteration |
| Outdoor parts, sunlight | ASA, PETG | UV resistance without exotic printing |
| Automotive (fluids, underhood heat) | Nylon PA12+CF, PC, PPSU | Fuel/oil resistance + temperature |
| Chemical containers, lab fixtures | PP, PEKK-A, PEEK | Broadest chemical resistance |
| Medical, repeated sterilization | PPSU, PSU, igus A350 | Steam autoclaving, hydrolytic stability |
| Aerospace interior parts | ULTEM 9085 | FST heritage, process-proven |
| Maximum heat, as printed | ULTEM 1010, PPSU, PEKK-A | 180-208 °C without annealing |
| Maximum strength and stiffness | PEKK-A, PEEK, Nylon PA12+CF | 72-105 MPa printed |
| Stiff jigs, fixtures, brackets | Nylon PA6+CF | Best stiffness per dollar |
| Bearings, sliders, gears | igus i150/i151, igus A350 | Self-lubricating, up to 50x wear life |
| Flexible: gaskets, seals, grippers | TPU 95A | Elastomer, extreme fatigue life |
| Lightweight, floats, living hinges | PP | ~0.90 g/cm³, fatigue-resistant |
Material and Design Work Together
Choosing a material is not an isolated decision - the part's geometry can compensate for a weaker material, and often that is the cheaper and easier path.
A typical example: a bracket printed in Nylon PA6+CF handles its mechanical load well. Then the requirements change - the bracket moves outdoors, into sunlight. Nylon handles UV poorly, so you switch to ASA. ASA is less stiff, but instead of hunting for a stiffer UV-stable exotic, you add a couple of stiffening ribs and thicken the walls - and the ASA part now carries the same load.
What geometry can do for you:
- Stiffening ribs and thicker walls recover stiffness lost when switching to a weaker but environment-proof material. Ribs add far more stiffness per gram than solid thickening.
- More perimeters and higher infill raise strength in load-bearing zones without changing the material.
- Print orientation matters as much as material: printed parts are weakest along the layer boundaries (Z). Orient the part so the main load runs along the layers, not across them. See Part Placement.
- Larger fillets and gussets at corners reduce stress concentration - brittle materials (CF nylons, printed ULTEM) benefit the most.
- Metal inserts (threaded inserts, bushings) solve local wear and thread-stripping instead of forcing the whole part into a harder material.
The reverse also works: if a material you need for the environment is more ductile (PP, TPU), design for it - snap fits and living hinges that would crack in PLA work beautifully.
FAQ
Support
If you could not find an answer here, reach out to our support team.