Temperatures, density, drying and safety for every material, with a source for each figure. What is not published shows as a gap, never as an estimate.
16 results
| Material | Family | Nozzle (°C) | Bed (°C) | Enclosure | Difficulty | Hygroscopic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABS | Filament | 220–255 | 80–110 | Required | Advanced | Yes |
| ASA | Filament | 250–270 | 100–115 | Recommended | Advanced | Yes |
| HIPS | Filament | 225–255 | 90–110 | Recommended | Intermediate | No |
| Nylon (PA) | Filament | 235–285 | 70–110 | Recommended | Advanced | Yes |
| PC | Filament | 265–290 | 100–120 | Recommended | Advanced | Yes |
| PETG | Filament | 230–260 | 70–90 | No | Intermediate | Yes |
| PETG-CF | Filament | 240–275 | 60–100 | No | Advanced | Yes |
| PLA | Filament | 200–220 | 40–60 | No | Beginner | Yes |
| PLA-CF | Filament | 210–240 | 45–65 | No | Advanced | Yes |
| PLA+ | Filament | 190–230 | 45–60 | No | Beginner | Yes |
| PVA | Filament | — | — | No | Advanced | Yes |
| TPU 95A | Filament | 200–240 | 40–75 | No | Intermediate | Yes |
| Resina estándar | Resin | — | — | No | Intermediate | — |
| Resina lavable con agua | Resin | — | — | No | Beginner | — |
| Resina tenaz (tough) | Resin | — | — | No | Intermediate | — |
| Resina tipo ABS | Resin | — | — | No | Intermediate | — |
Filament
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)
A cheap, heat-resistant engineering plastic you can smooth with acetone vapour, but that warps the moment there is a draught and releases styrene while printing. Prusa treats it as an enclosure-required material and publishes 255 °C nozzle and 100 °C bed; Fillamentum gives 220–240 °C, an 80–105 °C bed and 1.04 g/cm³ density to ISO 1183 for its ABS Extrafill.
Filament
Acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA)
The outdoor material: the same mechanical virtues as ABS but with real UV resistance, which matters a lot on the Mexican plateau and in the north. Prusa publishes 260 ± 10 °C nozzle, 110 ± 5 °C bed and 1.07 g/cm³ density to ISO 1183, with 93 °C heat deflection at 0.45 MPa. It also emits styrene.
Filament
High-impact polystyrene (HIPS)
A light material used mostly as a soluble support for ABS, ASA and PETG, because it dissolves in limonene. It also works as a part material: it shrinks considerably less than ABS and sands just as well. Fillamentum publishes 1.05 g/cm³ density, 230–250 °C nozzle and 90–105 °C bed for its HIPS Extrafill; Prusa gives 225–255 °C and 100–110 °C.
Filament
Polyamide (nylon, PA)
A very tough engineering material: it takes impacts that shatter any other household filament and is used where there is friction. Its problem is not printing, it is moisture: it absorbs water so fast that a spool left open over a weekend can be ruined. Fillamentum publishes 1.01 g/cm³ density, 235–260 °C nozzle and 80–105 °C bed for its Nylon FX256; Prusa notes pure polyamides ask for around 285 °C.
Filament
Polycarbonate (PC)
The household filament with the most heat and impact resistance, and also the hardest on this list: it asks for 275 ± 10 °C nozzle and 110 ± 10 °C bed, warps if it cools abruptly and picks up moisture easily. Prusa publishes 1.22 g/cm³ density and 113 °C heat deflection at 0.45 MPa for its PC Blend; in unnotched Charpy testing it does not break.
Filament
Polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG)
The natural step after PLA: it takes more heat, shrugs off water and humidity, and bends before it breaks. You pay in stringing and in worse bridges and overhangs. Prusa publishes 250 ± 10 °C nozzle and 80 ± 10 °C bed for Prusament PETG, with a density of 1.27 g/cm³ to ISO 1183.
Filament
Carbon-fibre reinforced PETG (PETG-CF)
PETG reinforced with carbon fibre: stiffer and more dimensionally stable than PETG, with a matte black surface and far less stringing. Prusa publishes 265 ± 10 °C nozzle and 90 ± 10 °C bed for its PETG Carbon Fiber; Bambu Lab publishes 240–270 °C, a 60–80 °C bed and drying at 65 °C for 8 hours. Both require a hardened nozzle.
Filament
Polylactic acid (PLA)
The filament almost everyone starts with: it prints cool, barely lifts and does not smell. In exchange it softens around 55–60 °C, so a PLA part left in a car parked in the Mexican sun will deform. Prusa publishes 210 ± 10 °C nozzle and 40–60 °C bed for its Prusament PLA, with a density of 1.24 g/cm³ measured to ISO 1183.
Filament
Carbon-fibre reinforced PLA (PLA-CF)
PLA loaded with chopped carbon fibre: far stiffer than plain PLA and with a matte finish where layer lines almost disappear, at the cost of being abrasive and a bit more brittle. Bambu Lab publishes 210–240 °C nozzle, 45–65 °C bed, drying at 55 °C for 8 hours, and a mandatory hardened steel nozzle.
Filament
Modified PLA (PLA+ / PLA Pro)
PLA+ is not a different plastic: it is PLA with additives that raise toughness and impact resistance without changing how you print it. The name is commercial, not standardised, so every brand formulates its own. eSUN, which popularised the label, publishes 1.24 g/cm³ density, 190–230 °C extruder and 45–60 °C bed for its PLA+.
Filament
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)
Water-soluble support for multi-material printing: it prints alongside the part and then dissolves in water, with no solvents and no tools. UltiMaker publishes a specific gravity of 1.23 g/cm³ to ASTM D1505 for its PVA, a 58.4 °C glass transition and a 175.4 °C melting point. It is the most moisture-sensitive filament on this list.
Filament
Thermoplastic polyurethane 95A (flexible TPU)
The general-purpose flexible filament: printable rubber for cases, plugs, wheels and gaskets. Prusa recommends 220–240 °C nozzle and 55–75 °C bed for its TPU 95A; Flashforge publishes 1.2 to 1.25 g/cm³ density to ISO 1183 for its TPU95A and recommends printing slowly.
Resin
Standard 405 nm photopolymer resin
The general-purpose resin for MSLA printers: good detail, fast curing and a low price. Anycubic publishes 1.05 to 1.25 g/cm³ density to ASTM D792 for its Standard Resin V2 (we use the midpoint, 1.15), 250–350 mPa·s viscosity at 25 °C, 20–40 s bottom-layer exposure and 2.5–3 s normal exposure, at a 405 nm wavelength.
Resin
Water-washable resin
Resin whose freshly printed part is washed in water instead of isopropyl alcohol, which removes the most expensive and most flammable consumable from the workshop. Anycubic publishes 1.07 to 1.09 g/cm³ density to ASTM D792 for its Water-Wash Resin 2.0 (midpoint 1.08), 190–230 mPa·s viscosity and 2 to 2.5 s layer exposure.
Resin
High-resilience, high-toughness resin
A resin meant for parts that bend before they break: elongation at break rises to 60–72 %, well above the 25–30 % of standard resin. Anycubic publishes 1.10 to 1.15 g/cm³ density to ASTM D792 for its Tough Resin 2.0 (midpoint 1.13), 450–500 mPa·s viscosity and 143 J/m Izod impact, the highest in its consumer range.
Resin
High-toughness 'ABS-like' resin
A resin formulated to behave like ABS in toughness and impact resistance while still printing on a 405 nm MSLA machine. Anycubic publishes 1.06 to 1.09 g/cm³ density to ASTM D792 for its ABS-Like Resin 3.0 (midpoint 1.08), 38–45 MPa tensile strength, 130 J/m Izod impact and 3.9 to 4.9 % volume shrinkage, lower than standard resin.
