Materials
Plastics we print in, and how they behave once the part is in use.
MaterialsABS or ASA: the same part, one of them fades
They print the same, they feel the same, and the quote differs by about a tenth. The difference only shows up after a season outside — and then it shows up completely.
MaterialsASA: the plastic that lives outside
ASA is ABS that has made its peace with the sun: same toughness, same heat, one letter of chemistry different — and that letter is the whole reason to pay for it.
MaterialsABS: tough, but keep it indoors
ABS is what you pick when a part gets dropped, screwed into or left somewhere warm — and, of the tough plastics on our shelf, the one that quietly dies in a window.
MaterialsTPU: how soft is soft enough
People order TPU by feel — "something soft, like rubber". Soft is a number, we stock three of them, and the grade you want is usually not the softest.
MaterialsPLA or PETG: choosing the plastic for a part that has to work
Most orders are fine in PLA. The moment a part goes outdoors, into a car or into a loaded joint, that changes — here is the three-question rule we use.