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Which Filament Should I Use? ABS, ASA, PETG, PC, Nylon and Carbon Fibre Compared
Which Filament Should I Use? ABS, ASA, PETG, PC, Nylon and Carbon Fibre Compared
"Which filament should I use?" is the question I get most. Fair enough. There are a lot of acronyms out there, and half of them have CF stuck on the end.
Here's the short version, based on what we actually print with every day in Guelph. The settings below are the ones on our product pages, and they're what we run on our own machines.
The Quick Answer
- It lives outside: ASA. It handles sun and weather better than ABS.
- It lives inside and gets warm: ABS. Cheap, tough, and our everyday workhorse.
- You don't have an enclosure: PETG, or PETG-CF if it needs to be stiffer.
- It has to take a beating: PA6 nylon. Gears, bushings, clips, tools.
- It gets really hot: polycarbonate, or PPA-CF if you have the printer for it.
- It needs to bend: TPU 95A for grips and bumpers, polypropylene for living hinges.
Side by Side
| Material | Good for | Enclosure | Nozzle | Hot end | Dry at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PETG | Everyday functional parts, containers | Not needed | Brass | 255 °C | Dry before use |
| PETG-CF | Stiffer parts with a matte finish | Not needed | Hardened | 255 °C | 70 °C, 5 h |
| ABS | Brackets, enclosures, fixtures | Yes | Brass | 260–270 °C | 80 °C, 5 h |
| ASA | Outdoor parts, anything in the sun | Yes | Brass | 260 °C | 80 °C, 5 h |
| ASA-CF | Rigid outdoor parts, clean matte housings | Yes | Hardened | 265 °C | 80 °C, 5 h |
| PC-ABS | More impact and heat than ABS | Yes | Brass | 270–280 °C | 80 °C, 12 h |
| PC | Tough, heat-resistant parts | Yes | Brass | 280–290 °C | 80 °C, 12 h |
| PC-CF | Stiff parts that run hot | Yes | Hardened | 280–290 °C | 80 °C, 12 h |
| PA6 | Gears, bushings, clips, tools | Yes | Brass | 270 °C | 80 °C, 12 h |
| PA6-CF | Strong, stiff, dimensionally stable parts | Yes | Hardened | 275–285 °C | 80 °C, 12 h |
| PA12-CF | Nylon strength, less fussy about moisture | Yes | Hardened | 290 °C | 80 °C, 12 h |
| PPA-CF | High-temperature, rigid parts | Yes | Hardened | 285–295 °C | 120 °C, 8 h (oven) |
| TPU 95A | Grips, pads, bumpers, gaskets | Not needed | Brass | 230 °C, slow | 70 °C, 5 h if it strings |
| PP | Living hinges, clips, watertight containers | Not needed | Brass | 235 °C | – |
Bed temperatures and fan settings for each one are on the product pages.
ABS and ASA: The Workhorses
If I could only keep two filaments, it would be these. ABS is strong, handles heat far better than PLA, and doesn't cost much. ASA is its outdoor cousin. It shrugs off sunlight and Canadian weather, so it's what we reach for when a part is going to live on a deck or a telescope.
Both want an enclosure. We run a 60 °C heated chamber, but a simple enclosure that keeps drafts off will get you a long way. Open printer plus ABS usually equals warped corners and cracked layers. Ask me how I know.
When we built the trade show demo system for Teledyne DALSA, the visible housings were ASA-CF and the rest was ABS and ASA. Big parts for our own projects come off HevOrange in ABS too.
PETG: No Enclosure? No Problem
PETG prints happily on an open printer, sticks to itself well, and resists a lot of chemicals. It's a little softer than ABS when it gets hot, so don't leave it on a dashboard in July. PETG-CF adds stiffness and a nice matte finish.
Polycarbonate: When ABS Isn't Enough
PC is tough and takes heat. It's also fussy: hot nozzle, hot bed, an enclosure, and properly dried filament. PC-ABS is the friendlier middle ground. PC-CF is the stiff, heat-resistant option when PETG-CF won't cut it.
Nylon: The Tough Stuff
PA6 is our toughest rigid filament. It's what you want for gears, bushings and anything that gets hit, bent or dragged around. The catch is moisture. Nylon drinks water out of the air, and wet nylon prints badly. Dry it for 12 hours and print it straight from a dry box.
The carbon-fibre versions, PA6-CF and PA12-CF, are stiffer and hold their shape better. PA12-CF is less sensitive to moisture than PA6, which makes it a bit easier to live with.
PPA-CF and PPA-GF: The Deep End
These are high-temperature engineering materials for parts that need to stay stiff when things get hot. They need a capable enclosed printer and serious drying. PPA-CF wants 120 °C for 8 hours, which most filament dryers can't do, so plan on an oven. If you're new to engineering filaments, start with ABS or PC and work up.
Flexible: TPU and Polypropylene
TPU bends and springs back. Use it for grips, feet, bumpers and gaskets, and print it slowly. Polypropylene is light, watertight and bends without breaking, which makes it great for living hinges. It's also famously hard to get stuck to the bed, so use a build surface made for it.
A Word About Carbon Fibre
Anything with CF or GF in the name is filled with short carbon or glass fibres. That makes parts stiffer and gives them a lovely matte finish. It also chews through brass nozzles. Use a hardened steel nozzle for every CF and GF filament. Your printer will thank you.
Dry Your Filament
Most print problems people blame on the filament are actually moisture: stringing, popping, rough surfaces, weak layers. If a spool has been sitting out, dry it. The times in the table are what we use.
Still Not Sure?
Send me a note at admin@tundra3d.ca and tell me what the part has to do. If you'd rather we design and print it for you, that's what we do too. Have a look at what we build or send a project enquiry.
Pick the right plastic. Dry it. Keep it warm. Happy printing!