3D Printer FYIDo not buy nylon because it is “pro.” Buy it because PLA or PETG failed a named test (heat, wear, flex, UV). Then check the hardware column before you open the bag.
Start from PLA vs PETG vs ABS if you have not printed those three cleanly.
When basic materials stop being enough
| Failure you measured | Family to evaluate | Hardware you must already have |
|---|---|---|
| Clip needs to flex and return | TPU/TPE | Short path / direct drive preferred; slow print |
| Outdoor UV + heat | ASA (often before ABS) | Enclosure + ventilation; read the SDS |
| Wear, living hinge, toughness | Nylon (dry it) | Dryer; often enclosure; brand profile |
| High heat + stiffness | PC or high-temp blends | All-metal hotend at the TDS temp; serious enclosure |
| Stiffness at low weight | CF/GF-filled | Hardened nozzle; expect anisotropy |
All temperatures, dry times, and HDT numbers come from your TDS — not this page.
Print a coupon (a clip, a hole plate, or a short tensile bar) in the new family before you commit a 12-hour part. Then calibrate that spool.
TPU/TPE: flexible parts
Shore hardness on the spool is the spec that matters. Soft TPU (low Shore A) buckles in a long Bowden tube. Firmer TPU (many “95A” hobby rolls) can run on Bowden if you slow down and keep retraction modest — still easier on direct drive.
Prusa’s Prusament TPU 95A material guide is the pattern: a dedicated profile, a sheet the vendor tested, and idler/path notes for that extruder — not a PLA profile with the temperature raised. Other brands publish the same kind of page. Start there.
Typical first-print failures:
- Grinding at the extruder → path too long, retraction too aggressive, or the filament is wet
- Spaghetti on travels → disable z-hop experiments until a solid extrusion bead exists
- Elephant-foot mush → first-layer squish that was fine for PLA is too much for a soft TPU
Do not invent a universal retraction length. Bowden vs direct changes the answer.
ASA: outdoor/weather-focused applications
ASA is the usual “ABS, but for sun.” It still wants a warm, still chamber and real ventilation. Warp is still a thing on an open bedslinger.
Read the SDS before you print overnight in a bedroom. Ultrafine particles and styrene-family fumes are why classroom and shop guidance treats enclosed + exhausted printing as the engineering control, not a paper mask.
If you cannot enclose and vent, stay on PETG outdoors-adjacent parts and accept UV aging — or buy the part.
Nylon: toughness, wear, moisture
Nylon is a sponge in the spool and still hygroscopic as a part. If you skip the dryer, you will tune stringing for a week.
PA6 vs PA12 is not a brand slogan. Polymaker’s own comparison of PA6- and PA12-based filled nylons is that PA12’s longer chain absorbs less water and changes mechanical properties less from dry to wet (Polymaker on PA12-CF moisture stability; moisture-conditioning notes). Other brands publish the same split on their TDS. Read that PDF.
Practical split:
| PA6-class | PA12-class | |
|---|---|---|
| Moisture in the spool | Usually less forgiving | Usually more stable, still dry it |
| Part properties after sitting out | Often a bigger dry→wet swing | Smaller swing on many filled PA12s |
| Warp / enclosure | Often hungrier | Still check the brand |
Filled nylons eat brass nozzles. Use hardened.
Some nylon TDS documents call for annealing then optional moisture-conditioning of the finished part. That is a post-process on the printed object, not a substitute for drying the filament. Follow the brand; do not invent a kitchen-oven schedule.
Polycarbonate: heat and strength with demanding print conditions
Virgin PC wants high nozzle temps, a serious enclosure, and often a specific sheet. Many hobby “PC” or “PC blend” rolls are easier than datasheet polycarbonate — the label and TDS decide, not the letters “PC” on the box.
If the spool needs a temperature your PTFE-lined hotend cannot hold, that is an upgrade-or-replace decision, not a slicer trick.
CF/GF-filled polymers: stiffness, abrasion, anisotropy caveats
Chopped fiber raises stiffness and usually lowers toughness in some directions. Layers still delaminate; a CF-PLA “strong” print can snap along layer lines like any other FDM part.
- Hardened nozzle. Brass after a kilo of CF is a larger hole than you sliced for.
- Fibers do not remove the need to dry nylon- or PETG-based filled blends.
- Orient the part so the load is not trying to peel layers. Anisotropy is the point.
The fiber does not make the printer industrial.
Support and specialty materials
PVA/BVOH-class soluble supports need a dry second path and a primary material that can live at a compatible temperature. Breakaway pairs (HIPS with some ABS, brand “support” filaments) are chemistry-specific. See multi-material.
Do not assume any two SKUs pair because both say “nylon” or “support.”
Hardware requirements checklist
| Need | Why |
|---|---|
| Dryer or dry-box you will actually use | Nylon, many PETG/TPU, filled blends |
| Hotend that reaches the TDS temperature | PC, some nylons; PTFE liners have a vendor ceiling |
| Hardened nozzle | CF/GF, glow, metal-fill |
| Enclosure + exhaust you can run | ASA, PC, some nylons |
| Sheet the vendor tested | PC and nylon first layers fail on the wrong coating |
| Spare nozzle + a coupon STL | You will wear the first one |
If two of those boxes are empty, you are not ready for that spool.
Drying and storage
Wet filament pops, steams, looks foamed, and strings like crazy. Polymaker’s TDS explainer is the usual physics: water in the melt expands and ruptures the bead (Polymaker TDS notes).
Dry to the spool’s instructions. Times and temperatures differ by polymer and brand. Seal with desiccant after. A vacuum bag that sat open for a month is not “still dry.”
How to pick without a “best filament” list
- Name the property that failed (flex, UV, HDT, wear).
- Open two brand TDS PDFs in that family. Compare HDT, impact, and drying — not Instagram.
- Check the printer against the hardware table.
- Print a coupon. Then calibrate.
Sources
- Polymaker — PA12-CF moisture vs PA6
- Polymaker wiki — moisture conditioning
- Polymaker — what a TDS contains
- Prusa — Prusament TPU 95A material guide
- NIOSH 2024-103 — safe 3D printing
- Ellis’ Print Tuning Guide (printability, not chemistry)
- The TDS/SDS on the spool you actually bought