Materials

PLA is the honest everyday default — think of the stiff, plant-based eco-cutlery or compostable takeaway containers you get with street food; it's that exact same corn-based bioplastic. It's not the strongest or toughest plastic I stock, and it doesn't need to be: it's the most affordable, it prints crisp and clean, and it's more than enough for most everyday jobs. When nothing about your part calls for special properties, this is the one I'd reach for first.

It's a natural fit for display models, prototypes, decorative pieces, indoor brackets, and planters — rigid, holds its shape, and keeps fine detail well. It comes out with a soft matte look rather than a glossy sheen, which tends to flatter printed models by hiding the layer lines. The main thing to keep in mind is impact: a sharp knock tends to chip or crack it rather than let it bend, so it's happiest away from drops and rough handling.

The other thing to watch is heat. Don't use PLA for anything left in a parked car over a Lithuanian summer — the heat behind the windscreen softens and warps it, so dashboard mounts and phone holders are out. For in-car parts, choose ABS/ASA instead.

Outdoors it's tougher than its reputation. The usual warning is that PLA isn't UV-resistant, but in practice my outdoor PLA prints have lasted years through Lithuanian weather. If you want an outdoor part on a budget, it's worth a try.

PETG is a close cousin of the clear plastic in drink bottles (PET) — the same tough, slightly springy family, tuned to 3D-print well. It's my second pick after PLA, and the one I reach for when a part needs to do a bit more: it sits between PLA and the engineering plastics, easy to live with yet more durable and a little less brittle.

A good pick for functional parts that need to flex slightly or survive being dropped — enclosures, clips, brackets, organizers. Layers bond well, so prints feel solid and cope with moisture better than PLA. It comes out with a glossy sheen rather than PLA's matte finish, which can look great on the right part.

Like PLA, it does not belong in a parked car over a Lithuanian summer. The spec sheets suggest it should manage, but in real testing here the heat behind a windscreen is too much and parts sag. For anything that lives in a car, ABS/ASA is the right call.

ABS and ASA are the everyday plastics of hard consumer goods — the tough, slightly matte material of TV remotes, appliance housings and LEGO bricks. They shrug off heat and rough handling far better than PLA or PETG, which makes them the go-to for parts that have to survive a real-world environment.

This is the material for car-interior parts: unlike PLA and PETG, it holds its shape in a hot parked car through a Lithuanian summer. ASA is the sun-stable version — pick it for anything that lives outdoors, as it resists fading and going brittle in sunlight far longer.

Good for functional brackets, housings, automotive bits and outdoor fittings, and it can be sanded and glued for a smooth finish.

TPU 95A is a flexible plastic — picture a phone case, just a touch firmer. It's the standard flexible material: bendy and grippy, but tough enough to take a beating without tearing.

Here's the part that surprises people: how flexible the finished part feels depends as much on how it's built as on the material itself. Printed solid with thick walls it comes out firm and springy — closer to 'tough plastic that gives a little' than to rubber. Printed thin and hollow, the very same material feels properly soft and squishy. So think of TPU as 'as flexible as you ask for' — tell me whether you want a stiff bumper or a soft, bendy part and I'll build it to match.

Great for grips, protective bumpers, dampers, gaskets and seals. If you need a flexible functional part, this is usually the place to start.

TPU 85A is the softer member of the flexible family — think of a squishier phone case or the springy material in a shoe sole. Same idea as TPU 95A, but more rubbery and yielding from the start.

The same rule applies as for all TPU: the final feel depends heavily on how the part is built. Thick walls make even this soft grade feel firm; thin walls make it genuinely squishy. Tell me how soft you want it and I'll dial the build to suit.

Best for parts where you want noticeable give — soft grips, cushioning, flexible pads and rubber-like fittings.

TPU-LW is a special lightweight flexible filament. It foams slightly as it prints, so the finished part comes out noticeably lighter than regular TPU, with a soft, almost fabric-like surface that's pleasant against the skin.

The low weight and soft feel make it a favorite for wearables, cushioning, grips, insoles and soft toys — and it's a popular choice for radio-control car tires, where light weight matters. Reach for it when 'light and soft' beats 'strong'.

I print it to a sensible soft-but-usable setting; the exact softness is something I tune while printing rather than a dial you pick at order time. If you have a specific feel in mind, mention it in your notes and I'll aim for it.

PEBA is a high-performance flexible plastic with two things that set it apart from TPU: it's lighter, and it bounces back far more energetically. Where TPU bends and slowly gives, PEBA snaps back hard — a PEBA part springs like a high-energy ball rather than absorbing the hit.

That mix of low weight and lively rebound makes it the pick for springy, bouncy parts where you don't want the dead, absorbing feel of TPU — sports gear, springs, dampers that need to return energy, and lightweight functional parts. It's also more resistant to oils, greases and solvents.

It's not simply a TPU substitute — it has its own lighter, springier character, so it suits a different kind of job.

Siraya Tech FibreHeart Rebound PEBA, black. A specialist material I'm still dialing in, so lead times can be a little longer.