There are so many materials you can choose from when it comes to 3D printing that it’s often tough to decide on the right one. But do not fear! Tinkercad’s Materials Guide is here! Our easy-to-read guide will help you select the perfect material based on a few important factors, like type, minimum thickness, texture and the all-important cost. Whether you’re looking to 3D print a prototype or a unique 3D gift, our Materials Guide will help guide you through the process!
NYLON: (Polyamide)
- Also called White, strong & flexible / Durable plastic / White plastic
- Strong and flexible plastic
- 1mm minimum wall thickness
- Naturally white, but you can get it colored
- About 10 layers per 1mm
- Made from powder
- Alumide = Polyamide + Aluminum
- Interlocking, moving parts possible (chain)
ABS: (Home printers)
- Strong plastic like legos are
- Made from spaghetti like filament
- Many color options
- About 3 layers per 1mm
- 1mm minimum wall thickness
RESIN: (Multiple options)
- Also called White-, Black-, Transparent detail / White detail resin / High detail-, Transparent-, Paintable Resin
- Rigid and a bit delicate
- Liquid Photopolymer cured with UV light
- White, black & transparent most typical colors
- About 10 layers per 1mm
- 1mm minimum wall thickness
STAINLESS STEEL:
- Very strong material
- Made with multiple steps or from powder directly
- Coloring options like gold and bronze plating
- About 6 layers per 1mm
- 3mm minimum wall thickness
GOLD & SILVER:
- Strong materials
- Made from wax and then casted
- About 10 layers per 1mm
- 0.5mm minimum wall thickness
TITANIUM:
- Strongest material
- Direct metal laser sintering
- About 30 layers per 1mm
- 0.2mm minimum wall thickness
CERAMIC:
- Rigid & delicate
- First ceramic is printed then surface is glazed
- Ceramic white, glaze typically white
- About 6 layers per 1mm
- 3mm minimum wall thickness
GYPSUM:
- Also called Sandstone / Rainbow ceramics / Multicolor
- Rigid & delicateMade from powder
- Naturally white, but you can get it with colors
- About 10 layers per 1mm
- 2mm minimum wall thickness
Download the Tinkercad Materials Guide.
Is there a material you’d like to see in the Tinkercad Materials Guide?
Let us know: team@tinkercad.com.
this is awesome. thanks! next step is adding entries for laser cutting with the .svg files
I’d like to know which materials are toxic, eg not suitable for toys or dishware.
@Tina: That’s a good question. I would suggest to make toys from PLA or ABS, because both are filament based. It’s like spaghetti which is melted + legos for example are made from ABS. PLA is corn based, so that would make it even better. If you have access to some “home printer”, these are also the most affordable options. Nylon probably would be otherwise fine, but it’s made from powder. When product is made from powder, it will loose some tiny powder pieces when used. Ceramic is the only food-safe material, but on the other hand not safe as a toy.
This material guide is just to get some basic understanding about the most used 3D printable materials. If you want to know more details, I’d suggest to check from 3D printing service material guides more:
Shapeways: http://www.shapeways.com/materials
i.Materialise: http://i.materialise.com/materials
Actually, I’ve just got my Replicator2 in january in since than it’s been printing continuously:) I guess that the FDM technology is getting better every week, with the new desktop 3D printers you can print with a layer height of less than 0.1mm which produces beautiful and smooth curved surfaces as well. Check out my blog about my experiments and timelapse videos about my 3D printing experiences and parametric design;)
Btw I’m having some issues updating my Firmware to the new one. I’ve already installed MakerWare 2.0, but when I want to update my Firmware from the Makerware menu, I always get the message “Error: task failed”. Any suggestions?