3D Printing Materials
The material you print in matters as much as the model. PLA is cheap, rigid, and perfect for display pieces but softens in a hot car. PETG shrugs off sun and heat and takes an impact without shattering. TPU bends and rebounds like a rubber part. Pick wrong and a good design fails in the field. We stock PLA, PLA+, PLA Matte, PLA Silk/Gloss, PETG, and TPU, and we will tell you honestly which one fits your part — including when a cheaper option is the smart call. Priced by the gram, printed in Bellingham.
The Wrong Filament Turns a Good Design Into a Failed Part
A model can be perfect and still fail because it was printed in the wrong material. PLA parts sag in hot cars and crack outdoors. Someone orders rigid plastic for a part that needed to flex. People pay a premium for PETG on a shelf trinket that PLA would have handled for less. Most print services just print whatever you ordered — they do not stop you from making an expensive mistake.
PLA That Softens Where It Sits
PLA starts to soften around 60°C — a summer dashboard, a sunny window, or a spot near a motor is enough to warp a PLA part permanently.
Indoor Plastic Used Outdoors
PLA gets brittle and chalky under UV. A part that looked great on day one cracks after a season outside because it was never meant to leave the house.
Overpaying for the Wrong Grade
The opposite mistake is just as common — ordering the priciest filament for a part that will live on a shelf, or rigid plastic for something that needed to bend.
Material Chosen for the Job, Not the Order Form
We stock PLA, PLA+, PLA Matte, PLA Silk/Gloss, PETG, and TPU, and we treat material selection as part of the service, not an afterthought. Tell us where the part lives and how it has to perform, and we will match it — rigid PLA for display and models, toughened PLA+ for functional indoor parts, PETG for heat, moisture, UV, and impact, and TPU when the part has to flex. If a cheaper material does the job, we will say so.
“Six filament families, matched to your part by people who will talk you out of the wrong one — priced by the gram, printed in Bellingham.”
Everything You Get
Our Materials package includes everything you need. No hidden fees, no surprise add-ons.
The PLA Family — Display, Models & Finishes
PLA is the rigid, easy-printing, biodegradable workhorse for indoor parts. PLA+ adds impact toughness; PLA Matte hides layer lines; PLA Silk and Gloss add sheen. All of it prints crisp and holds precise dimensions.
- Standard PLA — prototypes and models
- PLA+ — tougher functional indoor parts
- PLA Matte — primer-ready props and signs
- PLA Silk / Gloss — decorative sheen
PETG — Heat, Weather & Impact
PETG is the step up when a part leaves the shelf. It resists heat to around 80°C, handles sun and moisture far better than PLA, and takes an impact without the brittle snap — the right call for outdoor, automotive-adjacent, and functional parts.
- Outdoor and sun-exposed parts
- Brackets and functional housings
- Better chemical and moisture resistance
- Tougher, less brittle than PLA
TPU — Flexible & Rubber-Like
TPU is a flexible elastomer for parts that bend, grip, seal, or absorb shock. The grade we stock returns to shape after flexing and resists abrasion, making it right for gaskets, grips, bumpers, and dampers.
- Gaskets, seals, and bumpers
- Grips, feet, and vibration dampers
- Flexible, abrasion-resistant parts
- Returns to shape after bending
How It Works
We've refined our process over 100+ projects. Here's exactly what to expect.
Tell Us Where the Part Lives
Indoors on a shelf? Bolted outside in the sun? In a hot car, a garage, or in hand all day? The environment decides the material more than anything else, so we start there.
Match Material to Load
We weigh strength, heat resistance, UV exposure, flexibility, and finish against your budget, then recommend a specific filament — and tell you if a cheaper one would do the job just as well.
Confirm Color and Finish
Pick your color and finish — matte to hide layer lines, silk or gloss for shine, or a standard PLA. Multi-color parts run on our Bambu desktop machines with AMS.
Print and Verify
We print with settings tuned to the material — PETG and TPU need different temperatures and speeds than PLA — and check the part against your requirements before handoff.
Choose Your Package
Material is billed by the gram on top of machine time ($3/hr desktop, $8/hr large-format), a $15 setup charge, and a $25 shop minimum. Here is what each family costs and where it fits:
PLA Family
$0.08 / gram
Display pieces, models, prototypes, props, and signage — anything that lives indoors
- PLA, PLA+, Matte, Silk, Gloss
- Rigid and dimensionally precise
- Widest color and finish range
- Lowest material cost
PETG
$0.10 / gram
Outdoor parts, functional brackets, and anything facing heat, sun, moisture, or impact
- Heat resistance to ~80°C
- Weather and UV tolerant
- Impact resistant, less brittle
- Runs on desktop and large-format
TPU
$0.14 / gram
Flexible parts — gaskets, grips, bumpers, cases, and vibration dampers
- Rubber-like flexibility
- Abrasion resistant
- Returns to shape after flex
- Medium-flex grade in stock
What Affects Pricing
- Part weightA denser, higher-infill part uses more grams and costs more in material
- Material gradeTPU costs the most per gram, PETG is mid, the PLA family is the most affordable
- SupportsOverhangs need support material, which adds a little weight and therefore cost
- Color changesMulti-color AMS prints use some material purging at each color swap
What's Not Included
- Resin, nylon, carbon-fiber, or ABS/ASAWe print FDM in PLA, PETG, and TPU only — we will refer you out if your part truly needs another material
- Food-safe certificationNo FDM print is certified food-safe; we can print a mold or seal a part but cannot certify it
- Machine time and setupThe per-gram prices above are material only; machine time and the $15 setup are quoted per job
Who This Is (And Isn't) For
This guidance applies to FDM parts in the materials we stock. Here is where our material range fits — and where it does not.
This Is Perfect For You If:
- Anyone unsure whether PLA, PETG, or TPU is right for their part
- Outdoor or high-heat parts that need PETG instead of PLA
- Flexible parts — gaskets, grips, bumpers — that need TPU
- Props, signs, and models where finish (matte vs. silk) matters
- Functional indoor parts that need PLA+ toughness over standard PLA
This Probably Isn't Right If:
- Parts requiring certified food-safe or medical-grade material
- High-temperature engineering parts needing nylon, polycarbonate, or ASA
- Metal parts, or parts that must survive flame or sustained high heat
- Optically clear resin-quality parts — FDM layers are visible by nature
If We're Not The Right Fit
We can print a reusable mold so your food-safe material takes the shape instead
We will point you to a service bureau running nylon, polycarbonate, or ASA
Frequently Asked Questions
Get a Quote for Materials
Send us your model or a link to one. We'll slice it, check it prints cleanly, and come back with a firm price — usually within one business day.
