Why TPU Was Slow — And What Changed For the first decade of consumer 3D printing, TPU was a slow-printing curiosity. Bowden setups physically couldn’t push soft filament fast — it would buckle inside the PTFE tube and underextrude into a stringy mess. Even direct drive setups struggled because hotends with low flow rates couldn’t…
The Short Answer: PETG Has Moderate UV Resistance PETG (polyethylene terephthalate glycol) holds up to ultraviolet light better than PLA and HIPS, but noticeably worse than ASA, ASA-CF, and polycarbonate. In direct sunlight at temperate-zone latitudes, an unmodified PETG print will retain most of its mechanical properties for 6–12 months, start visibly yellowing within 12–18…
What “Highest Temperature” Actually Measures When people ask about the highest-temperature 3D printer filament, they usually mean one of two different numbers: the heat deflection temperature (HDT) — the temperature at which the plastic starts deforming under a small load — or the continuous service temperature — the temperature the plastic can sit at indefinitely…
What “Highest Temperature” Actually Measures When people ask about the highest-temperature 3D printer filament, they usually mean one of two different numbers: the heat deflection temperature (HDT) — the temperature at which the plastic starts deforming under a small load — or the continuous service temperature — the temperature the plastic can sit at indefinitely…
Why ABS Still Matters for FDM 3D Printing in 2026 ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is one of the oldest thermoplastics used in FDM 3D printing, and despite the rise of PETG, ASA, and high-performance nylons, it remains a favorite for heat-resistant enclosures, automotive mockups, mechanical prototypes, and anything that will benefit from acetone vapor smoothing….
Photo by ZMorph on Unsplash ASA and PETG sit in an interesting middle ground between easy-to-print PLA and demanding ABS. Both offer better mechanical properties than PLA, both handle higher temperatures, and both are popular choices for functional parts. But they’re not interchangeable — and picking the wrong one for your application can mean reprinting…
Why Carbon Fiber Filament Demands Respect The first time I printed with carbon fiber filament, I ruined a brass nozzle in about 6 hours. The print looked fantastic — stiff, lightweight, with that signature matte texture — but when I tried printing regular PLA afterward, the extrusion was inconsistent and the dimensional accuracy was gone….
Complete guide to choosing the best filament for 3D printing gears, cams, and mechanical parts. Covers PLA, PETG, nylon PA6-CF, POM, and polycarbonate with real-world performance comparisons.
You’ve decided to print with TPU. You’ve probably heard it’s “flexible filament.” But flexible is a spectrum — and the difference between a phone case that feels like a car tire and one that bends like silicone comes down to one number: Shore hardness. Understanding Shore hardness is the difference between a successful TPU project…
What Is Matte PLA? Standard PLA has a noticeable sheen — not quite glossy, but definitely reflective. It shows layer lines clearly, highlights every imperfection, and screams “3D printed” to anyone who looks closely. Matte PLA eliminates that problem. It has a flat, non-reflective surface finish that hides layer lines and gives prints a professional,…