Table 2.
Melting temperatures and some properties of different 3D printing common materials.
| Polymer | Melting Temperature (°C) |
Melt Mass-Flow Rate (g/10 min) |
Tensile Stress at Break (MPa) | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polylactic acid (PLA) | 145–160 | 6.1 | 45.6 | Rapid prototyping, accurate models, containers, automotive industry (jigs/fixtures) |
| Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) |
225–245 | 41.0 | 33.9 | Functional prototyping, concept modeling, production of tooling and end-use parts, architectural models, medical prostheses, toys |
| Polypropylene (PP) |
130 | 20.0 | 35.1 | Low strength applications, living hinges, straps, leashes. |
| Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) |
220 | 15.9 | 39.0 | Flexible, functional prototypes and end-use parts, sporting goods, protective cases, automotive bushings, vibration-damping components |
| Polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) |
260 | 6.4 | 38.5 | Manufacturing (bottles/food containers) Packaging (pharmaceutical and medical device packaging) |
| Nylon | 185–195 | 6.2 | 34.4 | Snaps fit, living hinges, gears. Automotive and aerospace industry (jigs, prototypes for interior panels, low-heat air-intake components. Medical sector (anatomical models, end-use parts) |
| Polycarbonate (PC) |
60 | 32–35 | 76.4 | Sunglass lenses, scuba masks, electronic display screens, phone cases) |