ABS
ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is a common thermoplastic known for its toughness, impact resistance, ease of machining, and ability to hold good dimensional stability. It’s easily painted or glued.
Good for:
- Functional prototypes
- Enclosures and housings
- Consumer product components
- Automotive interior parts
- Jigs and fixtures
Why customers love it: “A cost-effective and versatile ‘workhorse’ plastic for prototyping, offering a good balance of mechanical properties and ease of processing.”
Polycarbonate (PC)
Polycarbonate (PC) is a strong, impact-resistant thermoplastic, often used when transparency or high toughness is required. It maintains properties over a wide temperature range.
Good for:
- Machine guards and safety shields
- Clear manifolds
- Lenses and light pipes
- Durable housings
- Medical device components
Why customers love it: “Exceptional impact strength and optical clarity make it perfect for tough, transparent applications.”
Acrylic (PMMA)
Acrylic (PMMA) is known for its excellent optical clarity, rigidity, and weather resistance. It’s more brittle than Polycarbonate but easier to polish to a high-quality finish.
Good for:
- Display cases and windows
- Light guides and lenses
- Signage
- Aesthetic prototypes
- Fluidic devices (clear)
Why customers love it: “Offers glass-like clarity and brilliance at a lower weight and cost, with good machinability for sharp details.”
Nylon (PA)
Nylon (PA) (Common Grades: PA6, PA66, often glass-filled variants) is known for its toughness, high wear resistance, good chemical resistance, and self-lubricating properties (in some grades).
Good for:
- Gears, bearings, and bushings
- Wear pads and strips
- Rollers and wheels
- Structural components requiring toughness
- Textile machinery parts
Why customers love it: “Excellent wear resistance and toughness make it ideal for moving parts or components subjected to friction and impact.”
Delrin (POM / Acetal)
Delrin (POM / Acetal) offers high stiffness, excellent dimensional stability, low friction, good wear resistance, and outstanding machinability, producing clean, sharp features.
Good for:
- High-precision gears and bearings
- Bushings and rollers
- Electrical insulators
- Components requiring tight tolerances
- Fuel system parts
Why customers love it: “Its combination of stiffness, low friction, and superb machinability makes it a top choice for precise mechanical components.”
PEEK
PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone) is a high-performance thermoplastic with exceptional mechanical strength, stiffness, high-temperature resistance (continuous use often >250°C), excellent chemical resistance, and inherent flame retardancy. It is expensive.
Good for:
- Aerospace components
- Medical implants (biocompatible grades)
- Semiconductor processing parts
- Demanding industrial applications (e.g., pump/valve parts)
- High-temperature bearings and seals
Why customers love it: “Provides ultimate performance in extreme temperature, chemical, and mechanical stress environments where other plastics fail.”
Ultem (PEI)
Ultem (PEI) (Polyetherimide) is another high-performance thermoplastic offering high strength and rigidity at elevated temperatures, broad chemical resistance, and good dimensional stability. Often seen as a slightly lower-cost alternative to PEEK for some applications.
Good for:
- Medical and chemical instrumentation parts
- Electrical connectors and insulators
- Aerospace interior components
- Microwave applications
- Reusable sterilization equipment
Why customers love it: “Offers excellent high-temperature performance and mechanical strength, bridging the gap between standard engineering plastics and PEEK.”
HDPE
HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) is a cost-effective plastic with excellent chemical resistance, good impact strength (especially at low temperatures), and low moisture absorption. It’s relatively soft and has a low coefficient of friction.
Good for:
- Chemical tanks and containers
- Cutting boards
- Wear strips (low load)
- Pipe fittings
- Low-cost prototypes
Why customers love it: “Excellent chemical resistance and durability at a very low cost, ideal for corrosive environments or non-critical mechanical parts.”
PVC
PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) is known for its excellent chemical resistance (especially to acids and bases), good electrical insulation, and inherent flame retardancy. It’s rigid and relatively low cost.
Good for:
- Chemical processing tanks and fittings
- Electrical insulation components
- Pipe systems
- Construction applications
- Battery boxes
Why customers love it: “Outstanding chemical resistance and electrical insulation properties combined with affordability.”
