Materials We Use
PETG
(Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol)
This is our standard go-to filament type as it is great for indoor and outdoor use, is easy to print and gives consistent results. It’s a great all around filament and does everything we expect and need it to do.
Pros:
- Natural UV resistance so color won’t fade and lasts for years
- Very good thermal properties, good for very cold temps and stays solid up to around 180*F (82*C)
- Can be used indoors or outdoors
- Easy to print with
- High mechanical strength and chemical resistance
Cons:
- Fewer color options
- Can be harder to find in stock
Interesting Fact: PETG is PET with Glycol added. PET is the type of plastic used for single use plastic bottles, there are people working on ways to convert waste plastic bottles into PET 3D printer filament with good results!
PLA
(Polylactic Acid)
We use this material primarily for indoor items as it allows us to choose nearly any color and is widely available.
Pros:
- Cheap and easy to find material
- Seemingly limitless color options
- Extremely easy and consistent to print with
- Organically based, usually on corn starch or sugar cane, making it renewable and environmentally friendly
Cons:
- Not suitable for outdoor use due to fading and deterioration
- Not suitable for use in vehicles or direct sunlight as it gets soft and deforms around 135*F – 150*F (57*C – 65.5*C)
Interesting Fact: Since PLA is organically based, it is biodegradable. In some cases it can even be composted. Don’t go throwing waste PLA on your home compost pile though as some brands can contain toxic chemicals from pigments and other additives.
TPU
(Thermoplastic Polyurethane)
For anything that needs to flex or be soft, this is our material of choice. It can be printed in a way to make it similar to a hard rubber, or be very soft like silicone.
Pros:
- Very versatile as it can be designed to be soft or firm
- Very good thermal properties, this material holds up well in extreme cold and extreme heat
- Can be used indoors or outdoors
- Very flexible
- Strong and chemical resistant
Cons:
- More difficult to find and more expensive
- Few color options
- More difficult to print with, requires special equipment
Interesting Fact: You are surrounded by TPU right now… and it’s watching you.. But really TPU is used in all kinds of products and you probably have some within arms reach right now.
ABS
(Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)
We have experimented with ABS and so far have deemed it not worth it on the products we sell. In the future we may revisit ABS for some products.
Pros:
- Available in many colors
- Extremely good thermal properties, stands up to extreme cold and heat. ABS can withstand around 220*F (104.5*C) before getting soft or deforming.
Cons:
- Usually more expensive than other options
- Much more difficult to print and has a tendency to warp
- More inconsistent prints means more bad parts and waste
- Releases toxic fumes while printing
Interesting Fact: This is a very common material and is in many injection molded items. You already have mass produced ABS items in your house and in your car.
FOOD GRADE MATERIALS
We tend to stay away from this for any human food items. We do have in stock a very limited supply of an FDA approved brand of filament. We take health and safety very seriously and want to warn you about “food grade” 3D prints, please read below.
Important, please read below!
True “food grade” 3D prints are few and far between. Almost everything 3D printed that says is “food safe” really is NOT and often has some toxic chemicals in it. While some of the base materials, such as PLA, are considered food safe in their base form, that does not mean that after adding color and processing into filament, that it is still safe. Almost all brands use pigments and additives that are toxic and should never come into contact with food (red pigments are especially bad). It’s also impossible for us to know the true cleanliness of the factories producing these filaments or what they may have come into contact with. There are only 2 companies in the world that I was able to find that sold actual FDA certified food grade filament. Unfortunately many sellers have taken the “PLA is food safe” idea and applied it to all PLA filaments and brands, and are selling items that may be toxic. Please be sure to ask a seller if they are using FDA certified filament and ask to see the certification paperwork before making a purchase, they should have this on hand and be willing to send you a copy of it. If they don’t, it is highly recommended to avoid it for your safety. FDA approved filament is extremely expensive (often at least 3 times more than standard filament) so if the part you want to buy is cheap, it’s likely not printed with an actual food grade filament.
The other consideration you should have is that this filament is often run through dirty printers with brass nozzles (these cheap brass nozzles are extremely likely to contain lead) and the filaments and parts are often not handled with food safety in mind, leading to contamination within the plastic that washing the part can’t remove. The layer lines in a 3D print also hold bacteria and are hard to clean. Studies have been done on this topic and the results show that it’s best to treat them like single use items, or seal them with a food grade epoxy to make them safe to reuse.
At ZimmDak Industries, when we do anything food grade, the machine is thoroughly cleaned and extreme care is taken to ensure the materials and parts remain as clean and safe as possible. These are “at your own risk” items and we will only do it upon request and only if we feel it will be used in a safe manner. Please don’t be offended if we can’t help you out with your food grade project.
Pros:
- When done right, you can make safe food grade items
Cons:
- Very expensive
- We could only find 2 FDA approved brands of filament
- Widespread misinformation out there about food grade items and 3D printing so it is best to avoid for safety reasons