Side by Side Materials Chart Comparison
| PLA | ABS | Nylon | |
| Scientific Designation | Polylactic acid or polylactide | Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene | Aliphatic Polyamide Blend |
| Melting Temp | 160-220˚C | 215-250˚C | 240-250˚C |
| Properties | Strong Brittle |
Stronger Durable Slightly flexible Heat-resistant |
Strongest Flexible Heat-resistant |
| Advantages | • No heated printbed needed • Limited warping and shrinking • No hazardous fumes and environmentally friendly • Smells like maple syrup when heated • Hard and soft variants • Many colors available. |
• Smooth finish • Difficult to break • Many colors available |
• Chemical resistant. • Inexpensive • Wear resistant • Can use dye to add color • Self lubricating properties • Self bonding properties • Most grades do not emit fumes • Can use weedwacker nylon cord • Cooling fans not required • Heated bed not necessary |
| Disadvantages | • Brittle • Slow cooling • Hard to chemically disolve material (cleaning out nozzle) • Low heat resistance, need to use a second cooling fan to cool the part while printing |
• Unpleasant odor. Use in a well ventilated area • Need heated printbed • Suffers from warping • Can be overcome with a heated bed or enclosure |
• Can be stringy • UV degredation issues • Warping issues. Print on cardboard or Garolite LE to prevent warping. • Need to dry nylon before printing if it has been exposed to humidity. • Issues sticking to bed. Use fiberboard to print on. |
| Finishing | Sanding possible Paint with Acrylic Limited glueing |
Easy sanding Easy glueing Easily dissolvable in acetone |
Smooth Shiny Able to paint |
| Best Uses | Small Parts | Mechanical Parts | Best used for low friction parts. |
| Price for Filament | ~$44/kg ($20/lb) hard ~$66/kg ($30/lb) soft | ~$44/kg ($20/lb) | 275ft weed wacker trimmer line for $7.98 ~$44/kg ($20/lb) (Taulman 618) or ~$66/kg ($30/lb) (Taulman 645) |