Material Compatibility Finder

Tell me what you're printing. I'll match you to the right material and show you which printers can actually run it.

The 12 materials at a glance

The finder covers 8 filaments for FDM printers and 4 resins for resin printers. Difficulty is rated Easy, Moderate or Advanced. ABS, ASA, Nylon, Polycarbonate, Carbon Fiber need an enclosed printer to print reliably.

FDM filaments

  • PLA (Easy): The default starting point. Forgiving, biodegradable, prints reliably on almost any machine. Best for: figurines, prototypes, decorative items.
  • PETG (Easy): PLA's more capable sibling. Tougher, water-resistant, food-safe. Nearly as easy to print. Best for: functional parts, containers, outdoor use.
  • ABS (Moderate, enclosure needed): Strong and heat-resistant but it will warp without an enclosure. Needs ventilation too. Best for: automotive parts, enclosures, lego-like toys.
  • ASA (Moderate, enclosure needed): ABS with UV protection built in. If ABS is what you need but it's going outside, use ASA instead. Best for: outdoor fixtures, garden tools, car parts.
  • TPU (Moderate): Bendy, rubber-like, surprisingly useful. You'll need a direct drive extruder to run it well. Best for: phone cases, gaskets, flexible hinges.
  • Nylon (Advanced, enclosure needed): Seriously strong stuff. It absorbs moisture from the air though, so you need to store and dry it properly. Best for: gears, bearings, mechanical parts.
  • Polycarbonate (Advanced, enclosure needed): Handles heat up to 110C and is very strong. Getting a clean print takes real effort. Best for: engineering parts, heat-resistant enclosures.
  • Carbon Fiber (Advanced, enclosure needed): Carbon fiber packed into nylon. Extremely stiff. Eats brass nozzles, so you need a hardened steel one. Best for: drone frames, structural parts, tools.

Resins

  • Standard Resin (Moderate): The sharpest detail you can get from a desktop printer. Brittle out of the wash, and post-processing takes time. Best for: miniatures, jewelry masters, detailed models.
  • ABS-Like Resin (Moderate): Tougher and less brittle than standard resin. Good pick if your print needs to survive some handling. Best for: functional prototypes, snap-fit parts.
  • Water-Washable Resin (Easy): Skip the IPA, rinse with water instead. Detail is slightly softer but the cleanup is much friendlier. Best for: beginners to resin, quick prototypes.
  • Flexible Resin (Moderate): Squishes and flexes like rubber. Niche material, but nothing else works as well for soft-touch parts. Best for: gaskets, grips, soft-touch parts.

Which printers run engineering filaments

Material support is rated for 25 printers in the catalog. Of those, 9 handle ABS, 8 handle Nylon, 4 handle Polycarbonate and 2 handle Carbon Fiber.

  • Prusa XL: PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, Nylon, Polycarbonate, Carbon Fiber
  • QIDI X-Plus 3: PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, Nylon, Polycarbonate
  • QIDI X-Max 3: PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, Nylon, Polycarbonate
  • Qidi Q2: PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, Nylon, Polycarbonate, Carbon Fiber

11 of the rated FDM printers are limited to PLA, PETG and TPU. Pick a material in the finder above to see every printer that supports it.