Guide to materials

The development of additive manufacturing has made available to designers and users a variety of materials in which it is often difficult to navigate.
Let's try to shed some light with the help of this diagram, which focuses on the most used materials in various technologies: photosensitive polymers in stereolithography and multi-jet printing, nylon powder in sintering and multi-jet casting, the traditional thermoplastic in wire extrusion.

3d printing materials overview
3D printing materials overview

The following table summarizes the characteristics of the most used materials in 3D printing. The green color indicates a good level of the indicated property, the gray color indicates that the material is not very suitable or does not possess the indicated characteristic, the yellow color represents an intermediate situation (acceptable, not excellent). Obviously the table is not exhaustive of all the materials, but is intended to guide the choice, according to the most relevant needs of the user.

Tabella riassuntiva sui materiali per la stampa 3D
3D printing materials overview table

Moving from 3D printing to vacuum casting, we are again faced with a wide range of materials, which can be used for pre-series production. In this case the constructive solution is the same for all, it is the vacuum casting of bi-component polyurethane in a silicone mold. The wide range of formulations available for polyurethanes makes it possible to satisfy the most varied needs, which we have tried to summarize in this diagram.

Pre-series materials overview
Pre-series materials overview

The following table summarizes the characteristics of the materials available for the vacuum casting of pre-series, highlighting merits and demerits of the various materials, with the color legend already illustrated above: green for good characteristics of the indicated property, grey if the material is not very suitable or does not possess the indicated property, yellow for an intermediate situation.

Pre-series materials overview table
Pre-series materials overview table

The detailed technical data sheets of the materials mentioned in these tables are available in the datasheet section of our website.


For an easy consultation on other media, this guide is also available in PDF format: