How to choose 3D printing material by use and property
Which 3D printing material should I use depends on what the part has to withstand. Answer three questions on use, property and, optionally, technology and get one recommended material and up to three products with a price in euros. The screen is in Bulgarian.
Opens with a free account.
- 3 questionsuse, property, technology
- 33 materialsfor filament, resin, powder and metal
- 1 pickwith a reason and up to 3 products
- Price in euroson the products from the shops
What a 3D printing material selector is
The 3D printing material selector is a three-question material wizard from EduFacturing: it asks what the part is for, which property matters and, optionally, which technology you have, then shows one recommended material; the list has 33 materials, but only one of 19 can lead.
Products for filament and resin come only from the catalog of partner shops, for powders and metals from a built-in list. The ranking is points added up from two tables: one for the use and one for the property.
What you get after the three questions
Asks about use and property
Use: prototyping, functional parts, visual models, flexible parts, high-temperature (over 150 °C), medical, jewelry casting. Property: strength, flexibility, heat resistance, chemical resistance, biocompatibility, low cost.
Asks about technology, optionally
FDM or FFF (filament), SLA, DLP or LCD (resin), SLS, MJF or DMLS (powder, polymer or metal) or not sure. From the Printer Wizard you arrive with the technology already chosen.
Shows the recommended material and up to three products
Above the card it says how many materials match and why this one was picked. A product shows a maker, a class (premium, mid, budget: a price group, not quality), a buy button and a price in euros when it is known.
Lets you refine and see them all
After the result you change use, property and technology, search by word or clear the filters and see all 33 materials. From the Printer Wizard the technology stays locked, and some materials are hidden if the printer cannot run them.
When to use a 3D printing material selector
The selector is for the moment before the print: you know what the part has to withstand, but not what to make it from.
A part that will be loaded
Choose “functional parts” as the use and “strength” as the property, and with FDM the top material is the carbon-fiber filled one.
Flexible seals and grips
Choose “flexible parts” as the use, and it leads to TPU for FDM or to a flexible resin.
Jewelry and medicine
With resin or not sure, “jewelry casting” with the property flexibility, heat resistance or chemical resistance leads to a castable resin, and “medical” to a biocompatible resin or titanium.
How the materials are ranked by points
Each material gets up to 10 points for the use and up to 10 for the property, 20 in all. The one with the most points leads, and on a tie the name that comes first alphabetically.
Technology picks the group
FDM keeps the filament materials, SLA, DLP and LCD the resin ones, SLS, MJF and DMLS powder and metal. Not sure keeps all three groups.
Two tables give the points
One rates the material for the chosen use, the other for the chosen property. A material with no points in either table drops out.
The material with the most points leads
It is shown with up to three products from different makers. The note above the card says excellent at 8 or more points from the table.
| Applies to | Formula | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Total points | points = pts(use) + pts(property) | each is from 0 to 10, and a material with no points in either drops out |
| Functional parts and strength, FDM | Carbon Fiber Filled = 10 + 10 = 20 | Nylon / PA and PC follow with 18 each |
A recommended material with a reason and products
A recommended material with a reason, not a long list
Usually the result is one material with a note on why it was picked, not a table of dozens of rows.
Products with a price in euros
Up to three products from different makers in partner shops, with a class and a price in euros.
Continues from the Printer Wizard
From the Printer Wizard you arrive with a technology chosen: the questions are skipped, and use and property are set from your goal by a fixed table (for example hobby and jewelry give visual models, prototyping gives functional parts). You can change them.
Use and property are rated separately and their points are added. So out of 168 possible combinations of the three answers, in 61 the top material has no points for the chosen use and fits only the property: for example, “flexible parts” with “strength” and technology not sure leads to a carbon-fiber filled material. The note above the card mentions the use only when the material has at least 5 points for it. Only 19 of the 33 materials can ever lead: 9 are in neither table and 5 more always lose.
The tool shows no nozzle or bed temperatures and does not calculate strength or part cost. The buy links are affiliate links: EduFacturing may earn a commission on a purchase, the products for filament and resin come only from the catalog of partner shops, and the commission plays no part in the points. The price is the shop listing, not always per kilogram, converted to euros at an approximate rate. If the leading material has no product, the screen lists all matching materials instead, and for some combinations (for example medical with biocompatibility and FDM) there is no material. The screen is in Bulgarian only.
Questions about choosing 3D printing material
Which 3D printing material should I use?
It depends on use and property. Answer three questions and you get one recommended material and, when the shops have them, up to three products. Technology is optional.
How to choose 3D printing material for functional parts?
Pick “functional parts” as the use and “strength” as the property. With FDM the carbon-fiber filled material gets the most points, 20 out of 20.
What 3D printing material is flexible?
For the use “flexible parts” and the property “flexibility”, TPU for FDM and the flexible resin for SLA, DLP and LCD each get 20 out of 20.
How many materials does the selector have?
33 in the list: for filament, for resin and for powder and metal. Only one of 19 can lead, but the clear button shows the whole list.
Is the screen available in English?
No. The questions, answers and buttons are in Bulgarian only. The materials and the prices need no translation.
How much does the material selector cost?
It opens with a free account, and registration is free. You do not need Pro for it.
The material selector opens with a free account. Pro opens the rest
Pro costs 15 EUR a month and opens 45 Pro tools.
In the Idea & selection group:
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Choose a material for your part
Opens with a free account.