What material do you use for 3D printing?

Three materials are used for printing on the HP Jet Fusion 5210 line: HP PA 12 polyamide, polypropylene (PP), and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).

HP PA 12 can withstand physical stress and vibration and is resistant to low and high temperatures; products retain their properties and shape under temperature exposure ranging from −50°C to 150°C. The melting point of HP PA 12 is 187°C (for comparison, for ABS plastic, this value is 105°C). This material is used in the automotive and aerospace industries. For more details about the PA 12 polyamide, see the Hewlett Packard document.

PP is the optimal solution for printing lightweight products that are resistant to chemical exposure and water. The bulk density of polypropylene powder is 0.34 g/cm³, which is almost three times less than that of polyamide (1.01 g/cm³). Due to that, polypropylene products are lightweight. The material is suitable for printing device cases, automotive parts, prototypes, etc.

TPU is a material that allows you to print flexible products (flexibility can be adjusted depending on the customer’s tasks). Thermoplastic polyurethane is also moisture- and chemical-resistant, with a powder melting point of 192°C. This material is used in the light and automotive industries, medicine, electronics, and other fields.

When choosing a material, please be aware that the strength of the product depends on its design features and the thickness of its walls. Follow our guidelines on how to prepare models from PP, HP PA 12, and TPU for printing to develop the optimal product model.