3D Printing For Outdoor Use: Materials Comparison - PLA, ABS, Nylon, PETG, TPU, ASA

When 3d printing for outdoor use--whether it be ultralight backpacking supplies, or ultra-durable backcountry camping equipment--picking the right 3d printing plastic is important. From rubber-like flexibility to UV resistance, a comparison of different materials types and their strengths & weaknesses can help a lot. With the six most common 3d print materials explained, even beginners should have a solid idea of which one to pick for their various tools, gear, gadgets, and other projects!
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:49 - PLA
01:33 - ABS
02:24 - PETG
03:14 - Nylon
04:05 - TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane)
04:58 - ASA
05:48 - Conclusion
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[@MikeInTheWoods]

Come find me on Twitter! twitter.com/MichelSeguin2 Or Facebook facebook.com/MikeInTheWoodsYT Or Instagram instagram.com/mikeinthewoodsyt/ And one last reminder to subscribe!

[@porda1751]

Great video! (Quick soapbox) Saying ABS is stronger than PLA is misleading. PLA has a higher tensile strength and will hold more weight with a constant load. I've found gears printed in PLA always last longer than ABS. PLA is brittle and UV sensitive, so not great outdoors, but it is stronger than a lot of people think.

[@roderik1990]

It is, except the heat of the sun can easily soften PLA and make it worse than ABS or ASA

[@lazyman1011]

PLA+ is less brittle, try it.

[@equilibrium4012]

Pla is a great choice, it is strong and stiff, easy to print and no smell as far as i noticed. Petg, more flex but stronger. In some ways, a weird plastic. It is very strong, but not really. Handle temps better, can be used for mechanical parts. Seems to handle UV ok if i remember right. Abs, stiffness of pla if not stiffer, handle temperature better than pla/petg. But can be a pain to print, does not like sunlight. BUt i guess it will last for a long time in general. Im ignoring it smells, also like to bend without enclosure... Asa, alternative to abs. Never used it, but on paper it looks better than those above. That is my impression. If it is easier to print, dont smell, handle uv. Overall, i think i need to buy some asa to check it out. :P

[@ibrahimdeniz7308]

6 minutes worth watching, im glad i found this, thank you sir

[@802Garage]

I have never seen a print bed that gross, but obviously it works. Fun and informative video!

[@MrKarlfebel]

Thanks brotha!!!! This is the exact video I needed!

[@Gabriels3DPrinting]

This is an informative video! Great work!

[@molotovgod]

Underrated video. Thank you 👍

[@CapuletPoeChannel]

Where on simplify3d can the materials pros and cons be found like what is shown at 1:00 ?

[@zravel]

Hi Mike, (I hope I can call you just Mike). At the moment I'm still thinking about an open source project - this is about 3D printing with outdoor use. Do you think PETG has good UV resistance?

[@seadart4424]

Unfortunately, PLA is not biodegradable. It requires very specific conditions not commonly found in nature to degrade. Still, I appreciate the information on ASA and I think I will try and work with it.

[@wturber]

Yep. The biodegradability of PLA is grossly oversold. For most 3D printer users, it should be assumed that your PLA will end up in a landfill and still be intact for a few hundred years.

[@omniicore]

@@wturber in my opinion it's not about the biodegradability, more about moving away from synthetic plastics that are building up everywhere. Yes, it's not biodegradable exactly, but it's better than the plastic problem we have now. Please always recycle folks.

[@wturber]

@@omniicore As I said, the benefits of PLA are oversold. That's not to say there aren't any benefits at all. But from what I've been able to find, it is a marginal benefit compared to what is often said or suggested. Personally, I focus on the "reduce and reuse" ideas. If you really do that, the need to recycle is greatly diminished. With 3D printing then, choosing a filament that will help a 3D printed object to endure in its intended use is my main focus.

[@omniicore]

you do not think micro plastics is something to be concerned of? ill take a couple hundred years vs thousands@@wturber​

[@wturber]

@@omniicore You might want to Google "microplastics PLA". It may be that the more biodegradable plastics such as PLA create more microplastics that the more durable type. Studies are ongoing. The matter is much more nuanced that observing whether a plastic is petro-chemical based or based on plant matter. It would be nice if it was that simple. But it isn't. BTW, PETG can also be recycled using normal consumer recycling channels. Can't do that with PLA. The "green" benefits of PLA are marginal and oversold.

[@zackj997]

Lead from passing through the print head? They're usually brass or steel, where is the lead from?

[@Bocahj4]

I just got my 3d printer. I wanted a flexible filament so i blunt one. My first ever filament is now tpu. I had no idea i choose to start with something this difficult and messy XD. Plus my extruder doesn't seem to be able to pull from the spool enough for me to leave it alone. So I occasionally pull some slack for the extruder. That improved print quality significantly.

[@MikeInTheWoods]

Yeah TPU is probably the hardest!

[@pcdoc2000]

@@MikeInTheWoods TPU is way easier to print than Nylon in my view. I currently use TPU from Geeetech and that was super easy to print, just reduced retraction and speed significantly and increased temperature, but everything else is pretty much the same as with PLA. But you need a direct extruder! Bowden extruder will not work properlly.

[@whatevah666]

So would TPU be good for sealing holes in...let's say a box with electrical wires in it in order to ip proof it? Like not letting water in and such? Is there even more flexibel / better material for those user cases ?

[@mendelian8768]

More flexible would be difficult to print with. TPU is already too flexible and causes sometimes jams. I have printed a lot of vases just in vase mode, and it seals very well with only a single outer layer.

[@Marcos-tj8nk]

I think the best material for outdoors is HIPS. Of course ASA could be a little better, but HIPS is cheaper and easier to print

[@adamjohnson6430]

I am new to 3D printing. I manufacture a product that is installed outside with aluminum. I'm considering incorporating some 3D printed accessories. What kind of usable life does ASA have in an outdoor environment in full UV light?

[@mendelian8768]

TPU is expensive, but extremely tough. I use it many projects.

[@MikeInTheWoods]

I want to build a dedicated printer before I jump down the TPU rabbit hole. None of my current printers can handle it very well

[@strawhatsam]

Do you find you personally have to print ASA with an enclosure like ABS?

[@MikeInTheWoods]

Yeah, it has very similar print characteristics

[@karendavis9107]

I heard there was a way to make the PLA UV resistant. Something called, amealing? I know I'm not saying it nor spelling it correctly. I couldn't understand him no matter how many times he said it. Is this possible? I make a lot of geocache containers and place out doors.

[@MikeInTheWoods]

Hmm not sure

[@Leviathan3DPrinting]

Where is your printer getting lead in the filament line? Like I can't think of a place where lead would even be for the filament to touch. Maybe there's something I'm missing...

[@lawabidingcitizen5153]

Brass often contains lead, usually up to 4%, even RoHS certified brass

[@jordannijjar5414]

Rad video

[@Amar-sk1hz]

After reading some and watching your video i don’t know what filament to use. I will make mouts for my ledbar on a ATV. I live in Sweden and we have all kinds of weather. Summer we have 30+ celcius, winter -20 celcius and rain quite often. PETG or ABS?

[@MikeInTheWoods]

I'm leaning in favor of PETG

[@andrecook4268]

I suspect nylon is fine to use around water/moisture - it just needs to be super dry for printing. Heaps of wet weather gear is made from nylon.

[@MikeInTheWoods]

Yeah that's true. My current set of tent pegs I printed in Nylon

[@wturber]

OTOH, the lid for my bicycle inner tube case that I printed from Nylon (well - weed-wacker line) swelled and became loose fitting after riding my bike is some rather serious downpours recently. It also became softer. I think the usability of nylon outdoors varies substantially with the particular nylon being used. There is a pretty wide range properties among various nylon filaments. So generalizing has limitations.

[@Ibuse123]

I’m looking to use PLA on some outdoor hydroponic towers since I have so much. UV exposure is a big concern. I’m thinking about spraying it with UV protection spray as an experiment

[@eduardom3209]

Petg would probably work great for that, it's also easy to print

[@artineogda]

1:42 Your printer and this heat bed... you should take printer from the public restroom

[@rumbodelplata8034]

is abs water resistent?

[@MikeInTheWoods]

In what capacity?

[@roderik1990]

I feel like we need to add some rather strong caveats to the PLA is biodegradeable bit. On its own it can take hundreds of years for it to break down, and it needs industrial composters. And many of the additives make it even worse.

[@amaraag9435]

Do Petg and PLA melt in 80'C?

[@MikeInTheWoods]

PLA will deform

[@amaraag9435]

@@MikeInTheWoods thank you.

[@Lp-ze1tg]

Great video. I am looking for a 3D printing material that can withstand extreme heat(thanks to global warming) and winter freezing cold (-20° Celsius -4 Fahrenheit). I want to 3D print a plastic cage that I can use it to cover the exhaust vent from the basement's dryer.

[@MikeInTheWoods]

I'd say probably Nylon

[@VegasMadMikey]

How is ASA in water??

[@MikeInTheWoods]

Should hold up fine

[@VegasMadMikey]

@@MikeInTheWoods Thanks!!

[@jordannijjar5414]

ASA lures then.. okay :)

[@ashleycawley5816]

PLA is NOT really biodegradable, for those that care please look into it. Thanks for making and sharing this video though, nice work.

[@lawabidingcitizen5153]

PLA isn't really all that biodegradeable, more than others, but it will still take a very long time to degrade in warm climate and far longer in cold climate, and don't forget about the additives in PLA plus/meta/whatever "improved" versions

[@wturber]

Dry your PETG and watch your blobs go away.

[@sp0764]

do not liter PLA expecting that it will break down into dirt. It will not. PLA requires an industrial composter to degrade.

[@wartlme]

The constant beep drives me nuts. I like your video but cannot watch anymore.

[@MikeInTheWoods]

What beep? There's some bg music but that's it

[@viisteist1363]

so ASA is better than ABS and Nylon? and is nylon also called PA or is that something different from nylon?

[@MikeInTheWoods]

PA is a type of Nylon. ASA is more weather resistant, but has terrible layer strength

[@edufonseca5718]

@@MikeInTheWoods Correction. PA stands for Polyamide. Nylon is a brand name of a type of PA. ASA is actually weather resistant, and it's layer adhesion is as good as you chamber temperature can get.