Four materials. Specified honestly.
Most filament catalogs list a hundred variants for the same five jobs. We standardize on a focused library — fewer variables, more dimensional discipline. Test data below is sourced from manufacturer datasheets and verified with our own bench testing. Where numbers disagreed, we report the lower.
A side-by-side of the working stock.
| Property | PETG CF · Carbon Fiber | PETG HF · High Flow | ASA · Weather-Resistant | PAHT-CF · High-Temp CF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tensile Strength | 52 MPa | 42 MPa | 45 MPa | 110 MPa |
| Flexural Strength | 78 MPa | 62 MPa | 68 MPa | 160 MPa |
| Flexural Modulus | 3.8 GPa | 1.8 GPa | 2.2 GPa | 8.5 GPa |
| Elongation at Break | 4 % | 11 % | 8 % | 2 % |
| Impact (Charpy, notched) | 5 kJ/m² | 7 kJ/m² | 6 kJ/m² | 4 kJ/m² |
| Heat Deflection (0.45 MPa) | 75 °C | 70 °C | 95 °C | 180 °C |
| Density | 1.30 g/cm³ | 1.27 g/cm³ | 1.07 g/cm³ | 1.15 g/cm³ |
| Moisture Absorption (24h) | 0.20 % | 0.25 % | 0.15 % | 1.20 % |
| UV Resistance | Moderate · interior preferred | Moderate · interior preferred | Excellent · outdoor rated | Moderate · interior preferred |
| Chemical Resistance | Good · oils, fuels, mild solvents | Good · oils, fuels, mild solvents | Good · weathering, UV, oils | Excellent · fuels, oils, solvents |
| Typical Tolerance | ± 0.10–0.20 mm | ± 0.15–0.30 mm | ± 0.15–0.25 mm | ± 0.10–0.20 mm |
| Surface Finish | Matte composite, fiber-flecked | Smooth matte | Smooth matte · paintable | Matte composite, fiber-flecked |
PETG CF
Carbon-fiber-reinforced PETG. Our default material — stiff, dimensionally stable, chemical-resistant, and finished in a matte black with visible fiber texture.
PETG CF is the standard choice when a part needs to look engineered and survive the shop floor. The chopped carbon-fiber reinforcement reduces thermal warping, increases stiffness over neat PETG by a factor of two, and produces a surface that no longer reads as “3D printed.” It accepts threaded inserts, can be machined, drilled, and tapped, and bonds well with cyanoacrylate and epoxy.
Best for
- Vise soft jaws, locating fixtures, drilling guides, and other workholding
- Sensor and camera mounts that must hold position over time
- Replacement parts for industrial equipment where stiffness matters
- Custom tooling, brackets, adapters — anything that gets handled often
- Parts that will be visible to engineers, customers, or auditors
Avoid for
- Service temperatures above 75 °C (engine bay, near process heat)
- Long-term outdoor UV exposure (use ASA when available, or coat)
- Food-contact applications
- Snap-fit parts requiring high elongation
PETG HF
High-flow PETG, tuned for speed. Specified when production volume and lead time matter more than absolute stiffness.
PETG HF is a chemistry-tuned variant that prints at roughly twice the throughput of standard PETG with no loss in part strength. We specify it for runs of 20+ identical parts, for shop-floor consumables like kanban bins and label holders, and for replacement parts where the cosmetic finish matters less than the unit economics. Available in a small palette of solid colors for organization-by-color shop systems.
Best for
- Production runs of 20+ identical parts
- Kanban bins, label holders, and shop-floor organizers
- Color-coded sub-assembly fixtures
- Replacement consumables where cosmetic finish is secondary
Avoid for
- Parts requiring high stiffness or tight tolerance (specify PETG CF)
- Visible-customer-facing surfaces in matte black (specify PETG CF)
ASA
Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate. The outdoor-rated choice — UV-stable, impact-resistant, and unaffected by rain, sun, and temperature swing.
ASA is specified wherever a part lives outside or in direct sunlight. Unlike PETG, it does not yellow, embrittle, or lose surface quality with UV exposure. It prints with good dimensional accuracy, accepts paint and primer without adhesion issues, and has enough impact resistance for enclosures and mounting hardware that take incidental knocks. The go-to material for exterior equipment mounts, weatherproof enclosures, and outdoor signage or sensor housings.
Best for
- Outdoor equipment mounts, enclosures, and cable management
- Sensor housings exposed to direct sunlight or weather
- Exterior brackets and clips that see temperature cycling
- Parts that will be painted or finished after printing
- Replacement covers and guards on outdoor machinery
Avoid for
- High mechanical loads requiring maximum stiffness (specify PETG CF or PAHT-CF)
- Service temperatures above 95 °C
- Strong solvent environments
PAHT CF
Polyamide high-temperature with carbon-fiber reinforcement. Maximum stiffness and heat resistance for the most demanding environments.
PAHT-CF is the highest-performance material in the studio. The carbon-fiber-reinforced polyamide matrix delivers a flexural modulus of 8.5 GPa — more than twice PETG CF — and a heat deflection temperature of 180 °C, making it suitable for parts in engine bays, near process heat, or in sustained high-load structural applications. Filament is dried before every run; dimensional stability is excellent when printed and stored dry. Requires careful design review for features sensitive to moisture-induced dimensional shift.
Best for
- Engine bay brackets, heat shields, and under-hood tooling
- Parts operating near process heat or continuous high loads
- Structural fixtures where maximum stiffness is the primary requirement
- Jigs and fixtures used in welding or heat-adjacent operations
- High-performance replacement parts for industrial machinery
Avoid for
- High-humidity or immersed environments (hygroscopic — moisture degrades performance)
- Snap-fit features or flexible applications (very low elongation at break)
- Applications needing color options (available in natural/black only)
- Cost-sensitive production runs (specify PETG CF or PETG HF)