Materials support

Don’t limit yourself to one material.

Four out of five of our printers are FFF (Fused filament fabrication), which means that there’s a huge variety of materials and colours that they can use and print, whereas the SLA (Stereolithography apparatus) is limited with less than ten options. The FormLabs Form 2 is a bit of a surprise, as although you only have a choice of five materials (standard, castable, flexible, tough and dental) each resin is aimed at a practical use. You don’t get a choice of colours but you do get materials that will enable you to cast, prototype working devices and print yourself a set of new teeth! The Lulzbot Taz 6 takes most filament materials at 2.85mm and the hot end will reach scorching temperatures of up to 300 degrees. The list of printable materials is extensive and due to the design that reflects its maker past and future, new and adapted print heads can be fitted to expand on the materials it can take. The Prusa i3 uses 1.75mm filament and, again, with a bit of maker skill can print almost anything, with a top hot end temperature of 195 degrees. The Ultimaker 2 Extended has the potential to print almost as many materials with the hot end temperature able to heat to between 180 and 260 degrees, which slightly limits material compared with the Taz 6 and i3.

The XYZ Printing da Vinci Jr 1.0 is PLA only, this plastic is biodegradable and available in a huge selection of colours. Although you’re limited to the XYZ own brand, the hot end temperature is unstated as it only prints filament designed for this system.