Using Your Own Certified Materials

Provide the material manufacturer, product number, and supplier contact information. 3DMaterials GD will source and 3D prints the material using the PLP system.

In most cases, parts produced with customer-specified, injection-molding-grade materials do not require re-certification, since the material itself is already certified and unchanged—unlike conventional 3D printing processes that often require re-certification due to material modification.

3DMaterials Stock – Engineering Plastic Selection Guide

3DMaterials offers a wide range of engineering-grade plastics readily available for PLP 3D printing, including high-performance materials such as PEEK, PEI (Ultem), ABS, PET, and PP. Simply select the material that best fits your application and move seamlessly from design to production using familiar, industry-proven materials.

All materials used in PLP are the same industrial resins used in injection molding, ensuring consistent mechanical, thermal, and chemical performance. This enables you to design and validate parts with confidence, knowing that PLP-printed components match the behavior of traditionally manufactured parts—while eliminating the need for molds and unlocking greater design flexibility.

3DMaterials Stock – TPU, TPV, TPE, Silicone Selection Guide

PLP 3D printing supports a wide range of soft and flexible materials to meet your application needs. You can choose from thermoplastic elastomers such as TPU, TPE, and TPV, which provide excellent flexibility and durability for functional components. For applications requiring greater toughness with flexibility, two-component urethane systems are available, offering a balanced combination of resilience, energy absorption, and long-term performance.

For applications focused on touch and feel, PLP also supports two-component silicone materials (non-LSR) designed to deliver a soft, skin-like texture. Unlike industrial-grade LSR, which is engineered for durability in harsh environments, these silicone materials are ideal for soft-touch, wearable, and user-interface applications where comfort and tactile quality are the priority.

3DMaterials Stock – EPS, Urethane Foam Selection Guide

PLP-printed polystyrene foam, with densities as low as 0.1 g/cm³, is used for ultra-lightweight, insulating, and cushioning applications across packaging, construction, and consumer and industrial products. A key use is lost foam (Evaporative Pattern) casting, where PLP-printed EPS patterns vaporize during metal pouring to produce highly accurate parts such as automotive engine components.

PLP-printed urethane foam, with densities from 0.25 to 0.40 g/cm³, is valued for its durability and support, making it suitable for insulation, cushioning, and especially footwear midsoles, where controlled foam structure delivers consistent comfort and performance.

3DMaterials Stock – Super Alloy Selection Guide

PLP 3D printing enables the direct production of wax patterns for lost-wax investment casting, eliminating the need for molds and significantly reducing lead time. It allows you to create complex geometries that cannot be achieved through conventional wax injection, combining digital design freedom with proven casting workflows to rapidly produce precision patterns for advanced metal components.

Unlike direct metal 3D printing, which may introduce internal defects such as porosity, microcracks, or thermal distortion, PLP-printed wax patterns are fully compatible with established casting processes. This enables the use of a wide range of high-performance materials, including superalloys such as Inconel and Monel, aluminum alloys like A356, and titanium alloys such as TC4, delivering dense, reliable parts with industrial-grade quality.