DyCom 3D Print South East Queensland
Materials

Pick what the part has to survive.

Most of the time the answer is PETG. The rest of this page is for when it is not — when the part lives in the sun, sits near heat, needs to flex, or has to take real load. If you are not sure, describe the job on the quote form and we will choose for you.

The short version

Indoors, looks matterPLA. Sharpest detail, widest colour range, cheapest.
Functional, general purposePETG. Our default for anything that has a job to do.
Lives outsideASA. UV-stable where PLA goes chalky in a season.
Near heat or in a carABS or ASA. PLA sags at about 55 °C — a parked car beats that.
Needs to flex or gripTPU. Single colour only on this machine.
Takes real loadPA-CF or PC. Engineering grade, premium price.

Every material we run

On a Bambu Lab X1 Carbon

PLA

Standard

The default. Sharpest detail, widest colour range, cheapest. Not for anything that lives in a hot car or in direct sun.

Good for

  • Prototypes
  • Display pieces
  • Toys and models
  • Indoor brackets
  • Signage

Avoid for

  • Anything in a car
  • Outdoors long-term
  • Near heat

Properties

Strength
●●●○○
Heat
to about 55 °C
Sun / UV
Poor
Flexible
No
Colours
up to 4

PETG

Standard

The sensible all-rounder. Tougher than PLA, handles warmth and damp, slightly softer detail. What we reach for on most functional parts.

Good for

  • Functional parts
  • Enclosures
  • Brackets
  • Parts that flex a little
  • Mild outdoor use

Avoid for

  • Fine miniatures
  • Tight press-fits

Properties

Strength
●●●●○
Heat
to about 75 °C
Sun / UV
Fair
Flexible
No
Colours
up to 4

ABS

Plus Needs enclosed chamber

Heat-tolerant and machinable — you can sand, drill and tap it. Needs the enclosed chamber, which is exactly what the X1C has.

Good for

  • Automotive interiors
  • Parts near heat
  • Post-machined parts

Avoid for

  • Large flat parts (warp risk)
  • Prolonged UV

Properties

Strength
●●●●○
Heat
to about 95 °C
Sun / UV
Fair
Flexible
No
Colours
up to 4

ASA

Plus Needs enclosed chamber

The outdoor one. UV-stable where PLA goes chalky and brittle. Pick this for anything living outside in Queensland sun.

Good for

  • Outdoor fittings
  • Signage exposed to sun
  • Roof and gutter parts
  • Marine-adjacent

Avoid for

  • Fine cosmetic detail

Properties

Strength
●●●●○
Heat
to about 95 °C
Sun / UV
Excellent
Flexible
No
Colours
up to 4

TPU (flexible)

Plus Single colour only

Rubbery and flexible. Gaskets, grips, bumpers, feet. Prints slowly and cannot be multi-colour on this machine.

TPU is too soft to feed reliably through the AMS — Bambu Studio will not accept it in an AMS slot, and soft filament jams the feed path. We run it from an external spool instead, which means TPU jobs are single-colour.

Good for

  • Gaskets and seals
  • Grips and feet
  • Protective bumpers
  • Flexible hinges

Avoid for

  • Rigid structural parts
  • Multi-colour jobs
  • Fine detail

Properties

Strength
●●○○○
Heat
to about 70 °C
Sun / UV
Fair
Flexible
Yes
Colours
1

PA-CF (nylon carbon fibre)

Premium Needs enclosed chamber

Engineering grade. Stiff, strong, heat tolerant, matte black finish. The hardened nozzle on the X1C is what makes this possible — abrasive filament destroys a brass nozzle.

Good for

  • Load-bearing brackets
  • Jigs and fixtures
  • Drone and RC parts
  • Under-bonnet

Avoid for

  • Cosmetic colour work
  • Budget jobs

Properties

Strength
●●●●●
Heat
to about 120 °C
Sun / UV
Good
Flexible
No
Colours
up to 4

PC (polycarbonate)

Premium Needs enclosed chamber

The tough one. High impact resistance and the highest heat tolerance we run. Demanding to print — expect a longer lead time.

Good for

  • Impact-resistant parts
  • High-heat environments
  • Light-transmitting parts

Avoid for

  • Large parts
  • Quick turnarounds

Properties

Strength
●●●●●
Heat
to about 130 °C
Sun / UV
Fair
Flexible
No
Colours
up to 4

Finish and strength, in plain terms

Two settings change the price more than anything else. Thinner layers look better and take longer; more infill is stronger and uses more plastic.

Layer height

  • Fine — 0.08 mm. Visible-surface and detail work. Slowest.
  • Detail — 0.12 mm. Crisp without the full time penalty.
  • Standard — 0.16 mm. Our default. Good finish, sensible speed.
  • Draft — 0.2 mm. Functional parts where looks do not matter.
  • Fast — 0.28 mm. Rough but quick. Fit checks and mock-ups.

Infill

  • 10% — light — Display pieces, nothing load-bearing.
  • 20% — standard — Our default. Fine for most parts.
  • 40% — strong — Takes real load. Noticeably more material.
  • 80% — near solid — Maximum strength. Slow and material-hungry.

On a 0.4 mm nozzle, Standard at 0.16 mm and 20% infill covers most jobs. We will tell you if yours is one of the exceptions.

Two honest limits

Multi-colour costs more than it looks The AMS holds 4 spools, but every colour change purges filament into waste. A two-colour part can use noticeably more material than a single-colour one of the same size. We show that separately in the quote rather than burying it.
No food contact We do not sell 3D-printed parts as food safe. The layer lines in any FDM print trap bacteria no matter which filament is used, and food-contact certification applies to the raw filament, not the finished part. If a part needs to touch food, talk to us and we will point you somewhere appropriate.

Still not sure? Send the part and say what it does. Choosing the material is our job, not yours.

Got a part in mind?

Send the file and what it needs to do. We will tell you what it will cost, how long it will take, and if there is a better way to make it.

Get a quote 07 3558 1076

A service of DyCom Group Queensland · Printed on a Bambu Lab X1 Carbon with AMS. Bambu Lab and AMS are trademarks of Shenzhen Tuozhu Technology. DyCom is an operator of this equipment, not the manufacturer.