PLA, PETG or Nylon: a straight answer for functional parts
What we would pick for your part, and the two questions that decide it.
Most people asking us "which material" have already read a comparison table and come away no wiser. Tables list properties. They do not tell you what to choose. So here is how we actually decide.
The two questions
Will it live in the sun or in a car? If yes, PLA is out. It softens around 55–60°C, and a closed car in Chandigarh in June comfortably exceeds that. We have seen a PLA phone mount slump into a curve on a dashboard by lunchtime.
Does it take a load that would hurt if it let go? If yes, we are talking Nylon or CF-Nylon, not PETG.
Everything else is detail.
Where each one earns its place
PLA is the right answer more often than the internet suggests. It prints beautifully, holds fine detail, is stiff, and costs the least. For jigs, fixtures, enclosures that live indoors, prototypes, display models and anything you are iterating on weekly, PLA is not a compromise — it is the correct choice.
PETG is what we reach for when a part goes outside, gets warm, or needs to flex a little without cracking. It is tougher than PLA in impact and much better in the sun. It is also stringier to print and slightly less crisp on fine features.
Nylon and CF-Nylon are for parts that see repeated load, abrasion or vibration. Gears, living hinges, drone arms, mounts on machinery. CF-Nylon adds a lot of stiffness and takes heat well. Both need drying and both cost several times PLA.
What we would not use
ABS, for most jobs. It warps, it smells, and PETG or ASA does the same work with less pain. We keep it for parts that need acetone smoothing or a specific chemical resistance.
Just tell us the job
Honestly, the best thing you can do is skip the material choice entirely and tell us what the part does — where it lives, what it holds, how hot it gets, how long it needs to last. Leave "Material" on Recommend in the print form and we will pick, and tell you why.