Material options
- Shapeways offers several production and material options for printing and is continually working on adding new ones
- Please note: the pricing is based on the actual amount of material used in your final object
- The size of the bounding box, complexity of the model or amount of support material are not relevant for the price
- There are no extra shipping costs, shipping is included in the price
- We ship worldwide
- Now go back and re-read the last four sentences. There was just all sorts of awesomeness packed into a short space
- Please note, even if your model is designed based on all requirements below and has been uploaded successfully, it is still possible your model is not printable. If so, we will let you know within a few days and if possible how to repair your model to have it printable.
- Each material has its own properties and price - use the table below to select the right material for your project:
| Name | Production Method | Color | Strength | Minimum Detail | Minimum Walltickness | Maximum Size (H x W x D) |
Notes | Price per cm3 |
| Cream Robust | FDM | Cream | High | 2 mm | 1 mm | 35x40x40cm |
This material is polycarbonate. We recommend using it for larger objects (10-15cm+) that don't have fine details or where strength is a key requirement.
Walls with a thickness of between 1.0 and 1.4 mm will have a risk of not being solid; walls > 1.4 mm will be solid. Objects may have a slight texture due to the printing process. |
$2.50 |
| White Detail | Objet | White | Moderate | 0.2 mm | 1 mm | 49x39x20cm | This material is an acrylic-based photopolymer. We recommend using it for smaller, highly detailed objects where strength and temperature resistance above 50 degrees centigrade is less of an issue Objects will be quite smooth. |
$2.89 |
| Transparent Detail | Objet | Semi-Transparent | Moderate | 0.5 mm | 1 mm | 49x39x20cm | This material is an acrylic-based photopolymer. We recommend using it for smaller, highly detailed objects where strength and temperature resistance above 50 degrees centigrade is less of an issue Objects will be quite smooth. |
$2.77 |
| White, Strong & Flexible | SLS | Bright White Or 3 other colors! |
Highest | 0.2 mm | 0.7 mm | 31x23x18cm | This is the strongest nylon kind of material that we have at the moment. It also has good heat resistance. The most interesting thing is that you can use the material for living hinges and things like springs. | $1.50 (plus $1.50 setup costs) |
| Black Detail | Objet | Black | High | 0.5 mm | 1 mm | 49x39x20cm | This material is an acrylic-based photopolymer. We recommend using it for smaller, highly detailed objects where strength and temperature resistance above 50 degrees centigrade is less of an issue Objects will be quite smooth. Colour changes from a dark black to a light grey or a silver depending on lighting and viewing angle. |
$2.90 |
| Stainless Steel Polished | Polished Stainless Steel | High | 0.1 mm | 3 mm | 100x45x25cm |
This material is made out of stainless steel infused with bronze and then cured. We recommend using it for quite detailed and strong objects where the properties of metal come in handy or are esthetic. |
$10.00 | |
| White Glaze | FDM & Vapor Smoothing |
High Gloss White | High | 2 mm | 1.4 mm | 35X40X40 cm |
This material is an ABS plastic made with the FDM process. It is then Vapor Smoothed to give it a high gloss shiny and smooth texture. |
$1.45 |
Material samples
These models are 6cm (2.4") tall. The material comparison of our first five materials uses Cornelius the monkey. For White Glaze we have Bowie the Bunny. In the future all our materials will use Bowie.
| Cream Robust | White Detail | Transparent Detail | White Strong and Flexible | Black Detail |
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| White Glaze |
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More information
If you are looking for more information about our materials you can also download the material data sheets. These are explanatory PDF files made by the manufacturers of the materials about their uses and safety.Cream Robust: 1 2
White Detail
Transparent Detail
White, Strong & Flexible
Metal
White Glaze: 1 2
If you have any more questions about the materials you can also check the forums and the blog or contact us directly.
Warning: Please note that the materials we use for manufacturing the models make the models suitable only for decorative purposes and they are not suited for any other purpose. The models are not suited to be used as toys, to be given to children. The models should not come in contact with electricity or food&drinks and should be kept away from heat.