The hobby printer uses fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing to make the products on this site. This works by melting various plastic polymer filaments, extruding, and depositing them layer by layer into the shape of the item. With the heat of the melted polymer, the layers bond together. This style of printing offers good resistance/strength against compression and impact forces, especially ones applied along the z-axis. As a result of this printing process, you can see visible layer lines in the printed products, and you may sometimes run into very minor visual imperfections.

To make the bolt carrier group cases which are our biggest selling items, we use Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate (ASA) polymer. This specific material has enhanced ultra-violet light resistance which helps keep it from becoming brittle when exposed to sunlight, high impact resistance, high strength and stiffness, and is also chemically resilient to oils and many solvents. For more information about ASA, here's another resource: https://sybridge.com/acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate-asa/#:~:text=If%20you're%20creating%20a,environmental%20stress%20cracking%20than%20ABS

Originally, we used PLA with carbon fiber additives because of how easy it was to print with as well as the admittedly cool, matte texture of the final product. However, it didn't have good heat high temp heat tolerance, so leaving it in a hot car while you're at the range isn't great. As the products grew in popularity, I added 2 more printers capable of printing in the ASA material, and have since discontinued using PLA-CF.

As a few people have asked, "how does ASA perform when exposed to solvents"? I'm pleased to say that based on my non-professional scientific testing, it's handled common firearm-related chemicals and compounds well! I took 8 common materials used in firearms cleaning and maintenance, printed ASA test squares, and applied the chemicals to the squares in aggressive amounts (basically soaking them - far more than what a "typical" firearms user would store their BCG with). For each chemical I have "anonymized" exactly what it was, smart people might be able to tell, but I did label each test square with the main ingredients of the chemicals.

I allowed these to sit in the garage, getting direct sunlight during the afternoon and experiencing the day/night temperature changes for 7 solid days. At the end of the cycle, the squares didn't exhibit signs of decay or weakening. I've included pictures of the process below with descriptions, but just a disclaimer: my testing didn't cover every scenario you may encounter, and my use of chemicals and compounds was not exhaustive. In general, ASA is can be impacted by strong oxidizing agents.

1 - The chemicals

2 - A test square with flashlight behind, demonstrating the solid body printing

3 - The 8 test squares after the week, none demonstrating signs of degradation