HPP vs. Metals: Which Material Should You Use for 3D Printing?

When it comes to 3D printing, materials are key. The properties and characteristics of each material family (whether metals, plastics or ceramics) will significantly impact the resulting part. And knowing which material would be best suited is a critical step in the creation of any part as the design will also be affected since it can impact everything from the use of support structures to shrinkage concerns and properties of the resulting piece. But what about when two entirely different material groups can both be used for advanced end-use parts? The best example of this is undoubtedly in the comparison between high-performance polymers (HPP) and metals.

Though it would seem obvious that metals and polymers are completely different, there are some polymers whose properties and characteristics rival those of many metals, making them a feasible alternative. But why should you use one over the other? What are the major differences between the two? What do you need to keep in mind while 3D printing? We take a closer look at these questions and more in our latest versus article.

A large part made with HPP (photo credits: AON3D)

Properties & Characteristics of HPP vs. Metals

For metals and high-performance polymers, the differences start at their origins. While most metals are found in nature (except of course for alloys), polymers are made. Furthermore, the specific polymers that are used in 3D printing are made with chemically distinct polymer chains that are tangled together.