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ItalianoMaterial Finder: find the right material for 3D printing and manufacturing
The Material Finder is the filter function in the material selection of the PROTIQ configurator. After uploading your part, you narrow down the materials by material group, manufacturing process, technical properties and supplier and compare the matching offers directly in the configurator.
This lets you make a preselection without having to check every data sheet individually. For each material, the results list shows the available offers with price, production time and supplier ratings. No file at hand yet? On the home page, you can try out the Material Finder with a demo part.
Material Finder at a glance
- Where
- in the configurator, in the “Material selection” step
- Offering
- over 160 materials and over 12 processes
- Filters
- Material, process, mechanical, thermal and electrical properties, surface, certifications, supplier, shipping
- Result
- matching materials with offers, prices and production times
- Use
- without login, also with a demo part
How it works
How does the Material Finder work?
The Material Finder is not a separate tool but part of the material selection in the configurator. In four steps, you get from your part to the right offer.
- Upload your part Upload your 3D file in the configurator or start with the demo part on the home page. The system automatically checks whether the part fits into the build space.
- Open the material selection Click “Material selection” for your part and choose a material group: plastics, metals or ceramics/glass.
- Set filters Narrow down the list with the filters, for example by manufacturing process, tensile strength or heat deflection temperature. The display shows how many materials are available for your selection.
- Compare offers Expand a material to see the suppliers’ offers. With “Select”, you apply an offer to your part; “Add to cart” takes you on to the order.
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Enlarge Filters
Which properties can I filter by?
In addition to material group and manufacturing process, the Material Finder offers filters for technical properties, surface and appearance, certifications as well as supplier and shipping. For many properties, you set a limit value, such as a minimum tensile strength or a maximum permissible arithmetic mean roughness Ra.
| Filter group | Filters (selection) |
|---|---|
| Material group | Plastics, metals, ceramics/glass |
| Manufacturing group | additive, subtractive (e.g. milling) and primary forming manufacturing (e.g. injection molding) |
| Manufacturing process | e.g. laser sintering, Multi Jet Fusion, stereolithography, laser melting, LMM, LCM, LGM, machining (CNC), injection molding, vacuum casting |
| Material | targeted selection of individual materials, e.g. PA12, TPU, AlSi10Mg or stainless steel 1.4404 |
| Strength and stiffness | Tensile strength (Rm), yield strength (Rp0.2), elongation at break, Young’s modulus, flexural strength, flexural modulus, flexural strain |
| Toughness and hardness | Charpy impact strength and notched impact strength; Shore A and D, Brinell, Vickers and Rockwell hardness |
| Thermal properties | Melting point, heat deflection temperature (HDT A and B), thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity |
| Electrical properties | electrical conductivity, volume resistivity, surface resistance, dielectric strength |
| Surface, appearance, accuracy | Arithmetic mean roughness Ra, mean roughness depth Rz, transparency, color of the base material, tolerance |
| Material certifications | Information on e.g. UL 94 or FDA |
| Supplier | Selection of individual suppliers and supplier certifications, e.g. ISO 9001 |
| Shipping | Shipping method |
| Other | Free text search, additional options (post-processing), quality assurance measures |
The filters refer to the properties stored in the marketplace. The supplier’s information is authoritative; check values that are critical for your part in the respective data sheet.
↑ Back to overviewResults list
What does the results list show?
For each matching material, you see the suppliers’ offers at a glance – so you can compare price, delivery time and scope of services directly in the configurator.
For each offer, you see the supplier’s star rating and number of ratings. You choose the production time directly with the offer, for example up to 2, 10 or 20 working days – depending on the supplier with its own unit price, plus shipping. The offer also shows the country of production, shipping costs and a note if a supplier does not sell to private customers. If the supplier has stored a data sheet, it is linked directly.
Depending on supplier and material, you can add post-processing such as painting, dip dyeing or chemical smoothing. Quality assurance measures are also available for an additional charge, for example density testing, tensile testing, hardness testing, roughness measurement or CT scan, some with a test report.
You can sort the results by default order, popularity, process or price. Active filters are displayed above the list and can be removed individually.
The options an offer includes are determined by the respective supplier. The supplier’s information in the ordering process is authoritative.
↑ Back to overviewExamples
Which filters suit my requirements?
These examples show how to translate typical requirements into filters. The numbers are a suggested order – start with a few filters and then refine.
Housings exposed to high temperatures
Plastic parts that are to remain dimensionally stable at elevated temperatures and meet fire protection requirements. You can find the exact UL 94 rating in the data sheet.
- Material group: plastics
- Heat deflection temperature (HDT)
- Certification: UL 94
Electrically and thermally conductive metal parts
Parts that are to conduct electricity or heat well, for example made of copper materials.
- Material group: metals
- Electrical conductivity
- Thermal conductivity
Soft, rubber-like parts
Seals, buffers or grips made of elastic materials such as TPU or rubber-like resins.
- Material group: plastics
- Shore A hardness
- Elongation at break
Electrostatically dissipative parts
Parts that are to dissipate electrostatic charge. Check the surface resistance in the data sheet of the offer.
- Material group: plastics
- Material: e.g. PA11 ESD
- Manufacturing process
Transparent parts
Viewing windows, covers or models that you should be able to see through.
- Transparency: transparent
- Material group
- Arithmetic mean roughness Ra
Requirements for supplier and shipping
When the supplier’s quality management or a specific shipping method is important. You then choose the production time directly with the offer.
- Supplier certification
- Shipping method
The examples show possible filter combinations; which materials are displayed in each case depends on the current offering.
↑ Back to overviewMaterial quiz
Who am I?
Three clues, one material. Take a guess, then flip the card.
Values from the datasheets on the PROTIQ Marketplace; no guaranteed properties.
↑ Back to overviewFAQ
Frequently asked questions about the Material Finder
What is the PROTIQ Material Finder?
The Material Finder is the filter function in the material selection of the PROTIQ configurator. You narrow down the materials by material group, process, technical properties, certifications and supplier and compare the matching offers.
Where can I find the Material Finder?
In the configurator: upload your part and click “Material selection”. To try it out, you can load a demo part on the home page.
Do I need to log in to use the Material Finder?
No. You can use the material selection, filters and price comparison without logging in.
Which properties can I filter in the Material Finder?
Among others, by tensile strength, yield strength, elongation at break, Young’s modulus, hardness, impact strength, melting point, heat deflection temperature, electrical and thermal conductivity, surface resistance, roughness, transparency and color.
Where can I find the data sheets for the materials?
In the results list with the respective offer, provided the supplier has stored a data sheet. In addition, the download area contains overviews of the PROTIQ materials for individual processes.
Why can’t I find a suitable material?
Often the filter combination is too narrow. Remove individual filters or relax limit values. If you still can’t find anything, contact us – some materials are possible on request.
Are the displayed properties guaranteed characteristics?
No. The properties serve as guidance for the selection. The supplier’s information in the ordering process or in the data sheet is authoritative.