Which material survives outdoors?
Sun, rain and cold versus printed plastic. Which materials last outside, which do not, and how to make a part live longer.
3 min read
What kills a part outdoors is not water: it is ultraviolet. Sunlight breaks the polymer chains and the part turns brittle until one day it snaps on its own with nobody touching it.
- PETG — the sensible choice. Good UV and moisture resistance, and it handles the heat-cold cycle without cracking. It is our default recommendation for outdoors.
- ABS — takes more heat, but yellows in the sun. Fine in shade, or if you are going to paint it.
- PLA — no. It is biodegradable by design; outdoors that stops being a virtue. Months, not years.
- Resin — turns brittle under UV very quickly. Outdoors only if painted with a filtering coat.
How to make it last
A coat of acrylic paint with a UV filter multiplies the outdoor life of any part, even PLA. And design with generous walls: a part degrading from the outside in takes far longer to fail if it started with three millimetres of wall instead of one.