PLA vs PETG vs ASA: which plastic survives Alberta?

PLA is easy to print, crisp in detail and comes in every colour. It’s ideal for display pieces, figurines, prototypes and anything that lives indoors. Its weakness is heat: it starts to soften around 55–60 °C, a temperature a parked car’s dashboard passes easily on a sunny July afternoon in Edmonton.

PETG is tougher and less brittle than PLA, handles water, and takes more heat before deforming. It’s our default for brackets, clips, enclosures and household parts. When customers name a material, PETG is the one they ask for most.

ASA is the plastic used for exterior car trim. It resists UV, holds its shape in heat, and stays tough in the cold. Anything in a vehicle, on a deck or mounted outside should be ASA.

TPU is rubbery. Use it for gaskets, bumpers, grips, feet, cable strain reliefs and phone cases. It shrugs off impacts that would crack rigid plastics.

Resin printing captures detail that filament can’t: faces on miniatures, fine text, smooth curves. It’s more brittle and shouldn’t live outside, so we use it for miniatures and display models.