Functional parts in real engineering polymers. Upload a file or mail in the part. Based in Atlanta, serving Georgia and shipping nationwide.
FDM is the workhorse process for functional parts. Vekform prints on production grade machines with enclosed, heated build environments, which is what lets us run nylon, carbon fiber nylon, ASA, and polycarbonate reliably. Those materials are where replacement parts and real prototypes live, and they are the ones most consumer printers cannot handle.
We treat every print as an engineering job. Orientation is chosen for the load path. Wall thickness and infill are set for the part's use, not a default. Dimensions that matter are checked, and when a fit is critical we run a test coupon before the final part.
Upload a file, or mail a part and we scan it first. Either way you get a quote with the price and the ship date before anything prints.
| Material | Best for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| PLA | Looks and fit checks, display models | Low cost, stiff, sharp detail. Softens in a hot car, so not for anything that lives outside or near heat. |
| PETG | Housings, brackets with light load, moisture exposure | Tougher than PLA with better temperature and chemical resistance. A good default for indoor functional parts. |
| ASA | Outdoor parts, automotive and marine trim, UV exposure | UV stable and weather resistant, holds color outdoors. Our pick for parts that live in sun and rain. |
| Nylon (PA) | Gears, clips, snap fits, living hinges, wear surfaces | Tough and slightly flexible with excellent fatigue life. Resists oils and fuels. Absorbs moisture, so we dry and seal it. |
| Carbon fiber nylon (PA-CF) | Stiff brackets, fixtures, jigs, drone and robotics frames | The stiffest common FDM material with good heat resistance and very low warp. The go to for structural replacement parts. |
| Polycarbonate (PC) | High heat, impact, transparent or translucent parts | Highest heat resistance of the group and very impact resistant. Used for light housings, guards, and under hood parts that stay away from the exhaust. |
| TPU (flexible) | Gaskets, bumpers, grommets, seals, feet | Rubber like flexibility in a range of hardness. Replaces torn rubber parts the manufacturer never sold separately. |
Heat is the question behind most replacement part failures, so here is the short version. The figures are heat deflection temperatures from manufacturer datasheets (ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, Bambu Lab and Prusament technical data sheets, read October 2026) and vary by brand and print settings. Treat them as a ranking, not a guarantee, and tell us the real temperature the part sees.
| Material | Heat deflection temperature | What that means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| PLA | about 55 to 57 C | Softens in a closed car in summer. Indoor, room temperature parts only. |
| PETG | about 65 to 70 C | Fine for appliances and interiors away from heat sources. |
| ASA | about 93 to 100 C | Hot cabins, engine bay surfaces away from the exhaust, outdoor sun. |
| Polycarbonate (PC) | about 110 to 117 C | Near heaters, lamps, oven doors, and hot panels. |
| Carbon fiber nylon (PAHT-CF) | about 190 C or more | The highest of the group, with the stiffness for brackets and fixtures. |
| TPU | not rated | Flexible parts, keep away from heat. |
Manufacturer datasheet values as of October 2026. Actual parts depend on geometry, wall thickness, and load.
FDM shines on functional parts in tough materials, on anything that needs to be made once or a few dozen times, on large parts, and on parts that need to be revised quickly. It is the right tool for brackets, housings, clips, gears under moderate load, jigs, fixtures, gaskets, and the long tail of parts no one sells any more.
It is the wrong tool for very fine cosmetic detail where you would want resin, for high volume where injection molding wins on unit cost, and for parts that genuinely need metal. We say so when that is the case, because a part you cannot use is worse than a quote you do not accept.
Scanned from the broken original and printed in a material that outlasts it.
Tested, revised, and reprinted. Printed in the material the final product would use.
Soft jaws, assembly jigs, drill guides, and gauges in stiff carbon fiber composite.
ASA and PC parts that live in sun, heat, and rain without chalking or cracking.
TPU gaskets, bumpers, feet, and grommets to replace rubber parts never sold separately.
Send us the part, a photo, or a file. You get the price and the turnaround before any work begins.
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