Make parts that protect equipment from electrostatic shocks without clogging your nozzle, warping your part, or needing a heated printer bed. These filaments have a base of PLA, the most common filament thanks to its low melting point, with a compound that diverts electrostatic discharges in a controlled way. PLA is also unlikely to drip and produce plastic strings for clean, detailed parts. However, it’s not as strong or as heat resistant as ABS, so it’s better for prototypes over load-bearing equipment. Since these filaments won’t produce toxic fumes, you can safely print them without ventilation. Print them on a fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printer.

To make sure your part dissipates static properly, use an electrical resistance tester to measure the surface resistivity. The target surface resistivity for PLA is 10⁷ to 10⁹ ohms. To adjust resistivity, change the temperature of your printer’s extruder. As the extruder’s temperature increases, so will the printed part’s resistivity.

Tensile strength is the best measure of a filament’s overall strength. Similar to the stress applied on a rope during a game of tug-of-war, it’s the amount of pulling force a material can handle before breaking. A higher rating means a stronger filament. A tensile strength of 5,000 psi and above is considered good; 12,000 psi and above is excellent.

Maximum exposure temperature is the point at which a printed part will begin to deform. Above this temperature, your part will start to lose structural integrity.