Home / Guides / 3D printed robot parts in PETG and TPU
Which filament should you use for 3D printed robot parts: PETG or TPU?
Print the rigid pieces of a robot (shells, chassis, wheel hubs, lids) in PETG and the soft parts that must grip or flex (tyres) in TPU 95A. 3D3D prints PETG at $0.11 a gram and TPU 95A at $0.18 a gram (ASA $0.13), on a 0.4 mm nozzle, so the Mini v2's 167.8 g of printed pieces (153.8 g PETG, 13.8 g TPU) cost $94.44 CAD to print, with setup and bed time included.
Why these two
PETG is the finished-part plastic here; PLA is used only for quick fit tests and is never what a built bot is made of. The Mini v2's tyres are TPU 95A (6.9 g each), the only soft parts; everything else printed is PETG, with some pieces in clear or smoked PETG for the visor, lens ring and light seams. The cost rates are the same as the 3d3d.ca print calculator.
What printing costs
| Item | Rate |
|---|---|
| PETG, per gram | $0.11 |
| TPU 95A, per gram | $0.18 |
| ASA, per gram | $0.13 |
| Setup, once per job | $5.00 |
| Bed time, per plate (up to 6 h / up to 24 h / longer) | $10.00 / $14.00 / $18.00 |
| Minimum | $18.00 |
| Finishing, only when needed (standard / advanced), per hour | $25.00 / $35.00 |
Source: shared/prices/parts.json, the rates of the 3d3d.ca print calculator and its post-processing rates. Print hours are estimated at 3.5 minutes a gram, which sets the bed-time band; it is the pricing estimate, not a measured print.
Worked example: the Mini v2
| Part | Material | Colour | Grams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheel hub (right) | PETG | orange | 13.2 |
| Tyre (right) | TPU 95A | tpu | 6.9 |
| Wheel hub (left) | PETG | orange | 13.2 |
| Tyre (left) | TPU 95A | tpu | 6.9 |
| Glide (tail) | PETG + PTFE tape | graphite | 0.3 |
| Belly chassis | PETG clear | smoke | 62.2 |
| Belly light seam | PETG clear | glow | 1.6 |
| Belly lid | PETG | graphite | 19.6 |
| Visor (screen) | PETG clear smoked | smoke | 3.5 |
| Camera lens ring (camera) | PETG clear | glow | 0.3 |
| Face bezel | PETG | teal | 9.3 |
| Head light seam | PETG clear | glow | 1 |
| Head shell | PETG | bone | 29.6 |
167.8 g at 3.5 minutes a gram is about 9.8 hours of printing across the plates. 3D3D's price for it, setup and bed time included, is $94.44 CAD.
What every piece must pass
- Walls at least 1.2 mm thick.
- No face hangs out past 45 degrees, so pieces print without supports (a piece that needs them is charged finishing at $25.00 an hour).
- It fits a 256 mm plate and is one solid, watertight piece.
- One colour to a plate.
These are the checks on the fit-checked page, and the bot's page lists every piece with its material, colour and grams: the Mini v2.
Where to go next
All prices are in Canadian dollars before tax and shipping. Bought parts are priced from amazon.ca listings (seen 2026-11-04), plus 15% when 3D3D buys them. Printing, the build and test fee and finishing are 3D3D's own rates, listed on the prices page.