3d PRINTER FOR AUTOMOTIVE PARTS

Jun 15

Choosing the right 3D printer for printing automotive car parts can feel overwhelming—which is why we created the 3D Printer Selector Tool v1

The 3d printer selector tool below is a simple, guided tool that will help you find the perfect 3d printer for automotive parts in under 30 seconds.

3D PRINTER FOR AUTOMOTIVE PARTS SELECTOR TOOL

1. What's your automotive 3D printing budget?

2. What material do you plan to print with?

PLA / PLA+ / PETG / TPU ASA / ABS / PC / Nylon Carbon or Glass Infused Fiber

3. What's the maximum size car part you'd like to print?

Here’s a breakdown of how each category is defined within the 3d printer selector tool:

💸 1st CATEGORY—BUDGET

Or how much are you willing to spend making custom 3d printed car parts?

Your budget is important because it will dictate the type of car parts you can 3d print.

Under $300 (Low Budget) – Ideal for entry-level small automotive accessories or auto car parts.
$300–$1150 (Mid Budget) – A sweet spot for power users who want advanced 3d printer features that allow for more filament and larger size car part prints.
$1500+ (High Budget) – Perfect for pros, prototypers, or a serious side hustle. A high budget will give you the most flexibly when it comes to 3d printing automotive parts.

🧵 2nd CATEGORY—MATERIALS

Different car parts might require to be 3d printed in different materials which require different hardware capabilities.

Here’s the material categories:

PLA / PETG / TPU (Flexible & Beginner-Friendly) – Great for fast prototyping and automotive indoor accessories.
ABS / ASA / Nylon / PC (Engineering-Grade) – Usually requires a 3d printer with an enclosure and higher temps which allow for printing car parts that can handle higher heat.
Carbon or Glass Fiber (Composite) – Demands tough 3d printer extruders and rigidity for tougher car parts.

For details on which 3d printing material to use for car parts check out our filament selector tool:

🔍 FILAMENT SELECTOR TOOL

📦 3rd CATEGORY—BUILD SIZE

Whether you're printing functional car parts or tiny custom clips, size will eventually become an issue.

For instance, if you want to 3d print a full automotive digital dash display, then you’re going to need a 3d printer capable of printing much larger parts.

Small – Up to 7" x 7" x 7" – Great for accessories, gadgets, or small automotive parts.
Medium – Up to 10" x 10" x 10" – Perfect for most functional plastic car parts.
Large – Up to 12.5" x 12.5" x 12.5" – Required for larger car parts such as digital cluster gauges or custom air intakes.

🔍 WHICH 3D PRINTER FOR CAR PARTS?

🟢 Bambu Lab A1 Mini

Best For: Budget builders printing prototypes and/or small indoor accessories with PLA or PETG
Price: Usually under $300
Why it’s great: It’s compact, super easy to use, and perfect for light-duty prints
👉 Check Price on A1 Mini

🟢 Elegoo Centauri Carbon

Best For: Versatile mid size printing on a low budget supporting a variety of filaments from PLA, ABS, ASA, PC, and even Carbon/glass fiber car parts.
Price: Avg. $300
Why it’s great: Lowest cost 3d printer with an enclosed design supporting tons of different filaments.
👉 Check Price on Centauri Carbon

🟢 Bambu Lab P1S

Best For: Mid-range price for mid sized printing PLA/ABS/ASA Printing.
Price: Avg. $600
Why it’s great: Fast, reliable, with extruder, and hot end upgrades for 3d printing carbon/glass fiber car parts.
👉 Check Price on P1S

🟢 Creality Ender 5 Max

Best For: Massive car part builds up to 15.7” x 15.7” x 15.7”
Price: Avg. $800-950
Why it’s great: Super large print area which can be upgraded with an enclosure for printing higher temp filaments.
👉 Check Price on Ender 5 Max

🟢 Creality K1 Max

Best For: Slightly large 3d car prints up to 11.8” x 11.8” x11.8” ready to 3d print PLA/ASA/ABS/Carbon and glass infused fiber car parts.
Price: Avg. $800-900
Why it’s great: Prints advanced materials right out of the box with a slightly larger build plate.
👉 Check Price on K1 Max

🟢 Bambu Lab X1-Carbon

Best For: High quality 3d prints at mid size 3d car part prints up to 10” x 10” x 10” supporting.
PLA/ASA/ABS/Carbon and glass infused fiber car parts.
Price: Avg. $1500+
Why it’s great: High quality with multi-material printing support and pro-grade results.
👉 Check Price on X1C

🟢 Bambu Lab H2D

Best For: Super large, high-performance dual extrusion, and high Bambu Lab quality prints.
Price: Avg. $2000
Why it’s great: Huge build plate, dual-material capabilities, auto z-offset, and heated chamber.
👉 Check Price on H2D

LEARN MORE

DESIGN PARTS

BEST FILAMENT

Javier Solis

Hi, I’m Javier Solis, a Sr. Product Manager at Extreme Networks with 25+ years of experience in tech. I enjoy solving complex problems—and outside of work, I spend my time building and modifying project cars, especially classic BMWs and Datsuns with my wife Ashley.