3D Printed Parts: What You Should Know

Not Your Hobby Printer

When most people think of 3D printing, they picture plastic trinkets and prototypes. What we make is different. Every Function First Design part is printed in-house using ASA (Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate) — an engineering-grade thermoplastic selected specifically for outdoor and automotive applications.

ASA is not PLA. It is not the material used for desk toys or phone stands. It belongs to the same polymer family as ABS — the material used throughout automotive interiors and exteriors for decades — and it is specifically engineered to go further: better UV resistance, better weathering performance, and better long-term stability in outdoor environments.

ASA Is Already on Your Truck

OEMs use ASA and ASA-class materials for exterior trim components precisely because of their UV and weather resistance. You’ll find it in mirror housings, grille surrounds, pillar trim, roof rail components, and license plate bezels — parts that live in direct sun and weather year-round without degrading.

We chose it for the same reason. Whether it’s baking in summer sun or sitting through a hard freeze, ASA is built to handle both ends of the range without breaking down.

What the Numbers Actually Mean

Handles heat that would warp cheaper plastics. ASA holds its shape up to 185°F — well past what a hitch area ever sees, even in peak summer heat.
Doesn’t get brittle in the cold. Cheaper plastics crack and shatter in freezing temps. ASA stays impact-resistant down to well below 0°F, so winter driving and cold-weather towing don’t put it at risk.
Works across real seasonal swings. From a hard winter freeze to a scorching summer dashboard, it holds its strength and shape without warping or cracking.
Strong enough for real use, not just looks. ASA is the same strength class as the plastic used in automotive trim — built to take bumps, vibration, and daily abuse without cracking.
Absorbs impact instead of shattering. Hit a curb, brush a branch, catch a rock — it flexes and holds up rather than snapping like a brittle, hobby-grade print.
Won’t fade, chalk, or degrade in the sun. Unlike PLA, which yellows and gets brittle after one season outside, ASA is built for years of UV exposure without breaking down.
Shrugs off what your truck deals with daily. Road salt, oil, grease, and standard car wash soaps won’t degrade or break down the material — it’s built to handle the same grime and chemical exposure as the rest of your truck’s undercarriage and trim.

Why 3D Printing Makes Sense Here

Injection molding requires expensive tooling and minimum order quantities that push manufacturers toward one-size-fits-all designs. That tooling investment means manufacturers lock in a design early and live with it — because changing it later costs money. 3D printing has no tooling costs. The cost per part is the same whether we make 10 or 10,000, and designs can be updated between batches without penalty.

Every bracket is designed from measurements taken from real Ford trucks, refined through real-world testing, and produced one at a time to order. There’s no warehouse of parts hoping they fit. Each one is made for the application — and if a better design comes along, we can ship it without scrapping a mold.

Quality Control

Every part is printed on well-calibrated equipment with tolerances we trust. Before anything ships, each piece is cleaned up by hand — supports removed, edges cleared, surfaces checked — and given a full visual inspection. If a part doesn’t look right, it doesn’t go in the box.

Real-World Testing

Every product on this site went through multiple rounds of design refinement before it was ready to sell. Nothing ships as a first draft — designs are tested, adjusted, and re-tested against real trucks and real-world conditions until they hold up the way they’re supposed to.