3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
ABS-ESD vs Magnetic
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | ESD-safe ABSABS | Magnetic filamentSPECIALTY |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $102.50/kg median; $47.00–$166.67/kg across 4 dated product listings | $64.99/kg median; $64.99–$64.99/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | ABS compounded with a conductive carbon filler for static-dissipative parts[1] | PLA loaded with ferromagnetic iron powder, so printed parts respond to magnets[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.09 (ISO 1183)[1] | About 1.85 (Proto-pasta manufacturer figure) — 1.5× standard PLA[2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 47–167; the middle of the market is about 103[3][4][5] | 1 kg spools cluster near 65[6] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 47–167 across brands; IEMAI 47, YXPOLYER 65, 3DXTech 140 at 750 g pricing; the EMI-shielding ABS grade runs 167[3][4][5] | 64–70 across formats; 1 kg spool 65, 500 g 70, 2 kg 70[6] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[3] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[6] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g spools[3] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.1, 0.5, 1 and 2 kg spools[6] |
| Typical applications | Electronics handling fixtures, trays and jigs used around static-sensitive parts[1] | Sensor targets, magnetic fixtures, and props that need to stick to a magnet or rust deliberately[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 192 (Proto-pasta)[2] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 60 (Proto-pasta)[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure recommended[7] | Open frame is fine[2] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Clean the plate and apply glue; Simplify3D also lists Kapton tape and ABS slurry[7][8] | Not documented |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | Not documented | 1.6–2.4 at Proto-pasta's 20–30 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[2] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts[7] | Not documented |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[7] | Not documented |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Slight — Polymaker advises 1–2 mm retraction at 20–30 mm/s[9] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[7] | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; slow, and brittle in filament form[2] |
| Extruder requirement | Not documented | Proto-pasta advises an extrusion width 0.05 mm larger than the nozzle and warns feeding is inconsistent below 0.4 mm and on Bowden machines[2] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Hardened steel required[1] | Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work[2] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[1] | Moderately abrasive — metal fill[2] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Low — 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns and no minimum layer height for its ESD-ABS, only an 80 °C pre-dry[10] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa lists metal-filled composites as a higher clogging risk and recommends a 0.6 mm nozzle minimum[11] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Slightly sensitive[8] | Not documented |
| Hotend requirement | No special hot-end required[8] | Proto-pasta recommends a wear-resistant or larger nozzle for longer service intervals[2] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Moderate — the ABS matrix takes up 0.51–0.65 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH and 3DXTech specifies a 80 °C, 4 h pre-dry[12][13][10] | Not documented |
| Symptoms when wet | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[14] | Not documented |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Polymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; absorbed water flashes to steam in the hotend and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[14] | Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[14] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant; Polymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity[14] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 58 at break (printed XY, ISO 527) — the conductive filler raises strength above the unfilled grade's 42[1][15] | Not documented |
| Young's modulusMPa | 2130 (printed XY, ISO 527)[1] | Not documented |
| Elongation at break% | 4 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1] | Not documented |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 80 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1] | Not documented |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 2275 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Moderate[1] | Brittle — Proto-pasta describes the filament as more brittle than standard PLA and needing extra care in handling[2] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Moderate — no creep test found; Tg of 105 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1] | Not documented |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Below average — no S-N curve found; elongation at break 4 %, well below unfilled ABS[1][15] | Not documented |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Rigid[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 105 (DSC)[1] | Not documented |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Outdoor durability | Not documented | Deliberately rustable — Proto-pasta markets the iron content as oxidising when exposed to moisture[2] |
| Chemical resistance | Good against weak acids, weak alkalis, oils and grease; dissolved by acetone[16] | Not documented |
| Food contact | Not food safe — Polymaker cites potential chemical leaching[9] | Not documented |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[9] | Not documented |
| Recyclability | Mechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[9] | Not documented |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Surface resistance 10⁷–10⁹ ohm/sq, the static-dissipative band (ASTM D257), against above 10¹³ for unfilled ABS[1][15] | Ferromagnetic: Proto-pasta states it responds to magnets and behaves similarly to pure iron[2] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[17][7] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[17] |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | 12–113 styrene, the dominant VOC from every ABS and HIPS combination tested[17] | Not documented |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | 2 × 10¹⁰ to 9 × 10¹⁰ median across all ABS printers, two orders of magnitude above PLA's ≈1 × 10⁸[17] | Not documented |
| Hazardous species emitted | Styrene dominates. Bambu Lab states ABS and ASA release harmful gases such as styrene at printing temperature, which can be toxic and cause dizziness or nausea[17][7] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration — an enclosure alone cut measured UFP by only about 35 %[17][7] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[17] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Conductive carbon filler is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1] | Not documented |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Sands well and takes filler before painting[9] | Polishing and deliberate rusting are the intended finishes[2] |
| Painting & finishing | Paints readily after light abrasion[9] | Not documented |
| Support material pairing | HIPS breaks away or dissolves in d-limonene; Bambu Lab sells a dedicated Support for ABS[18][7] | Not documented |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Acetone dissolves it — the basis of ABS slurry; so do MEK, THF, ethyl acetate, chloroform, dichloromethane and toluene.[19][16] | Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix and leaves the iron powder behind; laboratory reagent, not workshop stock.[20][2] |
| Softened or crazed by | Petrol and perchloroethylene soften it and benzene attacks it; d-limonene disrupts layer adhesion in some ABS and ASA grades.[19][21] | Acetone and ethyl acetate plasticise the matrix rather than dissolving it; water attacks the exposed iron.[20][2] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Acetone: about 20 min of vapour at 80 °C over 5 mm of liquid. Prusa measured layer adhesion more than doubled.[22] | None — PLA has no workshop-safe solvent, and the iron loading blocks the surface flow smoothing needs.[20] |
Material entries describe families or representative grades, not an interchangeable specification for every spool. Test methods, orientations and conditions may differ. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.
Sources for this comparison
- 3DXSTAT ESD-ABS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- Magnetic Iron PLA — product page and technical data Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · tds
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- IEMAI ESD-ABS 3D Printing Filament product page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- YXPOLYER ABS ESD product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- 3DXSTAT ESD-ABS — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
- Composite materials with metal or wood particles Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — ABS Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Polymaker ABS Pro Technical Data Sheet V1 (2026-05-29) Polymaker · 2026-05 · tds
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- 3DXMAX ABS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- PolyLite ABS Technical Data Sheet (V5.5 served at this URL) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Emissions of Ultrafine Particles and Volatile Organic Compounds from Commercially Available Desktop Three-Dimensional Printers with Multiple Filaments (Azimi et al.) Environmental Science & Technology 50(3) 1260-1268 · 2016-01 · paper
- HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
- HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc