3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

ABS-ESD vs PVDF

Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.

ESD-safe ABS guidePVDF guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ABS-ESD comparisonsMore PVDF comparisons
ABS-ESD vs PVDF — documented properties and sources
PropertyESD-safe ABSABSPVDFENGINEERING
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$102.50/kg median; $47.00–$166.67/kg across 4 dated product listings$250.67/kg median; $250.67–$250.67/kg across 1 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryABS compounded with a conductive carbon filler for static-dissipative parts[1]Polyvinylidene fluoride — a semi-crystalline fluoropolymer[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.09 (ISO 1183)[1]1.71 (ISO 1183) — the densest unfilled filament in the dataset[2]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 47–167; the middle of the market is about 103[4][5][6]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 251[4]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg47–167 across brands; IEMAI 47, YXPOLYER 65, 3DXTech 140 at 750 g pricing; the EMI-shielding ABS grade runs 167[4][5][6]251 at 3DXTech's 750 g pricing — the most expensive material in the whole dataset[4]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[4]Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[4][7]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g spools[4]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g spools[4]
Typical applicationsElectronics handling fixtures, trays and jigs used around static-sensitive parts[1]Chemical-plant fittings, semiconductor handling and parts needing outstanding UV and chemical resistance[2]
Printing Parameters
Bed temperature°CNot documented70–110 (3DXTech FluorX)[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended[8]Enclosure required (passive)[2]
Bed surface & adhesion aidClean the plate and apply glue; Simplify3D also lists Kapton tape and ABS slurry[8][9]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts[8]High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts[2]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[8]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Slight — Polymaker advises 1–2 mm retraction at 20–30 mm/s[10]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[8]Expert / industrial hardware only[2][3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required[1]Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades[2]
Abrasiveness1–5Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[1]Non-abrasive when unfilled[2]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns and no minimum layer height for its ESD-ABS, only an 80 °C pre-dry[11]Low — 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns, no minimum layer height and states drying is not required[7]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[9]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[9]Not documented
Other hardware wearNot documentedHydrogen fluoride released on overheating is extremely corrosive and will attack hotend and enclosure metalwork as well as people[3]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 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][11]Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — fluoropolymers are essentially non-hygroscopic[2]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[14]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker 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]Not applicable in practice — 3DXTech states drying is not required for PVDF, so there is no moisture-driven strength loss to measure[7]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; Polymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity[14]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa58 at break (printed XY, ISO 527) — the conductive filler raises strength above the unfilled grade's 42[1][15]51 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[2]
Young's modulusMPa2130 (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]2450 (printed XY, ISO 527)[2]
Elongation at break%4 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]25 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[2]
Flexural strengthMPa80 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]50 (printed XY, ISO 178)[2]
Flexural modulusMPa2275 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]1800 (printed XY, ISO 178)[2]
Other impact dataNot documentedIzod 133 J/m on extruded PVDF stock, converted from 2.49 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[16]
Brittleness1–5Moderate[1]Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[2]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documentedRockwell M79 on extruded PVDF stock (ASTM D785)[16]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no creep test found; Tg of 105 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Below average — no S-N curve found; elongation at break 4 %, well below unfilled ABS[1][15]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Slightly flexible in thin sections[2]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented149 on extruded PVDF stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 300 °F)[16]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented113 on extruded PVDF stock (ASTM D648 at 264 psi; converted from 235 °F)[16]
Glass transition (Tg)°C105 (DSC)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented170 melting (ISO 11357)[2]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented149 long term and short term on extruded PVDF stock (converted from 300 °F)[16]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented127.8 (extruded PVDF stock, ASTM D696; source states 7.1e-5 in/in/°F) — the highest thermal expansion of any engineering polymer in this dataset[16]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedUL 94 V-0 on extruded PVDF stock; Ensinger lists inherent flame resistance[16]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedExcellent — designed for permanent outdoor use; Ensinger lists good UV and weather resistance and high gamma radiation resistance for PVDF stock[2][16]
Chemical resistanceGood against weak acids, weak alkalis, oils and grease; dissolved by acetone[17]Outstanding — resistant to most acids, solvents and oxidising agents, which is the reason to use it[2]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedExcellent — essentially unaffected[2]
Food contactNot food safe — Polymaker cites potential chemical leaching[10]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[10]Not documented
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[10]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistance 10⁷–10⁹ ohm/sq, the static-dissipative band (ASTM D257), against above 10¹³ for unfilled ABS[1][15]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[18][8]Very high — toxic decomposition products; local exhaust mandatory. Above 315 °C thermal decomposition yields hydrofluoric acid, hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide[3]
VOC emission rateµg/min12–113 styrene, the dominant VOC from every ABS and HIPS combination tested[18]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min2 × 10¹⁰ to 9 × 10¹⁰ median across all ABS printers, two orders of magnitude above PLA's ≈1 × 10⁸[18]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedStyrene 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[18][8]Above 315 °C: hydrofluoric acid, hydrogen cyanide, phenols, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and dense smoke. HF is extremely corrosive, its skin burns may not be immediately visible or painful, and exposure can be fatal by skin absorption, inhalation or ingestion[3]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration — an enclosure alone cut measured UFP by only about 35 %[18][8]Local exhaust to outside / fume hood — the SDS states local exhaust is preferred[3]
Dust & fibre handling hazardConductive carbon filler is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1]Molten polymer causes thermal burns and must not be pulled off the skin. If HF is detected during a decomposition event, cut the heat but keep the extraction running, ventilate, and clear non-essential people from the area[3]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands well and takes filler before painting[10]Not documented
Painting & finishingPaints readily after light abrasion[10]Not documented
Support material pairingHIPS breaks away or dissolves in d-limonene; Bambu Lab sells a dedicated Support for ABS[19][8]Not documented
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedThe processing window sits well below the 315 °C decomposition threshold, so nozzle temperature must be controlled rather than raised to chase flow[2][3]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inAcetone dissolves it — the basis of ABS slurry; so do MEK, THF, ethyl acetate, chloroform, dichloromethane and toluene.[20][17]THF, MEK, DMF, DMAc, NMP, DMSO and trimethyl phosphate dissolve 5–10 wt% at ambient — Arkema's active solvents, all lab reagents.[21]
Softened or crazed byPetrol and perchloroethylene soften it and benzene attacks it; d-limonene disrupts layer adhesion in some ABS and ASA grades.[20][22]Acetone, MIBK, cyclohexanone, butyl acetate and glycol ethers swell it; alkalis above pH 12 attack the homopolymer.[21][23]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentAcetone: about 20 min of vapour at 80 °C over 5 mm of liquid. Prusa measured layer adhesion more than doubled.[24]None for the workshop — the active solvents (NMP, DMAc, DMF) are laboratory reagents used for casting membranes, not joints.[21]

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

  1. 3DXSTAT ESD-ABS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  2. FluorX PVDF Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  3. FluorX PVDF Safety Data Sheet v1.1 3DXTech · 2026-08 · msds
  4. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. IEMAI ESD-ABS 3D Printing Filament product page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. YXPOLYER ABS ESD product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. FluorX PVDF — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  9. ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  10. ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  11. 3DXSTAT ESD-ABS — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — ABS Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  13. Polymaker ABS Pro Technical Data Sheet V1 (2026-05-29) Polymaker · 2026-05 · tds
  14. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. 3DXMAX ABS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  16. TECAFLON PVDF natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  17. PolyLite ABS Technical Data Sheet (V5.5 served at this URL) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  18. 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
  19. HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  20. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  21. Kynar PVDF — Design properties: solubility and irradiation (active and latent solvents) Arkema · 2026-08 · tds
  22. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  23. Kynar PVDF resin — chemical and fuel resistance Arkema · 2026-08 · tds
  24. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc