3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

ABS+ vs PLA Glow

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

ABS+ / Tough ABS guideGlow-in-the-dark PLA guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ABS+ comparisonsMore PLA Glow comparisons
ABS+ vs PLA Glow — documented properties and sources
PropertyABS+ / Tough ABSABSGlow-in-the-dark PLAPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$26.49/kg median; $15.99–$29.99/kg across 4 dated product listings$24.99/kg median; $19.99–$49.16/kg across 5 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryABS reformulated for lower warping and a higher glass transition; Polymaker's ABS Pro and ABS Max reach Tg 114.9 and 126.3 °C against 101 °C for PolyLite ABS[1][2][3]PLA with a phosphorescent additive at 2–20 wt% (Bambu Lab SDS, filler not named)[4]
Densityg/cm³1.04 (ABS Pro) and 1.06 (ABS Max), ISO 1183[1][2]1.24 (colorFabb) to 1.26 (Bambu Lab), ISO 1183[5][6]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 27[7]1 kg spools cluster near 25[8][9]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg16–30 across brands; SUNLU E-ABS 16, Polymaker ABS Pro 25, YXPOLYER ABS Enhanced 28, Polymaker ABS Max 30[7][10][11]20–49 across brands; ELEGOO 20, Bambu Lab 25, Polymaker 25, Filament PM 49 on 0.5 kg spools[12][8][9][13]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[7]Stocked by most mainstream brands[8][9][12]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 kg spools[7]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75 and 1 kg spools[7][6]
Typical applicationsLarge enclosure and automotive parts where plain ABS warps or softens too early[1][2]Signage, novelty and cosplay parts that glow after light exposure[5]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C270–290 (ABS Pro); 270–300 (ABS Max) — 25–35 °C above plain ABS[1][2]190–230 on the Bambu Lab TDS against 210–240 in its own material table; colorFabb advises 195–220[5][14][6]
Bed temperature°C120 (ABS Max)[2]35–45 (Bambu Lab); 50–60 (colorFabb)[5][6]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[1][2][15]Open frame is fine[5]
Part cooling fanNot documentedFan on; colorFabb allows 0–100 %[5][6]
Bed surface & adhesion aidClean the plate and apply glue; Simplify3D also lists Kapton tape and ABS slurry[15][16]Not documented
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sUp to 250 mm/s (ABS Pro) and 200 mm/s (ABS Max), equivalent to 20 and 16 on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[1][2][17]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts[15]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[15]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Slight — Polymaker advises 1–2 mm retraction at 20–30 mm/s[18]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; the hotter nozzle rules out PTFE-lined hotends[1][2]Easy — minor profile tuning; a hardened nozzle is mandatory[14][9]
Extruder requirementNot documentedBambu Lab: hardened steel and high-flow nozzles only, 0.2 mm excluded, AMS lite not compatible[14]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[15]Hardened steel required[14][9][6]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[15]Highly abrasive — the phosphor is a hard ceramic; Bambu Lab groups glow with carbon fibre as the materials that wear nozzles and grind AMS PTFE, and both Bambu Lab and Polymaker require a hardened nozzle[14][6]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — unfilled ABS compound; no special hot-end required and clogging is not among the listed drawbacks[16][19]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle[14]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[16]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[16]Hardened steel nozzle; Bambu Lab lists glow-in-the-dark among the filaments its hardened-steel nozzle exists for[20][14]
Other hardware wearNot documentedBambu Lab reports the filament adds enough feeding resistance to fail prints on the AMS lite; colorFabb warns of brass nozzle wear[14][6]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 0.51 % maximum water absorption (ABS Pro)[1]Moderate — 0.46 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[5]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.51 maximum water absorption (Polymaker ABS Pro)[1]0.46 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[5]
Drying temperature & time70 °C for 6 h (ABS Max)[2]Not documented
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[21]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures[21]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures for this grade; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[21]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; Polymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity[21]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa34.9 (ABS Pro) and 35.7 (ABS Max) printed XY, ISO 527[1][2]32 ± 3 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb quotes 61.5 by ISO 527 on its own specimens[5][6]
Young's modulusMPa2330 (ABS Pro) and 2320 (ABS Max) printed XY, ISO 527[1][2]2030 ± 210 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 2960[5][6]
Elongation at break%6.7 (ABS Max) and 7.3 (ABS Pro) at break, printed XY, ISO 527[1][2]8.6 ± 1.2 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 10.5 at break[5][6]
Flexural strengthMPa60.1 (ABS Pro) and 63.3 (ABS Max) printed XY, ISO 178[1][2]76 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[5]
Flexural modulusMPa2330 (ABS Pro) and 2500 (ABS Max) printed XY, ISO 178[1][2]2640 ± 130 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 3295[5][6]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²10.5 (ABS Max) and 14.5 (ABS Pro) printed XY, ISO 179, notched[1][2]2.8 (colorFabb, ISO 179-1/1eA) and 8.8 ± 1.7 (Bambu Lab, ISO 179) printed XY, notched[5][6]
Other impact dataNot documentedCharpy unnotched 27.3 (Bambu Lab) and 30.8 (colorFabb), printed, ISO 179[5][6]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa21.9 (ABS Pro) and 25.4 (ABS Max) printed Z, ISO 527[1][2]26 ± 3 printed Z, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[5]
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1][2]Brittle — snaps with little warning[5]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no creep test found; Tg of 115 °C (ABS Pro) and 126 °C (ABS Max) keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][2]Poor — no glow-grade creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[22][23][24]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Moderate — no S-N curve found; 6.7–7.3 % elongation and 10.5–14.5 kJ/m² notched Charpy, below unfilled Bambu Lab ABS[1][2][25]Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength and the glow filler leaves a brittle, highly abrasive compound[26][5]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[5]
Z strength as % of XY%63 (ABS Pro) and 71 (ABS Max), printed[1][2]81 by tensile, 72 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[5]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C106.4 (ABS Pro) and 118.1 (ABS Max), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[1][2]55 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[5]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C101.4 (ABS Pro) and 113.1 (ABS Max), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[1][2]52 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[5]
Glass transition (Tg)°C114.9 (ABS Pro) and 126.3 (ABS Max), DSC[1][2]55 (DSC)[5]
Melting point / Vicat°CAmorphous — no melting point; Vicat 116.1 (ABS Pro) and 127.4 (ABS Max), ISO 306[1][2]155 peak melt (DSC); colorFabb quotes above 155 by ISO 3146-C[5][6]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K86–89 for printed unfilled ABS (fibre Bragg grating, 25–50 °C); no grade-specific measurement published[27]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement[18]Degrades within weeks outdoors[28]
Chemical resistanceGood against weak acids, weak alkalis, oils and grease; dissolved by acetone[3]Not documented
Food contactNot food safe — Polymaker cites potential chemical leaching[18]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[18]Not documented
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[18]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[29][15]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[29]
VOC emission rateµg/min12–113 styrene, the dominant VOC from every ABS and HIPS combination tested[29]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[29]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[29][15]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration — an enclosure alone cut measured UFP by only about 35 %[29][15]None needed in a normal room[29]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands well and takes filler before painting[18]Not documented
Painting & finishingPaints readily after light abrasion[18]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingAcetone vapour smoothing works[3]Not documented
Support material pairingHIPS breaks away or dissolves in d-limonene; Bambu Lab sells a dedicated Support for ABS[30][15]Support for PLA (Bambu Lab)[5]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedGlow brightness rises with wall thickness; 0.2 mm nozzles are not usable[14]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inAcetone dissolves it — the basis of ABS slurry; so do MEK, THF, ethyl acetate, chloroform, dichloromethane and toluene.[31][3]Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C) and leaves the filler as loose sludge; laboratory reagent.[32]
Softened or crazed byPetrol and perchloroethylene soften it and benzene attacks it; d-limonene disrupts layer adhesion in some ABS and ASA grades.[31][33]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[32][34]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentAcetone: about 20 min of vapour at 80 °C over 5 mm of liquid. Prusa measured layer adhesion more than doubled.[34]Chloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[35][34]

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. Polymaker ABS Pro Technical Data Sheet V1 (2026-05-29) Polymaker · 2026-05 · tds
  2. Polymaker ABS Max Technical Data Sheet V1.1 (2026-06-01) Polymaker · 2026-06 · tds
  3. PolyLite ABS Technical Data Sheet (V5.5 served at this URL) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  4. Safety Data Sheet SDS20251127A12 — Bambu PLA Glow Bambu Lab · 2025-11 · msds
  5. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PLA Glow Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  6. glowFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  7. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. PLA Glow — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Panchroma Luminous PLA — product page Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. SUNLU E-ABS (Easy ABS) 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. YXPOLYER ABS Enhanced product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. Filament PM PLA GlowJet technical data sheet Filament PM (Plasty Mladec) · 2026-08 · tds
  14. PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  18. ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  20. Nozzles — material and compatibility Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  22. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  23. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  24. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  25. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — ABS Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  26. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  27. Characterization of Thermal Expansion Coefficient of 3D Printing Polymeric Materials Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors Materials 17(18):4668 · 2024-09 · paper
  28. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  29. 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
  30. HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  31. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  32. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  33. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  34. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  35. Effect of vapour smoothing in trichloromethane on 3D printed PLA — surface, mechanical and chemical structure Pitale, Keche & Chopra, Engineering Research Express 6(4) 045579 · 2024-12 · paper