3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

Conductive vs PLA Glow

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

Conductive filament guideGlow-in-the-dark PLA guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Conductive comparisonsMore PLA Glow comparisons
Conductive vs PLA Glow — documented properties and sources
PropertyConductive filamentSPECIALTYGlow-in-the-dark PLAPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$170.36/kg median; $89.99–$796.00/kg across 4 dated product listings$24.99/kg median; $19.99–$49.16/kg across 5 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryA carbon-filled compound conductive by volume rather than merely dissipative; Proto-pasta's is PLA-based, Recreus's and NinjaTek's are TPU, and add:north's Koltron G1 does not state its base polymer[1][2][3][4]PLA with a phosphorescent additive at 2–20 wt% (Bambu Lab SDS, filler not named)[5]
Densityg/cm³Not documented1.24 (colorFabb) to 1.26 (Bambu Lab), ISO 1183[6][7]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 90–181 for the carbon-filled grades; add:north's Koltron G1 sits far above at 796 because it is sold only in 100 and 250 g coils[8][9][10]1 kg spools cluster near 25[11][12]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg90–796 across brands; Proto-pasta conductive PLA 90 at 1 kg, Recreus Conductive Filaflex 160 at 500 g, NinjaTek Eel 181 at 1 kg, add:north Koltron G1 796 at 250 g[8][2][9][10]20–49 across brands; ELEGOO 20, Bambu Lab 25, Polymaker 25, Filament PM 49 on 0.5 kg spools[13][11][12][14]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[8][2]Stocked by most mainstream brands[11][12][13]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 kg spools[8][2][9][10]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75 and 1 kg spools[15][7]
Typical applicationsCapacitive touch surfaces, low-current traces, EMI shielding and static-safe fixtures[1]Signage, novelty and cosplay parts that glow after light exposure[6]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented190–230 on the Bambu Lab TDS against 210–240 in its own material table; colorFabb advises 195–220[6][16][7]
Bed temperature°CNot documented35–45 (Bambu Lab); 50–60 (colorFabb)[6][7]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1]Open frame is fine[6]
Part cooling fanNot documentedFan on; colorFabb allows 0–100 %[6][7]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[1]Easy — minor profile tuning; a hardened nozzle is mandatory[16][12]
Extruder requirementNot documentedBambu Lab: hardened steel and high-flow nozzles only, 0.2 mm excluded, AMS lite not compatible[16]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work[1]Hardened steel required[16][12][7]
Abrasiveness1–5Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[1]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[16][7]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — Proto-pasta states the carbon-filled grade prints on standard PLA settings with no special nozzle required[1]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle[16]
Hotend requirementNot documentedHardened steel nozzle; Bambu Lab lists glow-in-the-dark among the filaments its hardened-steel nozzle exists for[17][16]
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[16][7]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Not documentedModerate — 0.46 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[6]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.46 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[6]
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[18]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[18]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPaNot documented32 ± 3 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb quotes 61.5 by ISO 527 on its own specimens[6][7]
Young's modulusMPaNot documented2030 ± 210 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 2960[6][7]
Elongation at break%Not documented8.6 ± 1.2 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 10.5 at break[6][7]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented76 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[6]
Flexural modulusMPaNot documented2640 ± 130 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 3295[6][7]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented2.8 (colorFabb, ISO 179-1/1eA) and 8.8 ± 1.7 (Bambu Lab, ISO 179) printed XY, notched[6][7]
Other impact dataNot documentedCharpy unnotched 27.3 (Bambu Lab) and 30.8 (colorFabb), printed, ISO 179[6][7]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented26 ± 3 printed Z, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[6]
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning; carbon-black loading at conductive levels embrittles PLA[1]Brittle — snaps with little warning[6]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedPoor — no glow-grade creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[19][20][21]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Not documentedPoor — 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[22][6]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[6]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented81 by tensile, 72 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[6]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented55 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[6]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented52 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[6]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented55 (DSC)[6]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented155 peak melt (DSC); colorFabb quotes above 155 by ISO 3146-C[6][7]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedDegrades within weeks outdoors[23]
Electrical & ESD propertiesConductive rather than dissipative — Proto-pasta sells the grade as electrically conductive composite PLA[1]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[24]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[24]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation[24]None needed in a normal room[24]
Dust & fibre handling hazardConductive carbon filler is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1]Not documented
Post-Processing
Support material pairingNot documentedSupport for PLA (Bambu Lab)[6]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedGlow brightness rises with wall thickness; 0.2 mm nozzles are not usable[16]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChloroform dissolves PLA-based grades, leaving the carbon black; TPU-based grades need DMF, NMP or THF. Laboratory reagents.[25][26]Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C) and leaves the filler as loose sludge; laboratory reagent.[25]
Softened or crazed byAcetone and ethyl acetate plasticise a PLA-based grade; a TPU-based grade swells in toluene, esters and alcohols.[25][26]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[25][27]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — neither PLA nor TPU has a workshop-safe welding or smoothing solvent.[25][26]Chloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[28][27]

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. Electrically Conductive Composite PLA — product page and technical data Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · tds
  2. Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. Eel 3D Printing Filament Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  4. Koltron G1 Technical Data Sheet add:north · 2026-08 · tds
  5. Safety Data Sheet SDS20251127A12 — Bambu PLA Glow Bambu Lab · 2025-11 · msds
  6. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PLA Glow Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  7. glowFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  8. Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Eel product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. add:north Koltron G1 product page add:north · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. PLA Glow — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Panchroma Luminous PLA — product page Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. Filament PM PLA GlowJet technical data sheet Filament PM (Plasty Mladec) · 2026-08 · tds
  15. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Nozzles — material and compatibility Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  18. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  20. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  21. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  22. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  23. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  24. 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
  25. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  26. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  27. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  28. 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