3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
Conductive vs PLA-PHA
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Conductive filamentSPECIALTY | PLA/PHA blendPLA |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $170.36/kg median; $89.99–$796.00/kg across 4 dated product listings | $76.40/kg median; $76.40–$76.40/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | A 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 blended with polyhydroxyalkanoate, a bacterially fermented bio-polyester[5] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 1.2 (ISO 1183)[5] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 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[6][7][8] | Not documented |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 90–796 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[6][2][7][8] | Not documented |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[6][2] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5][9] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 kg spools[6][2][7][8] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g and 2200 g spools[5] |
| Typical applications | Capacitive touch surfaces, low-current traces, EMI shielding and static-safe fixtures[1] | General-purpose printing where PLA's brittleness is the limiting factor[5] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 195–220 (colorFabb)[5] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 50–60 (colorFabb)[5] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[1] | Open frame is fine[5] |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | 0–100 %; colorFabb states the blend runs on both heated and unheated beds[5][10] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | Not documented | 3.2–8 at colorFabb's 40–100 mm/s, on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[10][11] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[1] | Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box[5] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work[1] | Brass fine indefinitely[5] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[1] | Non-abrasive[5] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Low — Proto-pasta states the carbon-filled grade prints on standard PLA settings with no special nozzle required[1] | Very low — unfilled PLA blend; Prusa lists no drybox and no hardened nozzle for PLA[12] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — the PLA matrix takes up 0.40–0.51 % saturated; colorFabb publishes no figure for the blend[13][14] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | 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[15] | 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[15] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 62–64 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[5] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 2960–3070 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb)[5] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 4 and 11 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[5] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 2500–3300 flexural modulus (ISO 178, colorFabb)[5] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | Not documented | 2.8–3.7 (ISO 179, notched, colorFabb)[5] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Brittle — snaps with little warning; carbon-black loading at conductive levels embrittles PLA[1] | Moderate — colorFabb positions the blend as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA grades[5] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Poor — no PLA/PHA creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[16][17][18] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Below average — no S-N curve for the blend; colorFabb positions it as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA, which ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength[19][5] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Rigid[5] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | Above 155 melting (ISO 3146-C)[5] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Degrades within weeks outdoors[20] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | colorFabb states the PHA component is 100 % biodegradable[5] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Conductive rather than dissipative — Proto-pasta sells the grade as electrically conductive composite PLA[1] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[21] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[21] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[21] | None needed in a normal room[21] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Conductive carbon filler is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1] | Not documented |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Chloroform dissolves PLA-based grades, leaving the carbon black; TPU-based grades need DMF, NMP or THF. Laboratory reagents.[22][23] | Chloroform dissolves the PLA phase (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C); THF and DMF need 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[22] |
| Softened or crazed by | Acetone and ethyl acetate plasticise a PLA-based grade; a TPU-based grade swells in toluene, esters and alcohols.[22][23] | Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[22][24] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — neither PLA nor TPU has a workshop-safe welding or smoothing solvent.[22][23] | Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[25][24] |
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
- Electrically Conductive Composite PLA — product page and technical data Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · tds
- Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
- Eel 3D Printing Filament Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
- Koltron G1 Technical Data Sheet add:north · 2026-08 · tds
- PLA/PHA technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- Eel product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
- add:north Koltron G1 product page add:north · 2026-08 · vendor
- woodFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
- glowFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
- Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
- PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- 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
- Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
- Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
- 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