3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
Conductive vs PLA Stone
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Conductive filamentSPECIALTY | Stone-filled PLAPLA |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $170.36/kg median; $89.99–$796.00/kg across 4 dated product listings | $22.99/kg median; $15.99–$49.16/kg across 6 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 filled with stone or mineral powder — Formfutura StoneFil declares 40–50 wt% stone powder[5][6] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 1.22 (Bambu Lab PLA Marble) and 1.50–1.70 (Formfutura StoneFil), ISO 1183[6][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[7][8][9] | 1 kg spools cluster near 21[10][11] |
| 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[7][2][8][9] | 16–49 across brands; SUNLU 16, ELEGOO 19, Polymaker 21, Bambu Lab 25, Prusament 38, Filament PM MarbleJet 49 on 0.5 kg spools[12][11][10][13][14][15] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[7][2] | Stocked by most mainstream brands[10][11][12] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 kg spools[7][2][8][9] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 1 kg spools plus refills[11][5] |
| Typical applications | Capacitive touch surfaces, low-current traces, EMI shielding and static-safe fixtures[1] | Architectural models, sculpture and props with a matte mineral surface[6] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 190–230 (Bambu Lab)[6] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 35–45 (Bambu Lab)[6] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[1] | Open frame is fine[6] |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | Fan on[6] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[1] | Easy — minor profile tuning; 0.2 mm nozzles are not usable[16] |
| Extruder requirement | Not documented | Nozzles below 0.4 mm are not compatible (Bambu Lab)[16] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work[1] | Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work — Bambu Lab's compatibility table says no hardened nozzle is needed while the note under the same table groups PLA Marble with particle-filled materials that should always use one[16] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[1] | Moderately abrasive — stone fill[16][5] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Low — 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] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — 0.44 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[6] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | 0.44 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[6] |
| 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[17] | 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[17] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 33 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[6] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 2330 ± 240 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[6] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 6.7 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[6] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 75 ± 5 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[6] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 2920 ± 180 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[6] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | Not documented | 9.5 ± 2.6 printed XY, ISO 179, notched (Bambu Lab)[6] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Charpy unnotched 24.0 printed XY (Bambu Lab, ISO 179)[6] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | Not documented | 30 ± 4 printed Z, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[6] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Brittle — snaps with little warning; carbon-black loading at conductive levels embrittles PLA[1] | Brittle — snaps with little warning[6] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Poor — no stone-filled creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[18][19][20] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength and the mineral filler leaves a brittle compound[21][6] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Rigid[6] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | Not documented | 91 by tensile, 73 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[6] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 56 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[6] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[6] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 56 (DSC)[6] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | 156 peak melt (DSC); Formfutura gives a 120–170 melting range for StoneFil[6][5] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Degrades within weeks outdoors[22] |
| 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[23] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[23] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[23] | None needed in a normal room[23] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Conductive carbon filler is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1] | Formfutura's SDS sets an occupational limit of 1 mg/m³ for the stone powder and lists it as both a fibre and a particulate — do not dry-sand without extraction[5] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Sands to a stone-like matte surface[5] |
| Support material pairing | Not documented | Support for PLA (Bambu Lab)[6] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Not documented | Matte mineral surface hides layer lines; 55° overhangs and 30 mm bridges as for plain PLA[6] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Chloroform dissolves PLA-based grades, leaving the carbon black; TPU-based grades need DMF, NMP or THF. Laboratory reagents.[24][25] | Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C) and leaves the filler as loose sludge; laboratory reagent.[24] |
| Softened or crazed by | Acetone and ethyl acetate plasticise a PLA-based grade; a TPU-based grade swells in toluene, esters and alcohols.[24][25] | Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[24][26] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — neither PLA nor TPU has a workshop-safe welding or smoothing solvent.[24][25] | Chloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[27][26] |
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
- StoneFil safety data sheet Formfutura · 2026-08 · msds
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PLA Marble Bambu Lab · 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
- PLA Marble — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
- Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
- SUNLU High Speed PLA Marble 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
- Filament PM PLA MarbleJet technical data sheet Filament PM (Plasty Mladec) · 2026-08 · tds
- PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- 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