3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

Conductive vs PVB

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

Conductive filament guidePVB guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Conductive comparisonsMore PVB comparisons
Conductive vs PVB — documented properties and sources
PropertyConductive filamentSPECIALTYPVBSPECIALTY
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$170.36/kg median; $89.99–$796.00/kg across 4 dated product listings$66.65/kg median; $49.32–$79.98/kg across 3 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]Polyvinyl butyral — a printable thermoplastic whose surface can be smoothed with isopropyl alcohol instead of a hot solvent[5]
Densityg/cm³Not documented1.10 (Polymaker PolySmooth, ISO 1183); Prusament PVB 1.10[5][6]
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[7][8][9]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 80[10][11]
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[7][2][8][9]49–102 across brands; Polymaker PolySmooth 49 at 750 g, Prusament PVB 80–102 at 500 g[10][11]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[7][2]Available from several mainstream brands[10][11]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 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 0.75 kg spools[10][11]
Typical applicationsCapacitive touch surfaces, low-current traces, EMI shielding and static-safe fixtures[1]Display models and light guides where a layer-free surface matters more than strength[5]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented+/- 0.03 (Prusament PVB)[6]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented215 +/- 10 (Prusament PVB)[6]
Bed temperature°CNot documented75 +/- 5 (Prusament PVB)[6]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1]Open frame is fine[5]
Part cooling fanNot documented100 % part cooling (Prusament PVB)[6]
Bed surface & adhesion aidNot documentedSmooth PEI sheet or satin sheet; Prusa states a brim is not generally necessary[6]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[1]Easy — minor profile tuning; it prints close to PLA[5]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work[1]Brass fine indefinitely[5]
Abrasiveness1–5Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[1]Non-abrasive[5]
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; Prusa calls PVB very prone to absorbing moisture and requires a 60 °C, 4 h dry before every print[12][13]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Not documentedVery high (>2 %) — 2.36 % equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySmooth), above every PLA and PETG grade here[5]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented2.36 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySmooth); 2.09 for PolyCast; Prusament PVB takes up 0.18 in 24 h and 0.35 in 7 days at 24 °C and 22 % RH[5][14][6]
Drying temperature & timeNot documentedMaximum 60 °C for 4-8 h depending on how wet the filament is (Prusament PVB)[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[13]Polymaker publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; at 2.36 % equilibrium uptake the material has to be kept dry to print cleanly[5][13]
Storage requirementNot documentedSealed with desiccant[13]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPaNot documented51.8 ± 0.7 printed XY, ISO 527 (PolySmooth); 53.2 ± 1.1 for PolyCast; Prusament PVB gives 50 +/- 5 at yield printed horizontal (ISO 527-1) and 57 +/- 1 on the filament (ISO 527)[5][14][6]
Young's modulusMPaNot documented2199 ± 43 printed XY and 2010 ± 69 printed Z, ISO 527 (PolySmooth); Prusament PVB gives 1700 +/- 100 in both print directions (ISO 527-1)[5][6]
Elongation at break%Not documented5.7 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 527 (PolyCast)[14]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented72 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 73 +/- 3 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament PVB)[6]
Flexural modulusMPaNot documented2233 ± 106 printed XY, ISO 178 (PolyCast); Prusament PVB gives 2200 +/- 100 horizontal and 2300 +/- 100 vertical (ISO 178)[14][6]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented7 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 10 +/- 1 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament PVB)[6]
Other impact dataNot documentedCharpy unnotched 55 +/- 7 printed horizontal and 59 +/- 12 printed vertical (Prusament PVB, ISO 179-1)[6]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented26.3 ± 2.1 printed Z, ISO 527 (PolyCast); Prusament PVB gives 49 +/- 5 at yield printed vertical (ISO 527-1) and 9 +/- 1 on Prusa's interlayer adhesion test[14][6]
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning; carbon-black loading at conductive levels embrittles PLA[1]Moderate[5]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documentedShore D 77 (Prusa Polymers method)[6]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[5]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented98 (Prusament PVB, printed vertical against horizontal tensile yield, ISO 527-1: 49 +/- 5 against 50 +/- 5) — the most isotropic printed material in this dataset[6]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented68 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa; Prusament PVB 63 (ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa)[5][14][6]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented66 (PolySmooth) and 53 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa; Prusament PVB 58 (ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa)[5][14][6]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented70 (DSC) for both PolySmooth and PolyCast[5][14]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documentedAmorphous — no melting point; Vicat 70 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 306[5][14]
Environment & Chemical
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[15]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[15]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation[15]Open a window / occasional ventilation[15]
Dust & fibre handling hazardConductive carbon filler is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1]Not documented
Post-Processing
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedIsopropyl alcohol vapour smoothing is the point of the material — Polymaker markets PolySmooth for hands-free post-processing to a layer-free surface[5]
Support material pairingNot documentedPolyDissolve S1 is rated for PVB (Polymaker)[16]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedPolyCast is the investment-casting variant of the same chemistry — it burns out cleanly rather than being smoothed[14]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChloroform dissolves PLA-based grades, leaving the carbon black; TPU-based grades need DMF, NMP or THF. Laboratory reagents.[17][18]Isopropyl alcohol dissolves it; Prusa describes PVB as soluble only in IPA, and it is not water-soluble.[12]
Softened or crazed byAcetone and ethyl acetate plasticise a PLA-based grade; a TPU-based grade swells in toluene, esters and alcohols.[17][18]Not documented
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — neither PLA nor TPU has a workshop-safe welding or smoothing solvent.[17][18]Isopropyl alcohol: brushed or sprayed on for speed, or several hours in IPA vapour for a glass-like surface.[19][12]

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. PolySmooth Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  6. Prusament PVB Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  7. Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Eel product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. add:north Koltron G1 product page add:north · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Prusament PVB — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
  13. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. PolyCast Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  15. 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
  16. PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  17. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  18. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  19. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc