3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
Magnetic vs PC-GF
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Magnetic filamentSPECIALTY | Glass-fibre PC (PC-GF)PC |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $64.99/kg median; $64.99–$64.99/kg across 1 dated product listings | $71.27/kg median; $71.27–$71.27/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | PLA loaded with ferromagnetic iron powder, so printed parts respond to magnets[1] | Polycarbonate reinforced with 30 wt% short glass fibre[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | About 1.85 (Proto-pasta manufacturer figure) — 1.5× standard PLA[1] | 1.17 (measured on a 100 % infill printed part, ISO 1183-A)[2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg spools cluster near 65[3] | 1 kg spools cluster near 71[4] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 64–70 across formats; 1 kg spool 65, 500 g 70, 2 kg 70[3] | 71 — BASF Ultrafuse PC GF30 at igo3d is the only priced listing found; Owens Corning sells XSTRAND GF30-PC in 500 g and 1 kg[4][2] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[3] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands — neither Polymaker's nor 3DXTech's polycarbonate range contains a glass-fibre grade, but BASF Forward AM and Owens Corning both sell one through European retail[4][2][5][6] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.1, 0.5, 1 and 2 kg spools[3] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm at +/- 0.05 mm; 500 g and 1 kg net spools[2] |
| Typical applications | Sensor targets, magnetic fixtures, and props that need to stick to a magnet or rust deliberately[1] | Functional prototyping for mechanical engineering, electronics and automotive[2] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | Not documented | +/- 0.05 (Owens Corning XSTRAND)[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 192 (Proto-pasta)[1] | 280-330 (Owens Corning XSTRAND GF30-PC)[2] |
| Bed temperature°C | 60 (Proto-pasta)[1] | 80-110 (Owens Corning XSTRAND GF30-PC)[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[1] | Enclosure required (passive) — as for unfilled PC[7][8] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Not documented | Perforated plate, DimaFix or Magigoo PC glue (Owens Corning)[2] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | 1.6–2.4 at Proto-pasta's 20–30 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[1] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; slow, and brittle in filament form[1] | Not documented |
| Extruder requirement | Proto-pasta advises an extrusion width 0.05 mm larger than the nozzle and warns feeding is inconsistent below 0.4 mm and on Bowden machines[1] | Owens Corning specifies a nozzle above 0.4 mm and hardened steel nozzles and drive wheels[2] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work[1] | Hardened steel required — Owens Corning states glass reinforcement shortens brass nozzle and drive-wheel life[2] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Moderately abrasive — metal fill[1] | Highly abrasive — 30 wt% glass fibre[2] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa lists metal-filled composites as a higher clogging risk and recommends a 0.6 mm nozzle minimum[9] | High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; PC already absorbs water from the air and Prusa lists glass-filled composites as a higher clogging risk[10][11] |
| Hotend requirement | Proto-pasta recommends a wear-resistant or larger nozzle for longer service intervals[1] | Not documented |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Not documented | Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Owens Corning measures below 0.1 % at 23 °C and 50 % RH (ISO 62)[2] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | Below 0.1 at 23 °C and 50 % RH, and below 0.1 at saturation (ISO 62)[2] |
| 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[12] | No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published. Polymaker calls PC highly hygroscopic; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[13][12] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 65 at break (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[2] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 5400 (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[2] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 2.5 at break (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[2] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 113 at yield (printed, ISO 178 at 2 mm/min)[2] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 5500 (printed, ISO 178 at 2 mm/min)[2] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Brittle — Proto-pasta describes the filament as more brittle than standard PLA and needing extra care in handling[1] | Brittle — snaps with little warning; 2.5 % elongation at break[2] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | Rockwell 70 (118) — the source does not name the scales and Shore D 79 on extruded unfilled PC stock (ASTM D785, D2240); no figure is published for a glass-fibre grade[14] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — holds load for years. Room-temperature tensile creep of moulded unfilled PC ran unbroken at 41 MPa until the test was stopped, and 30 wt% glass raises the tensile modulus from about 2.3 to 5.4 GPa[15][2] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Rigid[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 137 (printed, ISO 75 Method A at 1.8 MPa)[2] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 145 (DSC, ISO 11357)[2] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | 270 stated as melting point (ISO 11357) — unusual for an amorphous polymer, but this is the published figure[2] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | Not documented | 26.2 in XY and 77.4 in Z (printed, ISO 11359-2) — a threefold anisotropy, and the lowest in-plane expansion of any polycarbonate here[2] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | UL 94 V-0 verified (Owens Corning)[2] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Good — years with some colour shift. Owens Corning lists UV resistance as a product benefit but publishes no exposure data[2] |
| Outdoor durability | Deliberately rustable — Proto-pasta markets the iron content as oxidising when exposed to moisture[1] | Not documented |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — essentially unaffected; below 0.1 % water at saturation (ISO 62)[2] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Ferromagnetic: Proto-pasta states it responds to magnets and behaves similarly to pure iron[1] | Electrically insulating (Owens Corning)[2] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[16] | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[16] |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | Not documented | ≈4 × 10¹⁰ median — the highest ultrafine-particle rate of the nine filaments in the chamber study, above every ABS tested[16] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[16] | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[16][8] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Not documented | Owens Corning warns that the glass reinforcement is abrasive when melted and advises sufficient ventilation and avoiding extrusion fumes[2] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Polishing and deliberate rusting are the intended finishes[1] | Not documented |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Not documented | High dimensional stability is the headline benefit; the 26.2 um/m*K in-plane CTE is a third of unfilled PC's[2] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix and leaves the iron powder behind; laboratory reagent, not workshop stock.[17][1] | Dichloromethane and chloroform dissolve the matrix and leave the fibre; DMF and dioxane do the same (Covestro).[18] |
| Softened or crazed by | Acetone and ethyl acetate plasticise the matrix rather than dissolving it; water attacks the exposed iron.[17][1] | Methanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[18] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — PLA has no workshop-safe solvent, and the iron loading blocks the surface flow smoothing needs.[17] | Dichloromethane cement welds the resin, but the fibre keeps the joint from flowing closed. Controlled carcinogen.[19] |
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
- Magnetic Iron PLA — product page and technical data Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · tds
- XSTRAND GF30-PC Data Sheet Owens Corning · 2019-04 · tds
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- BASF Ultrafuse PC GF30 Black 2.85 mm 1.000 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- PolyLite PC Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Composite materials with metal or wood particles Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- TECANAT natural (PC) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
- 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
- Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
- Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds