3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
Magnetic vs POM
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Magnetic filamentSPECIALTY | POM (acetal)ENGINEERING |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $64.99/kg median; $64.99–$64.99/kg across 1 dated product listings | Not documented |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | PLA loaded with ferromagnetic iron powder, so printed parts respond to magnets[1] | Polyoxymethylene, normally the copolymer POM-C. Apium's filament grade is POM-C with antistatic additives; no unfilled POM filament was found on sale[2][3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | About 1.85 (Proto-pasta manufacturer figure) — 1.5× standard PLA[1] | 1.41 (extruded POM-C stock)[2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg spools cluster near 65[4] | Not documented |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 64–70 across formats; 1 kg spool 65, 500 g 70, 2 kg 70[4] | Not documented |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[4] | Special order, 1-2 makers worldwide — Apium sells a POM-C ESD filament through its own shop and states its printers are the only ones able to process POM-C; no POM filament appears in the 3DJAKE or igo3d product sitemaps, at MatterHackers or at Printed Solid[3][5][6][7] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.1, 0.5, 1 and 2 kg spools[4] | Not documented |
| Typical applications | Sensor targets, magnetic fixtures, and props that need to stick to a magnet or rust deliberately[1] | Gears, bushings, bearings, conveyor and food-machinery parts; Apium markets its POM-C ESD grade for semiconductor insulators, aerospace fasteners and sliding parts[2][3] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 192 (Proto-pasta)[1] | Not documented |
| Bed temperature°C | 60 (Proto-pasta)[1] | Not documented |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[1] | Not documented |
| 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] | Apium states that the adaptive heating system on its industrial machines is what makes POM-C printable, and that no other 3D printer can process it[3] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work[1] | Not documented |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Moderately abrasive — metal fill[1] | Not documented |
| 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[8] | Not documented |
| 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 | Low (0.1-0.3 %) — extruded POM-C stock takes up 0.18 % in 24 h and 0.80 % at saturation (ASTM D570)[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[9] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 66.9 at break and 64.1 at yield (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638; converted from 9700 and 9300 psi)[2] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 2275 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638; converted from 330,000 psi)[2] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 40 at break and 9 at yield (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638)[2] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 89.6 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D790; converted from 13,000 psi)[2] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 2758 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D790; converted from 400,000 psi)[2] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Izod 53 J/m on extruded POM-C stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in[2] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Brittle — Proto-pasta describes the filament as more brittle than standard PLA and needing extra care in handling[1] | Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking; extruded stock elongates 40 % before failing. No printed figure is published[2] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | Rockwell 86 (and R120) — the source names only the R scale on extruded POM-C stock (ASTM D785)[2] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Not documented |
| Wear resistance & friction | Not documented | Wear factor 65e-10 in3*min/(ft*lb*h) and a dynamic coefficient of friction of 0.21 at 40 psi and 50 fpm (ASTM D3702, extruded stock) — the properties that make acetal the default gear and bushing plastic; Apium lists good sliding properties as the reason for its grade[2][3] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 158 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 316 °F)[2] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 110 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D648 at 264 psi; converted from 230 °F)[2] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | 165 melting (extruded POM-C stock; converted from 329 °F)[2] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | 91 long term and 141 intermittent (extruded POM-C stock; converted from 195 °F and 285 °F)[2] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | Not documented | 84.6 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.7e-5 in/in/°F)[2] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | UL 94 HB on extruded POM-C stock[2] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Outdoor durability | Deliberately rustable — Proto-pasta markets the iron content as oxidising when exposed to moisture[1] | Not documented |
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Good chemical resistance, particularly to bases; Apium lists resistance to bases as a headline property[2][3] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Not documented | Good — minor absorption; 0.80 % water at saturation (ASTM D570, extruded stock)[2] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Ferromagnetic: Proto-pasta states it responds to magnets and behaves similarly to pure iron[1] | Volume resistance 1e14 ohm-cm, dielectric strength 500 V/mil and dielectric constant 3.7 at 60 Hz on extruded stock (ASTM D257, D149, D150); Apium's filament grade adds antistatic agents[2][3] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[10] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[10] | Not documented |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Polishing and deliberate rusting are the intended finishes[1] | Easy to machine — Ensinger lists machinability as a headline property of POM-C stock[2] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix and leaves the iron powder behind; laboratory reagent, not workshop stock.[11][1] | Hexafluoroisopropanol dissolves it at room temperature; NMP and DMF only when hot. Laboratory reagents.[12] |
| Softened or crazed by | Acetone and ethyl acetate plasticise the matrix rather than dissolving it; water attacks the exposed iron.[11][1] | Acids, oxidants, halogens and hot concentrated zinc chloride attack it; alcohols, ketones and esters do not.[12][13] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — PLA has no workshop-safe solvent, and the iron loading blocks the surface flow smoothing needs.[11] | None — no solvent softens POM below its melting point, which is why it is bolted or heat-welded rather than glued.[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
- Magnetic Iron PLA — product page and technical data Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · tds
- TECAFORM AH natural (POM-C) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- POM-C ESD 3D printing — material page Apium 3D Technologies · 2026-08 · doc
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DJAKE product catalogue 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
- igo3d product sitemap (17452 product URLs) igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
- Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
- Composite materials with metal or wood particles Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 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
- Resistance of Ultramid, Ultraform and Ultradur to chemicals (TI-KTU/AS-28 e) BASF · 2000-10 · tds
- Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds