3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PC-CF vs POM

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

Carbon-fibre PC (PC-CF) guidePOM (acetal) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PC-CF comparisonsMore POM comparisons
PC-CF vs POM — documented properties and sources
PropertyCarbon-fibre PC (PC-CF)PCPOM (acetal)ENGINEERING
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$62.58/kg median; $34.99–$117.33/kg across 6 dated product listingsNot documented
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolycarbonate reinforced with chopped carbon fibre[1][2]Polyoxymethylene, normally the copolymer POM-C. Apium's filament grade is POM-C with antistatic additives; no unfilled POM filament was found on sale[3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.22 (Prusament) and 1.36 (3DXTech), ISO 1183[1][2]1.41 (extruded POM-C stock)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 35–117; the middle of the market is about 63[5][6][7][8][9]Not documented
Price range across brandsUSD/kg35–117 across brands; Ambrosia 35, IEMAI 39, YXPOLYER 55, Spectrum PC CF 70, Prusament 94, 3DXTech 117[5][6][7][8][9]Not documented
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[5][7][10]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[4][11][12][5]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75, 0.8 and 1 kg spools[5][7]Not documented
Typical applicationsStiff high-temperature structural parts — jigs, drone frames and under-bonnet brackets[1][2]Gears, bushings, bearings, conveyor and food-machinery parts; Apium markets its POM-C ESD grade for semiconductor insulators, aerospace fasteners and sliding parts[3][4]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.04 (Prusament PC Blend Carbon Fiber)[1]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C285 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]Not documented
Bed temperature°C110 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]Not documented
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[1][13]Not documented
Part cooling fanOff — Prusa allows 0–20 % and warns cooling significantly reduces interlayer adhesion[1]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI with a glue stick or a commercial adhesive[14]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; the fibre reduces warping against unfilled PC[1][13]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[14][15]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker flags stringing as a common PC problem[15]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; hardened nozzle mandatory[13][1]Not documented
Extruder requirementNot documentedApium 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[4]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required[13]Not documented
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[13]Not documented
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; PC already absorbs water from the air and 3DXTech adds a hardened 0.4 mm minimum nozzle, 0.25 mm layers and a 120 °C pre-dry[16][14][17]Not documented
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[14]Not documented
Hotend requirementAll-metal hot end required (Simplify3D)[14]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Low (0.1–0.3 %) — the PC matrix takes up 0.15–0.25 % and 3DXTech specifies a 120 °C, 4 h pre-dry[18][19][16]Low (0.1-0.3 %) — extruded POM-C stock takes up 0.18 % in 24 h and 0.80 % at saturation (ASTM D570)[3]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.11 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers)[1]Not documented
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[20]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthNo dry-versus-conditioned figures are published. Polymaker calls PC highly hygroscopic and requires a 70–80 °C dry for 6–8 h; run wet, the loss shows as surface defects and poor layer adhesion[15][20]Not documented
Storage requirementAirtight containers with desiccant to prevent reabsorption[15]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa64 ± 3 printed horizontal and 70 ± 3 printed vertical at yield, ISO 527-1 (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 73 at break[1][2]66.9 at break and 64.1 at yield (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638; converted from 9700 and 9300 psi)[3]
Young's modulusMPa2600 printed horizontal and 3200 printed vertical, ISO 527-1 (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 6980[1][2]2275 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638; converted from 330,000 psi)[3]
Elongation at break%4.6 at yield printed horizontal (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 2.1 at break[1][2]40 at break and 9 at yield (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638)[3]
Flexural strengthMPa94 ± 3 printed horizontal and 130 ± 2 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 85[1][2]89.6 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D790; converted from 13,000 psi)[3]
Flexural modulusMPa3500 printed horizontal and 4200 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 6540[1][2]2758 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D790; converted from 400,000 psi)[3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²12 ± 1 printed horizontal and 17 ± 2 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament)[1]Not documented
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 32 ± 5 printed horizontal and 35 ± 4 printed vertical (Prusament, ISO 179-1)[1]Izod 53 J/m on extruded POM-C stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in[3]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa23 ± 2 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test) — above the 21 ± 2 of unfilled Prusament PC Blend[1][19]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Moderate[1][2]Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking; extruded stock elongates 40 % before failing. No printed figure is published[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell83 Shore D (Prusa Polymers method), against 79 for unfilled Prusament PC Blend[1][19]Rockwell 86 (and R120) — the source names only the R scale on extruded POM-C stock (ASTM D785)[3]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Excellent — holds load for years. Room-temperature tensile creep of moulded unfilled PC ran unbroken at 41 MPa until the test was stopped; short carbon fibre raises the flexural modulus from about 2.1 to 3.5-6.5 GPa, which reduces creep strain further[21][1]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Good. No fatigue test data was found for a carbon-fibre PC filament; the unfilled polymer is rated Good on the same scale[21]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Not documented
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedWear 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[3][4]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C114 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, Prusament)[1]158 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 316 °F)[3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C106 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, Prusament), against 93 for unfilled Prusament PC Blend[1][19]110 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D648 at 264 psi; converted from 230 °F)[3]
Glass transition (Tg)°C127 (3DXTech, DSC)[2]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented165 melting (extruded POM-C stock; converted from 329 °F)[3]
Continuous service temperature°C113 — Prusa publishes this as the temperature resistance of Prusament PC Blend[19]91 long term and 141 intermittent (extruded POM-C stock; converted from 195 °F and 285 °F)[3]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented84.6 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.7e-5 in/in/°F)[3]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedUL 94 HB on extruded POM-C stock[3]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors unless stabilised[15]Not documented
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, solvents and fuels; Polymaker rates it good against weak acids[15]Good chemical resistance, particularly to bases; Apium lists resistance to bases as a headline property[3][4]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedGood — minor absorption; 0.80 % water at saturation (ASTM D570, extruded stock)[3]
Food contactBisphenol-A polycarbonate is not offered as food-contact filament[15]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[15]Not documented
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[15]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistance above 10⁹ ohm/sq — not static-dissipative (3DXTech, ASTM D257)[2]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[3][4]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[22]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈4 × 10¹⁰ median — the highest ultrafine-particle rate of the nine filaments in the chamber study, above every ABS tested[22]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[22][13]Not documented
Dust & fibre handling hazardCarbon fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[2]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands and machines well; the toughness means it cuts rather than chips[14]Easy to machine — Ensinger lists machinability as a headline property of POM-C stock[3]
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; dichloromethane solvent-welds PC but is a laboratory reagent[14]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[14]Not documented
Support material pairingPrints its own supports; 3DXTech sells a dedicated PC break-away support[14]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDichloromethane and chloroform dissolve the matrix and leave the fibre; DMF and dioxane do the same (Covestro).[23]Hexafluoroisopropanol dissolves it at room temperature; NMP and DMF only when hot. Laboratory reagents.[24]
Softened or crazed byMethanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[23]Acids, oxidants, halogens and hot concentrated zinc chloride attack it; alcohols, ketones and esters do not.[24][25]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentDichloromethane cement welds the resin, but the fibre keeps the joint from flowing closed. Controlled carcinogen.[26]None — no solvent softens POM below its melting point, which is why it is bolted or heat-welded rather than glued.[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

  1. Prusament PC Blend Carbon Fiber Technical Datasheet v2.0 Prusa Polymers · 2023-04 · tds
  2. CarbonX Carbon Fiber ezPC Polycarbonate Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  3. TECAFORM AH natural (POM-C) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  4. POM-C ESD 3D printing — material page Apium 3D Technologies · 2026-08 · doc
  5. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Spectrum PC CF Carbon Black, 1.75 mm / 250 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. IEMAI CF-PC 3D Printing Filament product page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. YXPOLYER PC CF product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Filastruder product catalogue Filastruder · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. 3DJAKE product catalogue 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. igo3d product sitemap (17452 product URLs) igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  15. PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. CARBONX ezPC+CF — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  18. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V2.0 — PC Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  19. Prusament PC Blend Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  20. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
  22. 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
  23. Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
  24. Resistance of Ultramid, Ultraform and Ultradur to chemicals (TI-KTU/AS-28 e) BASF · 2000-10 · tds
  25. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  26. Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds