3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PC-CF vs PPA

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

Carbon-fibre PC (PC-CF) guidePPA (polyphthalamide) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PC-CF comparisonsMore PPA comparisons
PC-CF vs PPA — documented properties and sources
PropertyCarbon-fibre PC (PC-CF)PCPPA (polyphthalamide)PA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$62.58/kg median; $34.99–$117.33/kg across 6 dated product listings$45.49/kg median; $45.49–$45.49/kg across 1 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolycarbonate reinforced with chopped carbon fibre[1][2]Polyphthalamide — a semi-aromatic polyamide in which aromatic diacid units replace part of the aliphatic backbone; Raise3D and Bambu Lab both label it high-temperature nylon[3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.22 (Prusament) and 1.36 (3DXTech), ISO 1183[1][2]1.21 (ISO 1183, Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA)[5]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 35–117; the middle of the market is about 63[6][7][8][9][10]One 1 kg listing on the market, at 45[11]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg35–117 across brands; Ambrosia 35, IEMAI 39, YXPOLYER 55, Spectrum PC CF 70, Prusament 94, 3DXTech 117[6][7][8][9][10]45 for the only unfilled PPA filament found — Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA at 1 kg; every other PPA in retail is carbon- or glass-filled[11]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[6][8][12]Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide — Siraya Tech is the only brand found selling unfilled PPA filament[11]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75, 0.8 and 1 kg spools[6][8]1.75 mm, 1 kg[11]
Typical applicationsStiff high-temperature structural parts — jigs, drone frames and under-bonnet brackets[1][2]Gears, bearings and tooling that must hold load above the reach of PA6 or PA12, and parts exposed to fuels and industrial chemicals[5]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.04 (Prusament PC Blend Carbon Fiber)[1]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C285 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]280–300 (Siraya Tech)[5]
Bed temperature°C110 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]70–80 (Siraya Tech)[5]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[1][13]Enclosure recommended — Siraya Tech advises an enclosure to hold temperature and limit warping on larger prints[5]
Part cooling fanOff — Prusa allows 0–20 % and warns cooling significantly reduces interlayer adhesion[1]20–60 % (Siraya Tech)[5]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI with a glue stick or a commercial adhesive[14]PEI sheet with a glue stick, or a PVP glue coating[5]
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]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; needs a 300 °C-class hot end and a dry spool[5]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required[13]Brass fine indefinitely — Siraya Tech states a hardened steel nozzle is not needed for the unfilled grade[5]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[13]Non-abrasive when unfilled[5]
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]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Siraya Tech tells users to dry only when moisture symptoms appear, rather than before every print[5]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[14]Not documented
Hotend requirementAll-metal hot end required (Simplify3D)[14]High-quality metal nozzle, 0.4–1.0 mm; hardened steel not required (Siraya Tech)[5]
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]High (0.8–2 %) — Siraya Tech publishes 2.59 % by ISO 62 immersion for the unfilled grade; on the equilibrium basis Bambu Lab uses, its 15 % carbon-filled PPA reaches 1.30 % against 2.35 % for the same maker's PA6-CF[5][4][20]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.11 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers)[1]2.59 by ISO 62 water immersion (Siraya Tech, unfilled) — an immersion figure, not the 25 °C / 55 % RH equilibrium basis the filled grades are quoted on, so the two are not directly comparable[5]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented80–100 °C for 4–6 h (Siraya Tech)[5]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[21]Oozing, bubbles and a rough surface finish (Siraya Tech)[5]
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][21]Siraya Tech publishes dry against saturated for the same grade: tensile 70 → 60 MPa, flexural 114 → 87 MPa, HDT at 1.8 MPa 73.5 → 48.5 °C, while Charpy rises 10 → 14.5 kJ/m²[5][11]
Storage requirementAirtight containers with desiccant to prevent reabsorption[15]Dry box below 15 % RH (Siraya Tech)[5]
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]72 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech); the product page quotes 70 dry and 60 saturated[5][11]
Young's modulusMPa2600 printed horizontal and 3200 printed vertical, ISO 527-1 (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 6980[1][2]3600 (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[5]
Elongation at break%4.6 at yield printed horizontal (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 2.1 at break[1][2]10.5 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[5]
Flexural strengthMPa94 ± 3 printed horizontal and 130 ± 2 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 85[1][2]115 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech); 114 dry against 87 saturated on the product page[5][11]
Flexural modulusMPa3500 printed horizontal and 4200 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament); 3DXTech quotes 6540[1][2]3350 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech)[5]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²12 ± 1 printed horizontal and 17 ± 2 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament)[1]10.1 Charpy (printed, ISO 179, Siraya Tech); the data sheet does not state whether the specimen was notched[5]
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 32 ± 5 printed horizontal and 35 ± 4 printed vertical (Prusament, ISO 179-1)[1]Not documented
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]Moderate — 10.5 % elongation at break puts it between PA6 and the fibre-filled grades[5]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell83 Shore D (Prusa Polymers method), against 79 for unfilled Prusament PC Blend[1][19]Not documented
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[22][1]Good — Raise3D cites high creep resistance as a reason to choose the PPA matrix over other nylons[3]
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[22]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid — 3.6 GPa tensile modulus[5]
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedSiraya Tech describes the unfilled grade as low-friction and self-lubricating, aimed at gears and bearings[5][11]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C114 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, Prusament)[1]81 dry and 61 saturated (printed, ISO 75 Method B at 0.45 MPa, Siraya Tech)[5]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C106 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, Prusament), against 93 for unfilled Prusament PC Blend[1][19]73.5 dry and 48.5 saturated (printed, ISO 75 Method A at 1.8 MPa, Siraya Tech) — unfilled PPA deflects near its Tg; the 190–227 °C figures quoted for PPA are carbon-filled grades[5][4]
Glass transition (Tg)°C127 (3DXTech, DSC)[2]80 (ASTM D3418, Siraya Tech)[5]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented231 melting point (ASTM D3418) and 230 Vicat (ISO 306), Siraya Tech[5]
Continuous service temperature°C113 — Prusa publishes this as the temperature resistance of Prusament PC Blend[19]Not documented
Annealing responseNot documentedSiraya Tech's product page offers annealing for strength while its own data sheet says annealing is not recommended because the print can warp; on its 15 % carbon-filled PPA, annealing lifts HDT at 1.8 MPa from 82.5 to 119 °C[5][11][23]
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]Withstands fuels, oils and industrial chemicals; Bambu Lab rates semi-aromatic nylon better than general nylon against weak acids, weak alkalis and most organic solvents[5][4]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedAbsorbs water, properties shift — a saturated specimen loses about 15 % of its tensile strength and 25 °C of heat-deflection temperature[5][11]
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]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[24]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[24]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[24][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]Not documented
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]Compatible with quick-release support materials (Siraya Tech)[5]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDichloromethane and chloroform dissolve the matrix and leave the fibre; DMF and dioxane do the same (Covestro).[25]Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — all laboratory reagents.[26]
Softened or crazed byMethanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[25]Mineral acids, oxidants, halogens and zinc chloride solutions attack the amide bond; ordinary solvents do not.[26]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentDichloromethane cement welds the resin, but the fibre keeps the joint from flowing closed. Controlled carcinogen.[27]None — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[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

  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. Raise3D Industrial PPA CF Technical Data Sheet V2.0 Raise3D · 2022-04 · tds
  4. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PPA-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  5. Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · tds
  6. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Spectrum PC CF Carbon Black, 1.75 mm / 250 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. IEMAI CF-PC 3D Printing Filament product page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. YXPOLYER PC CF product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA Filament — product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Filastruder product catalogue Filastruder · 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. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PA6-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  21. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  22. Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
  23. Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA-CF Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · tds
  24. 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
  25. Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
  26. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  27. Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds