3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PC-ESD vs POM

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

ESD-safe PC guidePOM (acetal) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PC-ESD comparisonsMore POM comparisons
PC-ESD vs POM — documented properties and sources
PropertyESD-safe PCPCPOM (acetal)ENGINEERING
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$180.00/kg median; $180.00–$180.00/kg across 1 dated product listingsNot documented
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolycarbonate compounded with a conductive filler for static-dissipative parts[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/cm³1.24 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech); Stratasys specific gravity 1.195 (ASTM D792)[1][4]1.41 (extruded POM-C stock)[2]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 180[5]Not documented
Price range across brandsUSD/kg180 at 3DXTech's 750 g pricing — the most expensive material in this group[5]Not documented
Market availability1–5Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[5]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][6][7][8]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g spools plus Stratasys-compatible cartridges[5]Not documented
Typical applicationsElectronics fixtures and trays that need PC heat resistance and static dissipation together[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
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[9][10]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI with a glue stick or a commercial adhesive[11]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5Severe — heated chamber needed[9][10]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[11][12]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker flags stringing as a common PC problem[12]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[9]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[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required[1]Not documented
Abrasiveness1–5Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[1]Not documented
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a 120 °C pre-dry[13]Not documented
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[11]Not documented
Hotend requirementAll-metal hot end required (Simplify3D)[11]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[14][15][13]Low (0.1-0.3 %) — extruded POM-C stock takes up 0.18 % in 24 h and 0.80 % at saturation (ASTM D570)[2]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[16]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[12][16]Not documented
Storage requirementAirtight containers with desiccant to prevent reabsorption[12]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa68 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech) — above the 58 of 3DXTech's unfilled ezPC; Stratasys prints 47.6-49.4 at yield in XZ (ASTM D638)[1][17][4]66.9 at break and 64.1 at yield (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638; converted from 9700 and 9300 psi)[2]
Young's modulusMPa2300 (printed XY, ISO 527); Stratasys prints 1960 in XZ and 1810-1910 in ZX (ASTM D638)[1][4]2275 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638; converted from 330,000 psi)[2]
Elongation at break%6 at break (printed XY, ISO 527), against 14 for the unfilled grade[1][17]40 at break and 9 at yield (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638)[2]
Flexural strengthMPa95 (printed XY, ISO 178); Stratasys prints 82.6-83.2 at break in XZ against 46.3-49.5 in ZX (ASTM D790)[1][4]89.6 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D790; converted from 13,000 psi)[2]
Flexural modulusMPa2310 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]2758 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D790; converted from 400,000 psi)[2]
Other impact dataNot documentedIzod 53 J/m on extruded POM-C stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in[2]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa32.5-37.9 at yield printed ZX (Stratasys, ASTM D638 on the Fortus 450mc and F900)[4]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Moderate[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 / RockwellRockwell 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 an ESD grade[18]Rockwell 86 (and R120) — the source names only the R scale on extruded POM-C stock (ASTM D785)[2]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Excellent — holds load for years. Moulded unfilled PC was still running unbroken under 41 MPa tensile creep at room temperature when the test was stopped, and the conductive filler leaves the glass transition unchanged at 142 °C, so the creep mechanism is polycarbonate's[19][4]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Not documented
Z strength as % of XY%68-77 (Stratasys ZX against XZ tensile yield, ASTM D638)[4]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[2][3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C143-146 printed in XY, XZ and ZX (Stratasys, ASTM D648 Method B at 66 psi); 135 moulded[4]158 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 316 °F)[2]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C140-144 printed in XY, XZ and ZX (Stratasys, ASTM D648 Method B at 264 psi); 124 moulded[4]110 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D648 at 264 psi; converted from 230 °F)[2]
Glass transition (Tg)°C143 (DSC, 3DXTech) and 142 (Stratasys, ASTM D7426)[1][4]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented165 melting (extruded POM-C stock; converted from 329 °F)[2]
Continuous service temperature°C113 — Prusa publishes this as the temperature resistance of Prusament PC Blend[15]91 long term and 141 intermittent (extruded POM-C stock; converted from 195 °F and 285 °F)[2]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K68.4 on extruded unfilled PC stock (ASTM D696; source states 3.8e-5 in/in/°F); no figure is published for a conductive-filled grade[18]84.6 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.7e-5 in/in/°F)[2]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedUL 94 HB on extruded POM-C stock[2]
Environment & Chemical
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, solvents and fuels; Polymaker rates it good against weak acids[12]Good chemical resistance, particularly to bases; Apium lists resistance to bases as a headline property[2][3]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedGood — minor absorption; 0.80 % water at saturation (ASTM D570, extruded stock)[2]
Food contactBisphenol-A polycarbonate is not offered as food-contact filament[12]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[12]Not documented
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[12]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistance 10⁷–10⁹ ohm/sq, the static-dissipative band (ASTM D257), against above 10¹³ for unfilled ezPC[1][17]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 toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[20]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[20]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[20][9]Not documented
Dust & fibre handling hazardConductive carbon filler is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands and machines well; the toughness means it cuts rather than chips[11]Easy to machine — Ensinger lists machinability as a headline property of POM-C stock[2]
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; dichloromethane solvent-welds PC but is a laboratory reagent[11]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[11]Not documented
Support material pairingPrints its own supports; 3DXTech sells a dedicated PC break-away support[11]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDichloromethane, chloroform, DMF and dioxane dissolve it outright (Covestro, 6 days at 23 °C). Laboratory reagents.[21]Hexafluoroisopropanol dissolves it at room temperature; NMP and DMF only when hot. Laboratory reagents.[22]
Softened or crazed byMethanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[21]Acids, oxidants, halogens and hot concentrated zinc chloride attack it; alcohols, ketones and esters do not.[22][23]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentDichloromethane cement welds PC — 16.5 MPa lap shear at one week (IPS Weld-On 3). A controlled carcinogen.[24]None — no solvent softens POM below its melting point, which is why it is bolted or heat-welded rather than glued.[22]

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. 3DXSTAT ESD-PC Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  2. TECAFORM AH natural (POM-C) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  3. POM-C ESD 3D printing — material page Apium 3D Technologies · 2026-08 · doc
  4. PC-ESD — FDM Material Data Sheet Stratasys · 2024-10 · tds
  5. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. 3DJAKE product catalogue 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. igo3d product sitemap (17452 product URLs) igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  10. PolyLite PC Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  11. Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  12. PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  13. 3DXSTAT ESD-PC — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V2.0 — PC Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  15. Prusament PC Blend Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  16. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. ezPC Polycarbonate Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  18. TECANAT natural (PC) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  19. Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
  20. 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
  21. Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
  22. Resistance of Ultramid, Ultraform and Ultradur to chemicals (TI-KTU/AS-28 e) BASF · 2000-10 · tds
  23. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  24. Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds