3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PC-ESD vs Breakaway

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

ESD-safe PC guideBreak-away support guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PC-ESD comparisonsMore Breakaway comparisons
PC-ESD vs Breakaway — documented properties and sources
PropertyESD-safe PCPCBreak-away supportSUPPORT
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$180.00/kg median; $180.00–$180.00/kg across 1 dated product listings$42.49/kg median; $26.00–$79.98/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolycarbonate compounded with a conductive filler for static-dissipative parts[1]Break-away support compounds matched to a specific model material — Polymaker sells separate grades for PLA and for PA12[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.24 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech); Stratasys specific gravity 1.195 (ASTM D792)[1][4]1.22 (PolySupport for PLA) and 1.29 (PolySupport for PA12), ISO 1183[2][3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 180[5]1 kg-equivalent spools span 26–80; the middle of the market is about 45[6][7][8]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg180 at 3DXTech's 750 g pricing — the most expensive material in this group[5]26–80 across brands and grades; IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE 26, Polymaker PolySupport for PLA 40 at 750 g, YXPOLYER 45, PolySupport for PA12 80 at 500 g[6][7][8]
Market availability1–5Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[5]Available from several mainstream brands[6][5]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g spools plus Stratasys-compatible cartridges[5]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[6]
Typical applicationsElectronics fixtures and trays that need PC heat resistance and static dissipation together[1]Support that peels off by hand, avoiding the moisture handling and dissolution time that soluble supports demand[2]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented220–230 (PolySupport for PLA)[2]
Bed temperature°CNot documented25–60 (PolySupport for PLA)[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[9][10]Open frame is fine[2]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI with a glue stick or a commercial adhesive[11]Not documented
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented4–12 at Polymaker's 50–150 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[2]
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]Easy — minor profile tuning[2]
Extruder requirementNot documentedA second extruder or a tool changer[2]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required[1]Brass fine indefinitely[2]
Abrasiveness1–5Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[1]Non-abrasive[2]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a 120 °C pre-dry[13]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Polymaker specifies a 55 °C dry for the PLA grade and warns brass nozzle life falls to about 9 h on the PA12 grade[2][3]
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]Moderate — 0.64 % equilibrium water absorption (PolySupport for PLA)[2]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.64 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySupport for PLA)[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 a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[16]
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]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa2300 (printed XY, ISO 527); Stratasys prints 1960 in XZ and 1810-1910 in ZX (ASTM D638)[1][4]Not documented
Elongation at break%6 at break (printed XY, ISO 527), against 14 for the unfilled grade[1][17]Not documented
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]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2310 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
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]Not documented
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]Not documented
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
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]43 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, PolySupport for PA12). Polymaker's sheet prints a higher figure at the higher load, which is physically inverted; treat both HDT numbers as approximate[3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C140-144 printed in XY, XZ and ZX (Stratasys, ASTM D648 Method B at 264 psi); 124 moulded[4]53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, PolySupport for PA12) — printed above the 0.45 MPa figure on Polymaker's own sheet, which cannot be right; treat both as approximate[3]
Glass transition (Tg)°C143 (DSC, 3DXTech) and 142 (Stratasys, ASTM D7426)[1][4]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documentedVicat 171 (PolySupport for PA12, ISO 306)[3]
Continuous service temperature°C113 — Prusa publishes this as the temperature resistance of Prusament PC Blend[15]Not documented
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]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, solvents and fuels; Polymaker rates it good against weak acids[12]Not documented
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]Surface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq (ASTM D257, THERMAX HTS2 and MTS1)[20][21]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[22]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[22]
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][9]Open a window / occasional ventilation[22]
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]Not documented
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]This is the support material. Polymaker publishes an adhesion matrix per model material, from very good to unusable, because break-away supports only work against the polymer they were matched to[2][3]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDichloromethane, chloroform, DMF and dioxane dissolve it outright (Covestro, 6 days at 23 °C). Laboratory reagents.[23]None — break-away support is removed mechanically; 3DXTech lists no water or solvent route for it.[24]
Softened or crazed byMethanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[23]Not documented
Solvent welding & smoothing agentDichloromethane cement welds PC — 16.5 MPa lap shear at one week (IPS Weld-On 3). A controlled carcinogen.[25]None — there is no solvent to weld or smooth with.[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. 3DXSTAT ESD-PC Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  2. PolySupport Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  3. PolySupport for PA12 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  4. PC-ESD — FDM Material Data Sheet Stratasys · 2024-10 · tds
  5. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. YXPOLYER Breakaway Support Filament 1 kg Black — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE breakaway support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 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. THERMAX HTS2 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  21. THERMAX MTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  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. THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  25. Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds