3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PC-FR vs PLA Silk

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

Flame-retardant PC (PC-FR) guideSilk PLA guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PC-FR comparisonsMore PLA Silk comparisons
PC-FR vs PLA Silk — documented properties and sources
PropertyFlame-retardant PC (PC-FR)PCSilk PLAPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$87.50/kg median; $54.99–$224.00/kg across 4 dated product listings$19.49/kg median; $9.75–$24.99/kg across 15 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryFlame-retardant polycarbonate. Polymaker builds its grade on Covestro's Makrolon family and rates it UL 94 V-0[1][2]PLA with a gloss-forming additive package; suppliers publish the composition as polylactic acid only[3]
Densityg/cm³1.18 (Bambu Lab) and 1.2 (Polymaker), ISO 1183[2][1]1.27 (ISO 1183)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 55–224; the two mainstream 1 kg grades are 55 and the industrial grades 120–224[2][4]Mainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 20[5][6][7]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg55–224 across brands; Bambu Lab and Polymaker 55, 3DXTech FR PC/ABS 120, 3DXLABS FR-PC 224[2][4][8]10–25 across brands; CHCKX 10 in a 16-roll bundle, SUNLU 13, LANDU 18, YXPOLYER 20, Polymaker 22, Devil Design 25[9][10][11][12][13]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[2][4][8]Stocked by most mainstream brands[5][9][14]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 0.75 and 1 kg spools[4][8][2]1.75 mm; 1 and 1.1 kg spools; dual- and tri-colour coextruded variants[15][16]
Typical applicationsElectrical enclosures, transport interiors and battery housings that must meet a flammability rating[1][2]Decorative prints where surface gloss matters more than strength[3]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.03 (Bambu Lab PC FR)[2]±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[17]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C260–280 (Bambu Lab); 250–270 (Polymaker)[2][1]210–240 — 20 °C above the plain PLA window[3]
Bed temperature°C90–110 (Bambu Lab); 90–105 (Polymaker)[2][1]35–45[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive) — Bambu Lab specifies a 45–60 °C chamber, Polymaker 70–100 °C[2][1]Open frame is fine[3][18]
Recommended chamber temperature°C45–60 (Bambu Lab); 70–100 (Polymaker)[2][1]Not documented
Part cooling fan0–60 % (Bambu Lab)[2]Fan on[3]
Bed surface & adhesion aidSmooth or textured PEI plate (Bambu Lab)[2]Cool Plate SuperTack, smooth PEI or textured PEI[3]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s24 at Bambu Lab's 300 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[2][19]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5Severe — heated chamber needed[1][20]None[3]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[21][22]Sticks to anything[23]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker flags stringing as a common PC problem[22]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[2][20]Easy — minor profile tuning; hotter nozzle and slower cap of 250 mm/s[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[20]Brass fine indefinitely[18]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[1]Non-abrasive[24][18]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a 6 h pre-dry at 80 °C[25]Very low[18]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[21]Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[26]
Hotend requirementAll-metal hot end required (Simplify3D)[21]No special hot-end required[23]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Low (0.1–0.3 %) — 0.12 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab), half that of unfilled Bambu Lab PC[2][27]Moderate — 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[3]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.12 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[2]0.40 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[3]
Drying temperature & time75 °C for 6 h (Polymaker)[1]55 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer, or 65–75 °C for 12 h on an X1 heatbed[3][28]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[29]Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[29]
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[22][29]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[29]
Storage requirementAirtight containers with desiccant to prevent reabsorption[22]Sealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[30][23]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa60 ± 4 (Bambu Lab) and 67 ± 4.5 (Polymaker) printed XY, ISO 527[2][1]33 (printed XY, ISO 527); eSun Silk broke 22 % below the 16-brand PLA mean on identical 4×4 mm bars[3][31]
Young's modulusMPa1670 ± 40 (Bambu Lab) and 2634 ± 182 (Polymaker) printed XY, ISO 527[2][1]2130 (printed XY, ISO 527)[3]
Elongation at break%2.4 ± 0.3 (Bambu Lab) and 3.49 ± 0.7 (Polymaker) at break, printed XY, ISO 527 — the retardant roughly halves unfilled PC's elongation[2][1][32]2.8 (printed XY, ISO 527) — a quarter of PLA Basic at 12.2[3][30]
Flexural strengthMPa96.6 ± 1.3 printed XY, ISO 178 (Polymaker)[1]75 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3]
Flexural modulusMPa2518 ± 53 printed XY, ISO 178 (Polymaker)[1]2460 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²11.7 ± 1.6 printed XY, ISO 179, notched (Polymaker)[1]10.3 (printed XY, ISO 179, notched); unnotched 18.5[3]
Other impact dataNotched Charpy 7.5 ± 1.6 kJ/m² at −30 °C printed XY (Polymaker, ISO 179-1/1eA)[1]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa21 ± 3 (Bambu Lab) and 46 ± 4.8 (Polymaker) printed Z, ISO 527[2][1]25 (printed Z, ISO 527), and flexural Z collapses to 30 against 75 in XY; eSun Silk broke at 12.3 kg where twelve of the 16 plain PLAs managed 44.6–61.5 kg[3][31][33]
Brittleness1–5Moderate[2][1]Brittle — snaps with little warning[3]
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 a flame-retardant filament[34]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Good. Moulded unfilled PC sustained 41 MPa tensile creep at room temperature without breaking, but the retardant package drops the glass transition to 115 °C in Polymaker's grade, so the unfilled rating is not carried over in full[35][1]Poor — no silk-specific creep data published; plain PLA sagged from 12 to 18.7–20.3 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[36][37]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Not documentedPoor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength (R = 0.2)[38][26]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[3]
Z strength as % of XY%35 (Bambu Lab) to 69 (Polymaker), printed[2][1]76 by tensile, 40 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C110 (Polymaker) and 113 (Bambu Lab), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[1][2]60 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C107 (Polymaker) and 108 (Bambu Lab), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[1][2]56 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[3]
Glass transition (Tg)°C115 (Polymaker) and 145 (Bambu Lab), DSC[1][2]57 (DSC)[3]
Melting point / Vicat°CAmorphous — no melting point; Vicat 114 (Bambu Lab, ISO 306)[2]158 peak melt (DSC); Vicat 66 °C[3]
Continuous service temperature°C113 — Prusa publishes this as the temperature resistance of Prusament PC Blend[39]50 — a loaded bar begins to move at this temperature (My Tech Fun, eSun eSilk PLA)[33]
Annealing responseNot documented50–55 °C for 6–12 h[3]
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 flame-retardant grade[34]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94UL 94 V-0 (Polymaker PolyMax PC-FR); 3DXTech rates its FR PC/ABS V-0 at 1.5 mm on the base resin[1][40]Flammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[30][41]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors unless stabilised[22]Degrades within weeks outdoors[26][42]
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, solvents and fuels; Polymaker rates it good against weak acids[22]Good against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis; dissolved by chloroform, THF and hot benzene[41][26]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedGood — insoluble in water[30]
Food contactBisphenol-A polycarbonate is not offered as food-contact filament[22]Base resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[26]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[22]Industrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[43][26]
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[22]Mechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[43]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[44]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[44]
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[44]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[44][20]None needed in a normal room[44]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands and machines well; the toughness means it cuts rather than chips[21]Wet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[42][26]
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; dichloromethane solvent-welds PC but is a laboratory reagent[21]Cyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[26][45]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[21]No practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[26]
Support material pairingPrints its own supports; 3DXTech sells a dedicated PC break-away support[21]Support for PLA (Bambu Lab)[3]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documented55° overhangs and 30 mm bridges; gloss hides fine detail and is destroyed by sanding[3]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDichloromethane, chloroform, DMF and dioxane dissolve it outright (Covestro, 6 days at 23 °C). Laboratory reagents.[46]Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[47]
Softened or crazed byMethanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[46]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[47][48]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentDichloromethane cement welds PC — 16.5 MPa lap shear at one week (IPS Weld-On 3). A controlled carcinogen.[49]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[50][48]

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. PolyMax PC-FR Technical Data Sheet V5.5 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  2. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PC FR Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  3. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PLA Silk+ Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  4. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Panchroma Silk PLA collection Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Spectrum PLA Silk — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. 3DJake ecoPLA Silk Black 1.75mm 1000g 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Sunlu Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1kg Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Bambu Lab PLA Silk 1.75mm 1kg 3D Universe · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. CHCKX 16 Pack Silk Dual Color PLA Filament Bundle CHCKX (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. YXPOLYER Silk PLA Black&Gold product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. LANDU Silk Tri-Color PLA Filament 1.75 mm 1 kg LANDU (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. Overture Silk PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. eSUN PLA-Silk Magic 1.75mm eSUN Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. JAYO Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1.1kg JAYO Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  18. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  20. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  22. PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  23. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  24. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  25. 3DXTech Firewire FR-PC/ABS product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  26. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  27. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V2.0 — PC Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  28. Filament Drying Recommendations Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  29. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  30. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  31. 16 PLA brand comparison test — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2022-10 · test
  32. PolyLite PC Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  33. Testing eSun PLA filaments: PLA-ST vs PLA+ vs Silk PLA My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  34. TECANAT natural (PC) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  35. Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
  36. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  37. PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  38. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  39. Prusament PC Blend Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  40. Firewire Flame Retardant PC/ABS Technical Data Sheet Rev 3.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  41. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  42. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  43. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  44. 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
  45. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  46. Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
  47. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  48. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  49. Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds
  50. Effect of vapour smoothing in trichloromethane on 3D printed PLA — surface, mechanical and chemical structure Pitale, Keche & Chopra, Engineering Research Express 6(4) 045579 · 2024-12 · paper