3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PC-FR vs PMMA

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

Flame-retardant PC (PC-FR) guidePMMA (acrylic) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PC-FR comparisonsMore PMMA comparisons
PC-FR vs PMMA — documented properties and sources
PropertyFlame-retardant PC (PC-FR)PCPMMA (acrylic)ENGINEERING
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$87.50/kg median; $54.99–$224.00/kg across 4 dated product listings$49.99/kg median; $49.99–$49.99/kg across 1 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]Poly(methyl methacrylate) — acrylic, sold for 3D printing as a transparent glass substitute[3]
Densityg/cm³1.18 (Bambu Lab) and 1.2 (Polymaker), ISO 1183[2][1]Not documented
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]1 kg spools cluster near 50[5]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg55–224 across brands; Bambu Lab and Polymaker 55, 3DXTech FR PC/ABS 120, 3DXLABS FR-PC 224[2][4][6]50 at Push Plastic's 1 kg listing; 3 kg spools run the same per kilogram[5]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[2][4][6]Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[5]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 0.75 and 1 kg spools[4][6][2]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[5]
Typical applicationsElectrical enclosures, transport interiors and battery housings that must meet a flammability rating[1][2]Transparent covers and light guides where PC's yellowing or cost rules it out[3]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.03 (Bambu Lab PC FR)[2]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C260–280 (Bambu Lab); 250–270 (Polymaker)[2][1]Not documented
Bed temperature°C90–110 (Bambu Lab); 90–105 (Polymaker)[2][1]Not documented
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive) — Bambu Lab specifies a 45–60 °C chamber, Polymaker 70–100 °C[2][1]Not documented
Recommended chamber temperature°C45–60 (Bambu Lab); 70–100 (Polymaker)[2][1]Not documented
Part cooling fan0–60 % (Bambu Lab)[2]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidSmooth or textured PEI plate (Bambu Lab)[2]Not documented
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][7]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5Severe — heated chamber needed[1][8]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[9][10]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker flags stringing as a common PC problem[10]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[2][8]Not documented
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[8]Not documented
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[1]Not documented
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[11]Not documented
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[9]Not documented
Hotend requirementAll-metal hot end required (Simplify3D)[9]Not documented
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][12]Not documented
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.12 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[2]Not documented
Drying temperature & time75 °C for 6 h (Polymaker)[1]Not documented
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[13]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[10][13]Not documented
Storage requirementAirtight containers with desiccant to prevent reabsorption[10]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa60 ± 4 (Bambu Lab) and 67 ± 4.5 (Polymaker) printed XY, ISO 527[2][1]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa1670 ± 40 (Bambu Lab) and 2634 ± 182 (Polymaker) printed XY, ISO 527[2][1]Not documented
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][14]Not documented
Flexural strengthMPa96.6 ± 1.3 printed XY, ISO 178 (Polymaker)[1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2518 ± 53 printed XY, ISO 178 (Polymaker)[1]Not documented
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²11.7 ± 1.6 printed XY, ISO 179, notched (Polymaker)[1]Not documented
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]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Moderate[2][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 a flame-retardant filament[15]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[16][1]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Not documented
Z strength as % of XY%35 (Bambu Lab) to 69 (Polymaker), printed[2][1]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C110 (Polymaker) and 113 (Bambu Lab), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[1][2]Not documented
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C107 (Polymaker) and 108 (Bambu Lab), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[1][2]Not documented
Glass transition (Tg)°C115 (Polymaker) and 145 (Bambu Lab), DSC[1][2]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CAmorphous — no melting point; Vicat 114 (Bambu Lab, ISO 306)[2]Not documented
Continuous service temperature°C113 — Prusa publishes this as the temperature resistance of Prusament PC Blend[17]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 flame-retardant grade[15]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][18]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors unless stabilised[10]Not documented
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, solvents and fuels; Polymaker rates it good against weak acids[10]Not documented
Food contactBisphenol-A polycarbonate is not offered as food-contact filament[10]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[10]Not documented
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[10]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[19]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[19]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[19][8]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands and machines well; the toughness means it cuts rather than chips[9]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; dichloromethane solvent-welds PC but is a laboratory reagent[9]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[9]Not documented
Support material pairingPrints its own supports; 3DXTech sells a dedicated PC break-away support[9]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDichloromethane, chloroform, DMF and dioxane dissolve it outright (Covestro, 6 days at 23 °C). Laboratory reagents.[20]Acetone, MEK, ethyl and butyl acetate, THF, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride dissolve it; the last two are laboratory reagents.[21]
Softened or crazed byMethanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[20]Alcohols, aliphatic hydrocarbons, oils and phthalate plasticisers craze it, and the threshold falls as stress rises.[21]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentDichloromethane cement welds PC — 16.5 MPa lap shear at one week (IPS Weld-On 3). A controlled carcinogen.[22]Dichloromethane acrylic cement (IPS Weld-On 3): 2–5 min soak, 17.2 MPa lap shear at one week. Controlled carcinogen.[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. 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. PMMA Filament 1.75mm 1kg — product page Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  8. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  9. Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  10. PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  11. 3DXTech Firewire FR-PC/ABS product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V2.0 — PC Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  13. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. PolyLite PC Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  15. TECANAT natural (PC) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  16. Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
  17. Prusament PC Blend Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  18. Firewire Flame Retardant PC/ABS Technical Data Sheet Rev 3.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  19. 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
  20. Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
  21. Chemical resistance of PMMA products Mitsubishi Chemical (Acrypet) · 2026-08 · tds
  22. Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds