3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PC-GF vs PMMA
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Glass-fibre PC (PC-GF)PC | PMMA (acrylic)ENGINEERING |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $71.27/kg median; $71.27–$71.27/kg across 1 dated product listings | $49.99/kg median; $49.99–$49.99/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Polycarbonate reinforced with 30 wt% short glass fibre[1] | Poly(methyl methacrylate) — acrylic, sold for 3D printing as a transparent glass substitute[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.17 (measured on a 100 % infill printed part, ISO 1183-A)[1] | Not documented |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg spools cluster near 71[3] | 1 kg spools cluster near 50[4] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 71 — BASF Ultrafuse PC GF30 at igo3d is the only priced listing found; Owens Corning sells XSTRAND GF30-PC in 500 g and 1 kg[3][1] | 50 at Push Plastic's 1 kg listing; 3 kg spools run the same per kilogram[4] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands — neither Polymaker's nor 3DXTech's polycarbonate range contains a glass-fibre grade, but BASF Forward AM and Owens Corning both sell one through European retail[3][1][5][6] | Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[4] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm at +/- 0.05 mm; 500 g and 1 kg net spools[1] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[4] |
| Typical applications | Functional prototyping for mechanical engineering, electronics and automotive[1] | Transparent covers and light guides where PC's yellowing or cost rules it out[2] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | +/- 0.05 (Owens Corning XSTRAND)[1] | Not documented |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 280-330 (Owens Corning XSTRAND GF30-PC)[1] | Not documented |
| Bed temperature°C | 80-110 (Owens Corning XSTRAND GF30-PC)[1] | Not documented |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure required (passive) — as for unfilled PC[7][8] | Not documented |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Perforated plate, DimaFix or Magigoo PC glue (Owens Corning)[1] | Not documented |
| Extruder requirement | Owens Corning specifies a nozzle above 0.4 mm and hardened steel nozzles and drive wheels[1] | Not documented |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Hardened steel required — Owens Corning states glass reinforcement shortens brass nozzle and drive-wheel life[1] | Not documented |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Highly abrasive — 30 wt% glass fibre[1] | Not documented |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; PC already absorbs water from the air and Prusa lists glass-filled composites as a higher clogging risk[9][10] | Not documented |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Owens Corning measures below 0.1 % at 23 °C and 50 % RH (ISO 62)[1] | Not documented |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Below 0.1 at 23 °C and 50 % RH, and below 0.1 at saturation (ISO 62)[1] | Not documented |
| Effect of moisture on strength | No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published. Polymaker calls PC highly hygroscopic; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[11][12] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 65 at break (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[1] | Not documented |
| Young's modulusMPa | 5400 (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[1] | Not documented |
| Elongation at break% | 2.5 at break (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[1] | Not documented |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 113 at yield (printed, ISO 178 at 2 mm/min)[1] | Not documented |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 5500 (printed, ISO 178 at 2 mm/min)[1] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Brittle — snaps with little warning; 2.5 % elongation at break[1] | Not documented |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Rockwell 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 glass-fibre grade[13] | Not documented |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Excellent — holds load for years. Room-temperature tensile creep of moulded unfilled PC ran unbroken at 41 MPa until the test was stopped, and 30 wt% glass raises the tensile modulus from about 2.3 to 5.4 GPa[14][1] | Not documented |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Not documented |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 137 (printed, ISO 75 Method A at 1.8 MPa)[1] | Not documented |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 145 (DSC, ISO 11357)[1] | Not documented |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 270 stated as melting point (ISO 11357) — unusual for an amorphous polymer, but this is the published figure[1] | Not documented |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | 26.2 in XY and 77.4 in Z (printed, ISO 11359-2) — a threefold anisotropy, and the lowest in-plane expansion of any polycarbonate here[1] | Not documented |
| Flammability / UL 94 | UL 94 V-0 verified (Owens Corning)[1] | Not documented |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Good — years with some colour shift. Owens Corning lists UV resistance as a product benefit but publishes no exposure data[1] | Not documented |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Excellent — essentially unaffected; below 0.1 % water at saturation (ISO 62)[1] | Not documented |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Electrically insulating (Owens Corning)[1] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[15] | 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[15] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[15][8] | Not documented |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Owens Corning warns that the glass reinforcement is abrasive when melted and advises sufficient ventilation and avoiding extrusion fumes[1] | Not documented |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | High dimensional stability is the headline benefit; the 26.2 um/m*K in-plane CTE is a third of unfilled PC's[1] | Not documented |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Dichloromethane and chloroform dissolve the matrix and leave the fibre; DMF and dioxane do the same (Covestro).[16] | Acetone, MEK, ethyl and butyl acetate, THF, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride dissolve it; the last two are laboratory reagents.[17] |
| Softened or crazed by | Methanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[16] | Alcohols, aliphatic hydrocarbons, oils and phthalate plasticisers craze it, and the threshold falls as stress rises.[17] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Dichloromethane cement welds the resin, but the fibre keeps the joint from flowing closed. Controlled carcinogen.[18] | Dichloromethane acrylic cement (IPS Weld-On 3): 2–5 min soak, 17.2 MPa lap shear at one week. Controlled carcinogen.[18] |
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
- XSTRAND GF30-PC Data Sheet Owens Corning · 2019-04 · tds
- PMMA Filament 1.75mm 1kg — product page Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
- BASF Ultrafuse PC GF30 Black 2.85 mm 1.000 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
- Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- PolyLite PC Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- TECANAT natural (PC) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
- 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
- Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
- Chemical resistance of PMMA products Mitsubishi Chemical (Acrypet) · 2026-08 · tds
- Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds