3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PC-GF vs POM

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

Glass-fibre PC (PC-GF) guidePOM (acetal) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PC-GF comparisonsMore POM comparisons
PC-GF vs POM — documented properties and sources
PropertyGlass-fibre PC (PC-GF)PCPOM (acetal)ENGINEERING
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$71.27/kg median; $71.27–$71.27/kg across 1 dated product listingsNot documented
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolycarbonate reinforced with 30 wt% short glass fibre[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/cm³1.17 (measured on a 100 % infill printed part, ISO 1183-A)[1]1.41 (extruded POM-C stock)[2]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 71[4]Not documented
Price range across brandsUSD/kg71 — BASF Ultrafuse PC GF30 at igo3d is the only priced listing found; Owens Corning sells XSTRAND GF30-PC in 500 g and 1 kg[4][1]Not documented
Market availability1–5Niche, 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[4][1][5][6]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][7][8][9]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm at +/- 0.05 mm; 500 g and 1 kg net spools[1]Not documented
Typical applicationsFunctional prototyping for mechanical engineering, electronics and automotive[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]
Diameter tolerance± mm+/- 0.05 (Owens Corning XSTRAND)[1]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C280-330 (Owens Corning XSTRAND GF30-PC)[1]Not documented
Bed temperature°C80-110 (Owens Corning XSTRAND GF30-PC)[1]Not documented
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive) — as for unfilled PC[10][11]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidPerforated plate, DimaFix or Magigoo PC glue (Owens Corning)[1]Not documented
Extruder requirementOwens Corning specifies a nozzle above 0.4 mm and hardened steel nozzles and drive wheels[1]Apium 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 — Owens Corning states glass reinforcement shortens brass nozzle and drive-wheel life[1]Not documented
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — 30 wt% glass fibre[1]Not documented
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — 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[12][13]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Owens Corning measures below 0.1 % at 23 °C and 50 % RH (ISO 62)[1]Low (0.1-0.3 %) — extruded POM-C stock takes up 0.18 % in 24 h and 0.80 % at saturation (ASTM D570)[2]
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 strengthNo dry-versus-conditioned figures are published. Polymaker calls PC highly hygroscopic; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[14][15]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa65 at break (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[1]66.9 at break and 64.1 at yield (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638; converted from 9700 and 9300 psi)[2]
Young's modulusMPa5400 (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[1]2275 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638; converted from 330,000 psi)[2]
Elongation at break%2.5 at break (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[1]40 at break and 9 at yield (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638)[2]
Flexural strengthMPa113 at yield (printed, ISO 178 at 2 mm/min)[1]89.6 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D790; converted from 13,000 psi)[2]
Flexural modulusMPa5500 (printed, ISO 178 at 2 mm/min)[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]
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning; 2.5 % elongation at break[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 a glass-fibre grade[16]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. 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[17][1]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]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°CNot documented158 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 316 °F)[2]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C137 (printed, ISO 75 Method A at 1.8 MPa)[1]110 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D648 at 264 psi; converted from 230 °F)[2]
Glass transition (Tg)°C145 (DSC, ISO 11357)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C270 stated as melting point (ISO 11357) — unusual for an amorphous polymer, but this is the published figure[1]165 melting (extruded POM-C stock; converted from 329 °F)[2]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented91 long term and 141 intermittent (extruded POM-C stock; converted from 195 °F and 285 °F)[2]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K26.2 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]84.6 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.7e-5 in/in/°F)[2]
Flammability / UL 94UL 94 V-0 verified (Owens Corning)[1]UL 94 HB on extruded POM-C stock[2]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Good — years with some colour shift. Owens Corning lists UV resistance as a product benefit but publishes no exposure data[1]Not documented
Chemical resistanceNot documentedGood chemical resistance, particularly to bases; Apium lists resistance to bases as a headline property[2][3]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Excellent — essentially unaffected; below 0.1 % water at saturation (ISO 62)[1]Good — minor absorption; 0.80 % water at saturation (ASTM D570, extruded stock)[2]
Electrical & ESD propertiesElectrically insulating (Owens Corning)[1]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[18]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[18]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[18][11]Not documented
Dust & fibre handling hazardOwens Corning warns that the glass reinforcement is abrasive when melted and advises sufficient ventilation and avoiding extrusion fumes[1]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedEasy to machine — Ensinger lists machinability as a headline property of POM-C stock[2]
Dimensional accuracy & detailHigh 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 inDichloromethane and chloroform dissolve the matrix and leave the fibre; DMF and dioxane do the same (Covestro).[19]Hexafluoroisopropanol dissolves it at room temperature; NMP and DMF only when hot. Laboratory reagents.[20]
Softened or crazed byMethanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[19]Acids, oxidants, halogens and hot concentrated zinc chloride attack it; alcohols, ketones and esters do not.[20][21]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentDichloromethane cement welds the resin, but the fibre keeps the joint from flowing closed. Controlled carcinogen.[22]None — no solvent softens POM below its melting point, which is why it is bolted or heat-welded rather than glued.[20]

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. XSTRAND GF30-PC Data Sheet Owens Corning · 2019-04 · 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. BASF Ultrafuse PC GF30 Black 2.85 mm 1.000 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. 3DJAKE product catalogue 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. igo3d product sitemap (17452 product URLs) igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. PolyLite PC Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  11. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  14. PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. TECANAT natural (PC) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  17. Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
  18. 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
  19. Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
  20. Resistance of Ultramid, Ultraform and Ultradur to chemicals (TI-KTU/AS-28 e) BASF · 2000-10 · tds
  21. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  22. Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds