3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PC-GF vs TPE SEBS

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

Glass-fibre PC (PC-GF) guideTPE (SEBS) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PC-GF comparisonsMore TPE SEBS comparisons
PC-GF vs TPE SEBS — documented properties and sources
PropertyGlass-fibre PC (PC-GF)PCTPE (SEBS)FLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$71.27/kg median; $71.27–$71.27/kg across 1 dated product listings$98.25/kg median; $76.50–$120.00/kg across 2 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolycarbonate reinforced with 30 wt% short glass fibre[1]Styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene thermoplastic elastomer — a styrenic rubber, not a polyurethane[2]
Densityg/cm³1.17 (measured on a 100 % infill printed part, ISO 1183-A)[1]1.044 printed part density (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 1183-1) — the lightest elastomer here[2]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 71[3]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 77[4]
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[3][1]77 for the Recreus 600 g spool; Proto-pasta only lists a 50 g coil, which prices at 120[4][5]
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[3][1][6][7]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[2][5][4]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm at +/- 0.05 mm; 500 g and 1 kg net spools[1]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.05 and 0.6 kg spools[2][4]
Typical applicationsFunctional prototyping for mechanical engineering, electronics and automotive[1]Soft-touch overmoulds and skin-contact parts where a non-polyurethane elastomer is wanted[2]
Diameter tolerance± mm+/- 0.05 (Owens Corning XSTRAND)[1]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C280-330 (Owens Corning XSTRAND GF30-PC)[1]260–280 (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A) — far hotter than any TPU here[2]
Bed temperature°C80-110 (Owens Corning XSTRAND GF30-PC)[1]70–90 (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A)[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive) — as for unfilled PC[8][9]Open frame is fine[2]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPerforated plate, DimaFix or Magigoo PC glue (Owens Corning)[1]PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[10][11]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented0.8–2.4 at the 10–30 mm/s BASF specifies on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer — the slowest material in this group[2]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Not documentedAdvanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[2]
Extruder requirementOwens Corning specifies a nozzle above 0.4 mm and hardened steel nozzles and drive wheels[1]Nozzle 0.4 mm or larger; BASF caps print speed at 10–30 mm/s[2]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required — Owens Corning states glass reinforcement shortens brass nozzle and drive-wheel life[1]Brass fine indefinitely[12]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — 30 wt% glass fibre[1]Non-abrasive[12]
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[13][14]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; BASF caps print speed at 10–30 mm/s and Simplify3D warns that raised feed rates on flexibles most likely end in a jam[10][2]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[10]
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]Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — BASF states drying is not necessary, unique among the elastomers here[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
Drying temperature & timeNot documentedNone — BASF states Ultrafuse TPS 90A arrives in a printable condition and drying is not necessary[2]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[15]
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[16][15]Not applicable — the SEBS chemistry has no amide or ester linkages to take up water, and BASF specifies no drying at all[2]
Storage requirementNot documentedSealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[15]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa65 at break (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[1]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa5400 (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 strengthMPa113 at yield (printed, ISO 178 at 2 mm/min)[1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa5500 (printed, ISO 178 at 2 mm/min)[1]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning; 2.5 % elongation at break[1]Very ductile — bends far before failing[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[17]89 Shore A and 29 Shore D (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 7619-1)[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[18][1]Poor — no SEBS creep test; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[19]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Not documentedExcellent — living hinges viable[11]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rubbery / highly elastic[2]
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedAbrasion 111 mm³ (ISO 4649) — the poorest abrasion resistance in this group, well behind TPU[2]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C137 (printed, ISO 75 Method A at 1.8 MPa)[1]Not documented
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]242–249 melting (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 11357-3)[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]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94UL 94 V-0 verified (Owens Corning)[1]Not documented
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]Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[11]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedWithstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[11]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Excellent — essentially unaffected; below 0.1 % water at saturation (ISO 62)[1]Excellent — essentially unaffected[2]
Food contactNot documentedNot food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[11]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedNot biodegradable[11]
RecyclabilityNot documentedNot accepted in household plastic collection[11]
Electrical & ESD propertiesElectrically insulating (Owens Corning)[1]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[20]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[20]
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[20]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[20][9]Open a window / occasional ventilation[20]
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 documentedDifficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[11]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[11]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing[11]
Support material pairingNot documentedPolymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[11]
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).[21]Toluene dissolves SEBS at room temperature — Kraton quotes solution viscosity at 25 % mass in toluene, 25 °C.[22]
Softened or crazed byMethanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[21]Soaking in hydrocarbon solvents and oils deteriorates it; short exposures are tolerated. Resists water, acids and bases.[22]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentDichloromethane cement welds the resin, but the fibre keeps the joint from flowing closed. Controlled carcinogen.[23]Toluene will weld it, though the joint stays soft; no workshop-safe agent, and vapour smoothing is not practical.[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. XSTRAND GF30-PC Data Sheet Owens Corning · 2019-04 · tds
  2. Ultrafuse TPS 90A Technical Data Sheet (Version 1.1, SEBS) BASF Forward AM · 2020-12 · tds
  3. BASF Ultrafuse PC GF30 Black 2.85 mm 1.000 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. PolyLite PC Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  9. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  10. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  11. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  13. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. TECANAT natural (PC) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  18. Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
  19. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  20. 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
  21. Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
  22. KRATON polymers Grade Range — chemical resistance and toluene solution data Kraton Corporation · 2025-07 · tds
  23. Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds