3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PEBA vs rPLA
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | PEBA (polyether block amide)FLEX | Recycled PLA (rPLA)PLA |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $60.99/kg median; $60.99–$60.99/kg across 1 dated product listings | $20.79/kg median; $16.05–$40.64/kg across 8 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Polyether block amide: rigid polyamide and flexible polyether blocks.[1] | PLA regranulated from post-industrial PLA manufacturing waste; post-consumer feedstock is rare[2][3][4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.01 g/cm³ (GB/T 1033; eSUN manufacturer data)[1] | 1.24 (ISO 1183)[2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | Not documented | 1 kg spools run 20–22[5][6][7] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | Not documented | 16–41 across brands; Fiberlogy refill 16, Filamentive 750 g 41[8][9] |
| Market availability1–5 | Not documented | Available from several mainstream brands[3][4][7] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 mm diameter, 1 kg spool.[10] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75, 0.85 and 1 kg spools plus spool-less refills[11][8][3] |
| Typical applications | Manufacturer applications include footwear, sports equipment and cushioning.[1] | General-purpose printing where the feedstock's recycled content matters more than an exact colour match[3][4] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | Not documented | ±0.03 guaranteed by Prusa Research today; the 2021 datasheet specified ±0.05, against ±0.02 for virgin Prusament PLA[3][2][12] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 230–260 °C; 240 °C recommended.[1] | 210 ± 10 (Prusament); 200 ± 15 (Filamentive)[2][4] |
| Bed temperature°C | 60–90 °C[1] | 40–60 (Prusament); up to 60 (Filamentive)[2][4] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Not documented | Open frame is fine[2][13] |
| Part cooling fan | 10–50% fan recommended; mechanical-test specimens used 50–100%.[1] | 100 %[2] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | PEI build plate[1] | Not documented |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | 9 mm³/s maximum in eSUN spiral-vase test; mechanical specimens used 2 mm³/s. Linear recommendation 25–110 mm/s is a separate quantity.[1] | Not documented |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Not documented | None — brim not generally needed[2] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Sticks to anything[14] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box[2][13] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Not documented | Brass fine indefinitely[13] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Not documented | Non-abrasive[15][13] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Not documented | Very low[13] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[16] |
| Hotend requirement | Not documented | No special hot-end required[14] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — 0.3 % after both 24 h and 7 days at 28 °C / 37 % RH (Prusa Polymers method), against 0.19 % in 7 days for virgin Prusament PLA[2][12] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | 0.3 after 24 h and 7 days at 28 °C / 37 % RH (Prusa Polymers method)[2] |
| Drying temperature & time | 70–75 °C for 6–8 h; re-dry after receiving or extended exposure.[1] | Not documented |
| Symptoms when wet | Not documented | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[17] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not documented | Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[17] |
| Storage requirement | Not documented | Sealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[18][14] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | >16.5 MPa printed XY, GB/T 1040; manufacturer lower bound, not an exact measurement.[1] | 49 printed horizontal and 55 printed vertical XZ (ISO 527-1, yield); virgin Prusament PLA gives 51 and 59 by the same method[2][12] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 2100 printed horizontal, 2300 printed vertical XZ (ISO 527-1); virgin Prusament PLA 2300 and 2400[2][12] |
| Elongation at break% | >520% printed XY, GB/T 1040; manufacturer lower bound.[1] | 3.1 at yield printed horizontal (ISO 527-1); virgin Prusament PLA 2.9[2][12] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 82 printed horizontal, 87 printed vertical XZ (ISO 178); virgin Prusament PLA 83 and 99[2][12] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 3100 printed horizontal (ISO 178) — the same as virgin Prusament PLA[2][12] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Charpy unnotched 14.0 printed horizontal (ISO 179-1); virgin Prusament PLA 13[2][12] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 7.5 MPa printed Z, GB/T 1040 (manufacturer test)[1] | 21 ± 2 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test); virgin Prusament PLA 17 ± 3 by the same test[2][12] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Not documented | Brittle — snaps with little warning[16][15] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | 90 Shore A nominal grade designation; do not compare numerically with Shore D or Rockwell.[10] | 80 Shore D (Prusa Polymers in-house method); virgin Prusament PLA 81[2][12] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Poor — no recycled-PLA creep data published; virgin PLA sagged from 12 to 18.7–20.3 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[19][20] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength (R = 0.2)[21][16] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Rigid[15] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 55 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) — the same as virgin Prusament PLA[2][12] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa); virgin Prusament PLA 55[2][12] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 110 °C Vicat softening (GB/T 1633, 120 °C/h, 10 N); not HDT or a continuous-use rating.[1] | Not documented |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | 55 (Filamentive states heat resistance up to 55 °C)[4] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | Not documented | 96–99 for plain printed PLA (fibre Bragg grating, 25–50 °C); no grade-specific measurement published[22] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[18][23] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Degrades within weeks outdoors[16][24] |
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Good against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis; dissolved by chloroform, THF and hot benzene[23][16] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Not documented | Good — insoluble in water[18] |
| Food contact | Not documented | Filamentive certifies its rPLA to EN 71-3 and lists it food safe; printed layer grooves still harbour bacteria[4][16] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | Industrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[4] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | The feedstock itself; Filamentive uses 50 % post-industrial content and runs a PLA take-back scheme[4][9] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Not documented | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[25] |
| Hazardous species emitted | Not documented | Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment uses organic waste pigments such as red algae, which give a noticeable scent while printing[3] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Not documented | None needed in a normal room[25] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Wet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[24][16] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Superglue for most joints; acetone works on some grades depending on additives and colour[3] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | No practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[16] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Not documented | Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[26] |
| Softened or crazed by | Not documented | Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[26][27] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Not documented | Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[28][27] |
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
- eSUN PEBA-90A Technical Data Sheet v1.0 (Aug 2025), checked 2026-10-17 eSUN · 2025-08 · tds
- Prusament PLA Recycled Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2021-12 · tds
- Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
- Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3D-Fuel ReFuel Recycled PLA 1kg 3D-Fuel · 2026-08 · vendor
- Proto-pasta Black Recycled PLA 1kg Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- Formfutura ReForm rPLA (White) 1kg Filament2Print · 2026-08 · vendor
- Fiberlogy rPLA Refill Anthracite 850 g 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
- Filamentive PLA (rPLA) 750 g CREATE Education · 2026-08 · vendor
- eSUN PEBA-90A official product page: 1 kg price and product identity eSUN · 2026-10-17 · vendor
- Kimya PLA-R 750 g Crea3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusament PLA Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
- Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
- PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
- Characterization of Thermal Expansion Coefficient of 3D Printing Polymeric Materials Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors Materials 17(18):4668 · 2024-09 · paper
- PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
- 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
- Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
- 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