Filament comparison
PEI 1010 vs PLA Stone
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | PEI (ULTEM 1010)HIGHTEMP | Stone-filled PLAPLA |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $281.22/kg median; $195.00–$698.00/kg across 6 dated product listings | $22.99/kg median; $15.99–$49.16/kg across 6 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Polyetherimide, ULTEM 1010 grade — the higher-temperature, food- and medical-contact PEI[1][2] | PLA filled with stone or mineral powder — Formfutura StoneFil declares 40–50 wt% stone powder[3][4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.27 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech and Prusament); 1.29 specific gravity on moulded plaques (ASTM D792, Stratasys)[1][2][5] | 1.22 (Bambu Lab PLA Marble) and 1.50–1.70 (Formfutura StoneFil), ISO 1183[4][3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 195–698; the middle of the market is about 270[6][7][8][9][10] | 1 kg spools cluster near 21[11][12] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 195-698 across brands and grades; 3DXTech ThermaX PEI 1010 195 at 2 kg, IEMAI 3D 223 at 1 kg, 3D4Makers 270 at 2 kg, Prusament 292 at 500 g, Kimya 347 at 500 g, 3DXTech ESD-PEI 1010 698 at 500 g[6][7][8][9][10] | 16–49 across brands; SUNLU 16, ELEGOO 19, Polymaker 21, Bambu Lab 25, Prusament 38, Filament PM MarbleJet 49 on 0.5 kg spools[13][12][11][14][15][16] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[6][7][8][9] | Stocked by most mainstream brands[11][12][13] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 200 g to 2 kg spools, plus Stratasys canisters[6][9][5] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 1 kg spools plus refills[12][3] |
| Typical applications | Autoclavable tooling, food-contact fixtures and parts that must hold load near 200 °C[2] | Architectural models, sculpture and props with a matte mineral surface[4] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 410 ± 10 (Prusament) — the hottest nozzle in the dataset[2] | 190–230 (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Bed temperature°C | 140–160 (Prusament); 130–140 (3DXTech)[2][1] | 35–45 (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Actively heated chamber required — Prusa specifies 90 °C[2] | Open frame is fine[4] |
| Recommended chamber temperature°C | 90 (Prusament)[2] | Not documented |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | Fan on[4] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | PA nylon sheet or powder-coated sheet with high-temperature glue (Prusament)[2] | Not documented |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Severe — heated chamber needed[2] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Expert / industrial hardware only[2][17] | Easy — minor profile tuning; 0.2 mm nozzles are not usable[18] |
| Extruder requirement | A hot end rated to 420 °C, a heated chamber and a high-temperature bed; Prusa dries the filament at 150 °C for 6–8 h before printing[2] | Nozzles below 0.4 mm are not compatible (Bambu Lab)[18] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades, but brass softens near these nozzle temperatures — hardened or plated hot ends are the norm[2] | Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work — Bambu Lab's compatibility table says no hardened nozzle is needed while the note under the same table groups PLA Marble with particle-filled materials that should always use one[18] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive when unfilled[1] | Moderately abrasive — stone fill[18][3] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 150 °C pre-dry before every print[19] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle[18] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — 0.44 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[4] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | 0.4 in 24 h and 0.7 in 7 days at 24 °C and 22 % RH (Prusament)[2] | 0.44 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Drying temperature & time | 150 °C for 6–8 h (Prusament) — the hottest drying schedule in the dataset[2] | Not documented |
| Effect of moisture on strength | No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published; 3DXTech mandates a 150 °C, 4 h pre-dry before every print because trapped water flashes to steam at these nozzle temperatures[19] | Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures for this grade; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[20] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 79-95 printed in plane: Stratasys 79.2 (F900 T14) to 91.6 (F3300 N500) at break in XZ, ASTM D638; Prusament 95 +/- 3.5 at yield printed horizontal, ISO 527-1; 3DXTech quotes 56 (ISO 527)[5][2][1] | 33 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Young's modulusMPa | 2300-3040 printed in plane: Prusament 2300 +/- 100 horizontal (ISO 527-1), Stratasys 2920-3040 in XZ (ASTM D638); 3DXTech quotes 2500[5][2][1] | 2330 ± 240 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Elongation at break% | 4.0-4.1 at break in XZ (ASTM D638, Stratasys); Prusament gives 6.6 +/- 0.7 at yield printed horizontal (ISO 527-1); 3DXTech quotes 3[5][2][1] | 6.7 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 128 at 5 % strain (F900 T14) and 144 at break (F3300) printed XZ, ASTM D790; Prusament 98 +/- 6.5 horizontal and 138 +/- 5.3 vertical (ISO 178); 3DXTech quotes 110[5][2][1] | 75 ± 5 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 2910-3260 printed XZ (ASTM D790, Stratasys); Prusament 2300 horizontal and 2700 vertical (ISO 178); 3DXTech quotes 2510[5][2][1] | 2920 ± 180 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 3.4 ± 0.9 printed horizontal and 3.6 ± 0.4 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament)[2] | 9.5 ± 2.6 printed XY, ISO 179, notched (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Other impact data | Izod notched 26.6-36.3 J/m XZ against 21.7-27.2 J/m ZX; unnotched 260-406 J/m XZ against 68-116 J/m ZX (printed, ASTM D256/D4812, Stratasys). Charpy unnotched 19.7 +/- 4.3 horizontal and 39 +/- 10 vertical (Prusament, ISO 179-1)[5][2] | Charpy unnotched 24.0 printed XY (Bambu Lab, ISO 179)[4] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 28-37 at break (printed ZX, ASTM D638, Stratasys F900 and F3300) against 72 +/- 5 at yield printed vertical (ISO 527-1, Prusament on the Pro HT90 with a 0.6 mm nozzle and 90 °C chamber) — a fourfold spread driven by chamber temperature and bead size[5][2] | 30 ± 4 printed Z, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Brittle — snaps with little warning; notched Charpy only 3.4 kJ/m²[2] | Brittle — snaps with little warning[4] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Shore D 83.5 (Prusa Polymers method); Rockwell M110 / R126 on extruded PEI stock (ASTM D785)[2][21] | Not documented |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Excellent — holds load for years. Printed coupons hold 215 °C heat deflection at 1.8 MPa (ASTM D648) and extruded PEI stock is rated 170 °C long-term service[5][21] | Poor — no stone-filled creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[22][23][24] |
| 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 and the mineral filler leaves a brittle compound[25][4] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[2] | Rigid[4] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | 36-40 (Stratasys ZX against XZ tensile at break, ASTM D638) against 76 (Prusament vertical against horizontal tensile yield, ISO 527-1)[5][2] | 91 by tensile, 73 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 207 (Prusament, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa) to 217 (printed XY 216.9 and XZ 217.1, ASTM D648 Method B at 66 psi, Stratasys); 3DXTech quotes 208[2][5][1] | 56 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[4] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 194 (Prusament, ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa) to 215 (printed XY 215.1 and XZ 214.5, ASTM D648 Method B at 264 psi, Stratasys) — the highest heat deflection in the dataset[2][5] | 53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[4] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 209 (moulded plaque, ASTM D7426 inflection point, Stratasys); 217 (DSC, 3DXTech)[5][1] | 56 (DSC)[4] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | 156 peak melt (DSC); Formfutura gives a 120–170 melting range for StoneFil[4][3] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | 170 long-term service on extruded PEI stock, converted from 338 °F; 200 short term[21] | Not documented |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | 36.1 (printed XY, -50 to 60 °C, ASTM E831), falling to 29.8 over 60-205 °C; ZX gives 32.5 over -50 to 110 °C and 16.2 over 110-165 °C[5] | Not documented |
| Flammability / UL 94 | UL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm, rated on the base resin[1] | Not documented |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Degrades within weeks outdoors[26] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised. None of these polymers was in the chamber study, and all are processed far above the temperatures it covered[27] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[27] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[27] | None needed in a normal room[27] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Not documented | Formfutura's SDS sets an occupational limit of 1 mg/m³ for the stone powder and lists it as both a fibre and a particulate — do not dry-sand without extraction[3] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Sands to a stone-like matte surface[3] |
| Support material pairing | Not documented | Support for PLA (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Not documented | Matte mineral surface hides layer lines; 55° overhangs and 30 mm bridges as for plain PLA[4] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Chlorinated hydrocarbons — dichloromethane and chloroform — are solvents for polyetherimide. Laboratory reagents.[28][29] | Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C) and leaves the filler as loose sludge; laboratory reagent.[30] |
| Softened or crazed by | Acetone, MEK, benzene, toluene and butyl acetate craze or stress-crack it; alcohols, fuels and dilute acids do not.[29][28] | Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[30][31] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Dichloromethane is the only welding route, and it is a controlled carcinogen rather than a workshop material.[28][29] | Chloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[32][31] |
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
- ThermaX PEI 1010 Technical Data Sheet v4 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- Prusament PEI 1010 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-09 · tds
- StoneFil safety data sheet Formfutura · 2026-08 · msds
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PLA Marble Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- ULTEM 1010 Resin — FDM Material Data Sheet Stratasys · 2026-06 · tds
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Kimya PEI-1010 Amber Yellow 1.75 mm 500 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa Prusament PEI 1010 Natural (NFC), 1.75 mm / 500 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3D4Makers product catalogue 3D4Makers · 2026-08 · vendor
- IEMAI 3D PEI 1010 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- PLA Marble — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
- Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
- SUNLU High Speed PLA Marble 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
- Filament PM PLA MarbleJet technical data sheet Filament PM (Plasty Mladec) · 2026-08 · tds
- Prusament PEI 1010 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
- PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- THERMAX PEI 1010 — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- TECAPEI natural (PEI) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — 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
- PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- 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
- Radel PPSU, Veradel PESU, Acudel modified PPSU Design Guide — environmental stress cracking tables Solvay Specialty Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
- Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- 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