Filament comparison
PEI 1010 vs POM
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | PEI (ULTEM 1010)HIGHTEMP | POM (acetal)ENGINEERING |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $281.22/kg median; $195.00–$698.00/kg across 6 dated product listings | Not documented |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Polyetherimide, ULTEM 1010 grade — the higher-temperature, food- and medical-contact PEI[1][2] | Polyoxymethylene, normally the copolymer POM-C. Apium's filament grade is POM-C with antistatic additives; no unfilled POM filament was found on sale[3][4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.27 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech and Prusament); 1.29 specific gravity on moulded plaques (ASTM D792, Stratasys)[1][2][5] | 1.41 (extruded POM-C stock)[3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 195–698; the middle of the market is about 270[6][7][8][9][10] | Not documented |
| 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] | Not documented |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[6][7][8][9] | 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[4][11][12][13] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 200 g to 2 kg spools, plus Stratasys canisters[6][9][5] | Not documented |
| Typical applications | Autoclavable tooling, food-contact fixtures and parts that must hold load near 200 °C[2] | Gears, bushings, bearings, conveyor and food-machinery parts; Apium markets its POM-C ESD grade for semiconductor insulators, aerospace fasteners and sliding parts[3][4] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 410 ± 10 (Prusament) — the hottest nozzle in the dataset[2] | Not documented |
| Bed temperature°C | 140–160 (Prusament); 130–140 (3DXTech)[2][1] | Not documented |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Actively heated chamber required — Prusa specifies 90 °C[2] | Not documented |
| Recommended chamber temperature°C | 90 (Prusament)[2] | Not documented |
| 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][14] | Not documented |
| 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] | 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[4] |
| 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] | Not documented |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive when unfilled[1] | Not documented |
| 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[15] | Not documented |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Not documented | Low (0.1-0.3 %) — extruded POM-C stock takes up 0.18 % in 24 h and 0.80 % at saturation (ASTM D570)[3] |
| 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] | Not documented |
| 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[15] | Not documented |
| 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] | 66.9 at break and 64.1 at yield (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638; converted from 9700 and 9300 psi)[3] |
| 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] | 2275 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638; converted from 330,000 psi)[3] |
| 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] | 40 at break and 9 at yield (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638)[3] |
| 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] | 89.6 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D790; converted from 13,000 psi)[3] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 2910-3260 printed XZ (ASTM D790, Stratasys); Prusament 2300 horizontal and 2700 vertical (ISO 178); 3DXTech quotes 2510[5][2][1] | 2758 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D790; converted from 400,000 psi)[3] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 3.4 ± 0.9 printed horizontal and 3.6 ± 0.4 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament)[2] | Not documented |
| 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] | Izod 53 J/m on extruded POM-C stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in[3] |
| 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] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Brittle — snaps with little warning; notched Charpy only 3.4 kJ/m²[2] | Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking; extruded stock elongates 40 % before failing. No printed figure is published[3] |
| 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][16] | Rockwell 86 (and R120) — the source names only the R scale on extruded POM-C stock (ASTM D785)[3] |
| 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][16] | Not documented |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[2] | Not documented |
| 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] | Not documented |
| Wear resistance & friction | Not documented | Wear 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[3][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] | 158 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 316 °F)[3] |
| 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] | 110 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D648 at 264 psi; converted from 230 °F)[3] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 209 (moulded plaque, ASTM D7426 inflection point, Stratasys); 217 (DSC, 3DXTech)[5][1] | Not documented |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | 165 melting (extruded POM-C stock; converted from 329 °F)[3] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | 170 long-term service on extruded PEI stock, converted from 338 °F; 200 short term[16] | 91 long term and 141 intermittent (extruded POM-C stock; converted from 195 °F and 285 °F)[3] |
| 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] | 84.6 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.7e-5 in/in/°F)[3] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | UL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm, rated on the base resin[1] | UL 94 HB on extruded POM-C stock[3] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Good chemical resistance, particularly to bases; Apium lists resistance to bases as a headline property[3][4] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Not documented | Good — minor absorption; 0.80 % water at saturation (ASTM D570, extruded stock)[3] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Not documented | 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[3][4] |
| 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[17] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[17] | Not documented |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Easy to machine — Ensinger lists machinability as a headline property of POM-C stock[3] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Chlorinated hydrocarbons — dichloromethane and chloroform — are solvents for polyetherimide. Laboratory reagents.[18][19] | Hexafluoroisopropanol dissolves it at room temperature; NMP and DMF only when hot. Laboratory reagents.[20] |
| Softened or crazed by | Acetone, MEK, benzene, toluene and butyl acetate craze or stress-crack it; alcohols, fuels and dilute acids do not.[19][18] | Acids, oxidants, halogens and hot concentrated zinc chloride attack it; alcohols, ketones and esters do not.[20][19] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Dichloromethane is the only welding route, and it is a controlled carcinogen rather than a workshop material.[18][19] | 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
- ThermaX PEI 1010 Technical Data Sheet v4 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- Prusament PEI 1010 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-09 · tds
- TECAFORM AH natural (POM-C) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- POM-C ESD 3D printing — material page Apium 3D Technologies · 2026-08 · doc
- 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
- 3DJAKE product catalogue 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
- igo3d product sitemap (17452 product URLs) igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
- Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusament PEI 1010 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
- THERMAX PEI 1010 — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
- TECAPEI natural (PEI) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · 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
- 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
- Resistance of Ultramid, Ultraform and Ultradur to chemicals (TI-KTU/AS-28 e) BASF · 2000-10 · tds