3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA Glow vs POM

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

Glow-in-the-dark PLA guidePOM (acetal) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA Glow comparisonsMore POM comparisons
PLA Glow vs POM — documented properties and sources
PropertyGlow-in-the-dark PLAPLAPOM (acetal)ENGINEERING
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$24.99/kg median; $19.99–$49.16/kg across 5 dated product listingsNot documented
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA with a phosphorescent additive at 2–20 wt% (Bambu Lab SDS, filler not named)[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/cm³1.24 (colorFabb) to 1.26 (Bambu Lab), ISO 1183[4][5]1.41 (extruded POM-C stock)[2]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 25[6][7]Not documented
Price range across brandsUSD/kg20–49 across brands; ELEGOO 20, Bambu Lab 25, Polymaker 25, Filament PM 49 on 0.5 kg spools[8][6][7][9]Not documented
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[6][7][8]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][10][11][12]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75 and 1 kg spools[13][5]Not documented
Typical applicationsSignage, novelty and cosplay parts that glow after light exposure[4]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]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C190–230 on the Bambu Lab TDS against 210–240 in its own material table; colorFabb advises 195–220[4][14][5]Not documented
Bed temperature°C35–45 (Bambu Lab); 50–60 (colorFabb)[4][5]Not documented
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[4]Not documented
Part cooling fanFan on; colorFabb allows 0–100 %[4][5]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Easy — minor profile tuning; a hardened nozzle is mandatory[14][7]Not documented
Extruder requirementBambu Lab: hardened steel and high-flow nozzles only, 0.2 mm excluded, AMS lite not compatible[14]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[14][7][5]Not documented
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — the phosphor is a hard ceramic; Bambu Lab groups glow with carbon fibre as the materials that wear nozzles and grind AMS PTFE, and both Bambu Lab and Polymaker require a hardened nozzle[14][5]Not documented
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle[14]Not documented
Hotend requirementHardened steel nozzle; Bambu Lab lists glow-in-the-dark among the filaments its hardened-steel nozzle exists for[15][14]Not documented
Other hardware wearBambu Lab reports the filament adds enough feeding resistance to fail prints on the AMS lite; colorFabb warns of brass nozzle wear[14][5]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 0.46 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[4]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%0.46 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[4]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker 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[16]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa32 ± 3 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb quotes 61.5 by ISO 527 on its own specimens[4][5]66.9 at break and 64.1 at yield (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638; converted from 9700 and 9300 psi)[2]
Young's modulusMPa2030 ± 210 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 2960[4][5]2275 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638; converted from 330,000 psi)[2]
Elongation at break%8.6 ± 1.2 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 10.5 at break[4][5]40 at break and 9 at yield (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638)[2]
Flexural strengthMPa76 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[4]89.6 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D790; converted from 13,000 psi)[2]
Flexural modulusMPa2640 ± 130 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 3295[4][5]2758 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D790; converted from 400,000 psi)[2]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²2.8 (colorFabb, ISO 179-1/1eA) and 8.8 ± 1.7 (Bambu Lab, ISO 179) printed XY, notched[4][5]Not documented
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 27.3 (Bambu Lab) and 30.8 (colorFabb), printed, ISO 179[4][5]Izod 53 J/m on extruded POM-C stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in[2]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa26 ± 3 printed Z, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[4]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning[4]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 / RockwellNot documentedRockwell 86 (and R120) — the source names only the R scale on extruded POM-C stock (ASTM D785)[2]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Poor — no glow-grade creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[17][18][19]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength and the glow filler leaves a brittle, highly abrasive compound[20][4]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[4]Not documented
Z strength as % of XY%81 by tensile, 72 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[4]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°C55 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[4]158 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 316 °F)[2]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C52 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[4]110 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D648 at 264 psi; converted from 230 °F)[2]
Glass transition (Tg)°C55 (DSC)[4]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C155 peak melt (DSC); colorFabb quotes above 155 by ISO 3146-C[4][5]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·KNot documented84.6 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.7e-5 in/in/°F)[2]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedUL 94 HB on extruded POM-C stock[2]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[21]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 service1–5Not documentedGood — minor absorption; 0.80 % water at saturation (ASTM D570, extruded stock)[2]
Electrical & ESD propertiesNot documentedVolume 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 toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[22]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[22]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedEasy to machine — Ensinger lists machinability as a headline property of POM-C stock[2]
Support material pairingSupport for PLA (Bambu Lab)[4]Not documented
Dimensional accuracy & detailGlow brightness rises with wall thickness; 0.2 mm nozzles are not usable[14]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChloroform dissolves the PLA matrix (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C) and leaves the filler as loose sludge; laboratory reagent.[23]Hexafluoroisopropanol dissolves it at room temperature; NMP and DMF only when hot. Laboratory reagents.[24]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[23][25]Acids, oxidants, halogens and hot concentrated zinc chloride attack it; alcohols, ketones and esters do not.[24][26]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[27][25]None — no solvent softens POM below its melting point, which is why it is bolted or heat-welded rather than glued.[24]

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. Safety Data Sheet SDS20251127A12 — Bambu PLA Glow Bambu Lab · 2025-11 · msds
  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. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PLA Glow Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  5. glowFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  6. PLA Glow — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Panchroma Luminous PLA — product page Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Filament PM PLA GlowJet technical data sheet Filament PM (Plasty Mladec) · 2026-08 · tds
  10. 3DJAKE product catalogue 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. igo3d product sitemap (17452 product URLs) igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Nozzles — material and compatibility Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  18. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  19. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  20. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  21. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  22. 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
  23. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  24. Resistance of Ultramid, Ultraform and Ultradur to chemicals (TI-KTU/AS-28 e) BASF · 2000-10 · tds
  25. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  26. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  27. 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