3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA Glow vs PP-CF

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

Glow-in-the-dark PLA guideCarbon-fibre PP (PP-CF) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA Glow comparisonsMore PP-CF comparisons
PLA Glow vs PP-CF — documented properties and sources
PropertyGlow-in-the-dark PLAPLACarbon-fibre PP (PP-CF)POLYOLEFIN
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$24.99/kg median; $19.99–$49.16/kg across 5 dated product listings$107.68/kg median; $57.13–$120.00/kg across 3 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA with a phosphorescent additive at 2–20 wt% (Bambu Lab SDS, filler not named)[1]Polypropylene reinforced with chopped carbon fibre[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.24 (colorFabb) to 1.26 (Bambu Lab), ISO 1183[4][5]0.91 (Prusament PP Carbon Fiber, ISO 1183)[2]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 25[6][7]1 kg-equivalent spools span 57–138; the middle of the market is about 108[8][9][10]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg20–49 across brands; ELEGOO 20, Bambu Lab 25, Polymaker 25, Filament PM 49 on 0.5 kg spools[11][6][7][12]57–138 across brands; Reli3D 57 at 700 g on Amazon, Prusament 108 direct from Prusa and 138 at Printed Solid, 3DXTech CarbonX PP+CF 120[8][13][9][10]
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[6][7][11]Available from several mainstream brands[9][13]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75 and 1 kg spools[14][5]1.75 mm; 0.65 kg spools[13][9]
Typical applicationsSignage, novelty and cosplay parts that glow after light exposure[4]Lightweight chemical-resistant parts, automotive clips and ducting that must survive above 150 °C[15]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.04 (Prusament)[2]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C190–230 on the Bambu Lab TDS against 210–240 in its own material table; colorFabb advises 195–220[4][16][5]270 ± 10 (Prusament)[2]
Bed temperature°C35–45 (Bambu Lab); 50–60 (colorFabb)[4][5]85 ± 10 (Prusament)[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[4]Enclosure recommended — Simplify3D lists an enclosure as a hardware requirement and Polymaker advises one below 70 °C ambient to stop warping and cracking[17][18]
Part cooling fanFan on; colorFabb allows 0–100 %[4][5]Off — Prusa runs 0 % except 100 % on bridges[2]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented3.2 at Prusa's 40 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[2][19]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedHigh — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; Prusa recommends a brim[2]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedVery difficult — special plates or slurry required[2]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Easy — minor profile tuning; a hardened nozzle is mandatory[16][7]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; hardened nozzle mandatory[2]
Extruder requirementBambu Lab: hardened steel and high-flow nozzles only, 0.2 mm excluded, AMS lite not compatible[16]Prusa states a hardened nozzle is necessary and recommends a brim[2]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required[16][7][5]Hardened steel required — Prusa states plainly that a hardened nozzle is necessary[2]
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[16][5]Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[2]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle[16]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech specifies a hardened 0.4 mm minimum nozzle and 0.25 mm layers or higher, and Prusa lists composites as a higher clogging risk[3][20]
Hotend requirementHardened steel nozzle; Bambu Lab lists glow-in-the-dark among the filaments its hardened-steel nozzle exists for[21][16]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[16][5]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 0.46 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[4]Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Prusa measures 0.03 % in 24 h and 0.04 % in 7 days on its PP composite, the lowest figures it publishes for any filament[2]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.46 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[4]0.03 after 24 h and 0.04 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers)[2]
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[22]Not applicable in practice at 0.04 % equilibrium uptake[2]
Storage requirementNot documentedNo special storage needed[2]
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]21 ± 0.4 filament tensile yield (Prusament, ISO 527)[2]
Young's modulusMPa2030 ± 210 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 2960[4][5]Not documented
Elongation at break%8.6 ± 1.2 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 10.5 at break[4][5]Not documented
Flexural strengthMPa76 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[4]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2640 ± 130 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 3295[4][5]Not documented
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²2.8 (colorFabb, ISO 179-1/1eA) and 8.8 ± 1.7 (Bambu Lab, ISO 179) printed XY, notched[4][5]14.5 ± 0.3 printed horizontal and 10.5 ± 0.8 printed vertical XZ (ISO 179-1, notched)[2]
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 27.3 (Bambu Lab) and 30.8 (colorFabb), printed, ISO 179[4][5]Not documented
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[2]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documentedRockwell R102 (and M95) on extruded unfilled PP stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a carbon-fibre PP filament[23]
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[24][25][26]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[27][4]Good[28]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[4]Slightly flexible in thin sections[2]
Z strength as % of XY%81 by tensile, 72 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[4]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C55 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[4]158 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) — far above unfilled PP and above most engineering filaments[2]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C52 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[4]115 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[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]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[29]Not documented
Chemical resistanceNot documentedExcellent against acids, alkalis and most solvents[18]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedExcellent — essentially unaffected[2]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[30]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission. Inferred: no polyolefin was among the nine filaments in the Azimi chamber study, so this is a family-level judgement rather than a measurement[30]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[30]Open a window / occasional ventilation. Inferred — no polyolefin was measured in the chamber study[30]
Dust & fibre handling hazardNot documentedCarbon fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[2]
Post-Processing
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[16]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.[31]None at room temperature; chloroform dissolves the matrix at 60 °C and xylene at about 118 °C, leaving the fibre.[32][33]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[31][34]Xylene, decalin, CCl4 and chlorobenzene are heavily absorbed at 20 °C; oleum, chlorosulphonic acid and bromine destroy it.[32]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[35][34]None — nothing softens PP at room temperature, so joints have to be welded thermally rather than chemically.[32]

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. Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
  3. CarbonX PP+CF — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  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. Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Black 650g — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Reli3D Carbon Fiber PP Filament 1.75 mm 700 g Black — Amazon listing Amazon.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Filament PM PLA GlowJet technical data sheet Filament PM (Plasty Mladec) · 2026-08 · tds
  13. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. Prusament PP Carbon Fiber — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  16. PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Polypropylene — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  18. PP — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  20. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  21. Nozzles — material and compatibility Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  22. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  23. TECAFINE PP natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  24. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  25. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  26. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  27. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  28. Centaur PP Technical Data Sheet Formfutura · 2026-08 · tds
  29. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  30. 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
  31. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  32. Pro-fax and Moplen polypropylene — Chemical Resistance Guide (20, 60 and 100 °C) LyondellBasell · 2026-08 · tds
  33. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
  34. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  35. 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