3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA-PHA vs PPS

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

PLA/PHA blend guidePPS guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA-PHA comparisonsMore PPS comparisons
PLA-PHA vs PPS — documented properties and sources
PropertyPLA/PHA blendPLAPPSHIGHTEMP
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$76.40/kg median; $76.40–$76.40/kg across 1 dated product listings$116.97/kg median; $84.00–$200.00/kg across 3 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA blended with polyhydroxyalkanoate, a bacterially fermented bio-polyester[1]Polyphenylene sulfide — a semi-crystalline high-temperature polymer[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.2 (ISO 1183)[1]1.28 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech) and 1.33 (ISO 1183, Spectrum PPS AM230)[2][4]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documented1 kg-equivalent spools span 84–200; the middle of the market is about 117[5][6][7]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented84-200 across brands and diameters; IEMAI 3D 84 at 1 kg, Spectrum PPS AM230 117 at 750 g, 3DXTech ThermaX PPS 140 at 2.85 mm and 200 at 1.75 mm[5][6][7]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1][8]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5][6]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g and 2200 g spools[1]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 500 g and 750 g spools[5][6]
Typical applicationsGeneral-purpose printing where PLA's brittleness is the limiting factor[1]Chemical-plant and under-bonnet parts needing solvent resistance above 200 °C[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C195–220 (colorFabb)[1]335-345 (3DXTech printed-specimen conditions); 300-330 (Spectrum)[2][4]
Bed temperature°C50–60 (colorFabb)[1]110-130 (3DXTech); 100-120 (Spectrum)[2][4]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1]Actively heated chamber required[9][10]
Recommended chamber temperature°CNot documented60-80 actively heated (Spectrum PPS AM230)[4]
Part cooling fan0–100 %; colorFabb states the blend runs on both heated and unheated beds[1][11]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidNot documentedAdhesive required — Spectrum specifies Magigoo Pro HT[4]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s3.2–8 at colorFabb's 40–100 mm/s, on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[11][12]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box[1]Expert / industrial hardware only[9][10]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[1]Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades, but brass softens near these nozzle temperatures — hardened or plated hot ends are the norm[9]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[1]Non-abrasive when unfilled[2]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very low — unfilled PLA blend; Prusa lists no drybox and no hardened nozzle for PLA[13]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 110 °C pre-dry before every print[14]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — the PLA matrix takes up 0.40–0.51 % saturated; colorFabb publishes no figure for the blend[15][16]Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Polymaker states minimal water absorption at 0.05 %[3]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.01 in 24 h on extruded stock (ASTM D570) — effectively non-absorbing[17]
Drying temperature & timeNot documentedAt least 3 h at 90 °C in hot dry air if the filament has taken up moisture (Spectrum)[4]
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[18]Little to measure — equilibrium uptake is 0.05 %; 3DXTech still specifies a 110 °C, 4 h pre-dry before printing[3][14]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa62–64 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[1]50 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 65 at break injection-moulded (ISO 527, Spectrum); 94 at yield on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[2][4][17]
Young's modulusMPa2960–3070 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb)[1]2650 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 3650 injection-moulded (ISO 527, Spectrum); 5769 on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[2][4][17]
Elongation at break%4 and 11 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[1]18 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech) against 2.0 injection-moulded (Spectrum) and 2.5 on extruded stock — the suppliers disagree by nearly an order of magnitude[2][4][17]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented52 (printed XY, ISO 178, 3DXTech); 141 on extruded stock (ASTM D790)[2][17]
Flexural modulusMPa2500–3300 flexural modulus (ISO 178, colorFabb)[1]2540 (printed XY, ISO 178)[2]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²2.8–3.7 (ISO 179, notched, colorFabb)[1]1.3 notched injection-moulded (ISO 179-1eA, Spectrum); unnotched 18[4]
Other impact dataNot documentedIzod notched 33 J/m on extruded PPS stock, converted from 0.62 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[17]
Brittleness1–5Moderate — colorFabb positions the blend as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA grades[1]Moderate[2]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documentedRockwell 105 (and R124) on extruded PPS stock (ASTM D785)[17]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Poor — no PLA/PHA creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[19][20][21]Excellent — holds load for years. Ensinger lists high creep resistance as a headline property of extruded PPS stock, and Spectrum states that rigidity, strength and creep resistance are unchanged under continuous load at high temperature[17][4]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Below average — no S-N curve for the blend; colorFabb positions it as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA, which ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength[22][1]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[2]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented90 (printed XY, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, 3DXTech); 129 injection-moulded (ISO 75, Spectrum); 204 on extruded stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi)[2][4][17]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented107 injection-moulded (ISO 75 at 1.81 MPa, Spectrum); 104 on extruded stock (ASTM D648 at 264 psi)[4][17]
Melting point / Vicat°CAbove 155 melting (ISO 3146-C)[1]283 melting (ISO 11357, 3DXTech) and 280 on extruded stock; Vicat softening 236 at 50 N injection-moulded (ISO 306, Spectrum)[2][4][17]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented170 long-term service on extruded PPS stock, converted from 338 °F[17]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented59.4 (extruded PPS stock, 22-60 °C, ASTM D696; source states 3.3e-5 in/in/°F)[17]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedUL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm, rated on the base resin[2]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[23]Not documented
Chemical resistanceNot documentedOutstanding — PPS resists essentially all solvents below 200 °C[3]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedExcellent — essentially unaffected; extruded stock takes up 0.01 % water in 24 h[17]
Biodegradability / compostabilitycolorFabb states the PHA component is 100 % biodegradable[1]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[24]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[24]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[24]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[24]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChloroform dissolves the PLA phase (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C); THF and DMF need 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[25]None — PPS does not dissolve in any known solvent below 200 °C.[26][27]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[25][28]Nothing at 23 °C; Ensinger rates it only conditionally resistant to benzene, dichloromethane, toluene and pyridine.[27]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[29][28]None — no solvent welds or smooths PPS.[26]

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. PLA/PHA technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  2. ThermaX PPS Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  3. PPS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  4. Spectrum PPS AM230 Technical Data Sheet Spectrum Filaments · 2022-04 · tds
  5. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Spectrum PPS AM230 Natural, 1.75 mm / 750 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. IEMAI 3D PPS 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. woodFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  9. Prusament PEI 1010 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-09 · tds
  10. Prusament PEI 1010 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  11. glowFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  12. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  14. THERMAX PPS — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  16. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  17. TECATRON natural (PPS) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  18. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  20. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  21. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  22. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  23. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  24. 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
  25. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  26. PPS (Polyphenylene sulfide) — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  27. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  28. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  29. 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