3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

POM vs PP-GF

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

POM (acetal) guideGlass-fibre PP (PP-GF) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore POM comparisonsMore PP-GF comparisons
POM vs PP-GF — documented properties and sources
PropertyPOM (acetal)ENGINEERINGGlass-fibre PP (PP-GF)POLYOLEFIN
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshotsNot documented$49.09/kg median; $46.27–$86.01/kg across 3 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyoxymethylene, normally the copolymer POM-C. Apium's filament grade is POM-C with antistatic additives; no unfilled POM filament was found on sale[1][2]Polypropylene reinforced with chopped glass fibre[3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.41 (extruded POM-C stock)[1]1.12 (Prusament PP Glass Fiber, ISO 1183) — the glass lifts it above water[3]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documented1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 49[5][6][7]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented46-86 across brands; BCN3D PP GF30 46 at 700 g, BASF Ultrafuse PP GF30 49 at 2.2 kg, Prusament PP Glass Fiber 86 at 850 g[5][6][7]
Market availability1–5Special 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[2][8][9][10]Available from several mainstream brands[5][6][7]
Spool sizes & diametersNot documented1.75 and 2.85 mm; 700 g, 850 g and 2.2 kg spools[5][6][7]
Typical applicationsGears, bushings, bearings, conveyor and food-machinery parts; Apium markets its POM-C ESD grade for semiconductor insulators, aerospace fasteners and sliding parts[1][2]Stiff, chemically resistant parts where PP-CF's cost or conductivity is unwanted[4]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.04 (Prusament)[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented245 ± 10 (Prusament) — 25 °C below the carbon-fibre grade[3][11]
Bed temperature°CNot documented95 ± 10 (Prusament)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Not documentedEnclosure recommended — Simplify3D lists an enclosure as a hardware requirement and Polymaker advises one below 70 °C ambient to stop warping and cracking[12][13]
Part cooling fanNot documentedOff — Prusa runs 0 % except 100 % on bridges[3]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented4 at Prusa's 50 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[3][14]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedHigh — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; Prusa recommends a brim[3]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedVery difficult — special plates or slurry required[3]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Not documentedAdvanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; hardened nozzle mandatory[3]
Extruder requirementApium 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[2]Prusa states a hardened nozzle is necessary and recommends a brim[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Not documentedHardened steel required[3]
Abrasiveness1–5Not documentedHighly abrasive — standard GF composite[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Not documentedModerate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa lists higher risk of nozzle clogging for glass-filled composites[15]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Low (0.1-0.3 %) — extruded POM-C stock takes up 0.18 % in 24 h and 0.80 % at saturation (ASTM D570)[1]Low (0.1–0.3 %) — 0.11 % at both 24 h and 7 days, higher than the carbon-fibre grade's 0.04 % but still very low[3][11]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.11 after 24 h and 0.11 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers)[3]
Effect of moisture on strengthNot documentedNot applicable in practice at 0.11 % equilibrium uptake[3]
Storage requirementNot documentedNo special storage needed[3]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa66.9 at break and 64.1 at yield (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638; converted from 9700 and 9300 psi)[1]46.6 ± 1.3 filament tensile yield (Prusament, ISO 527) — more than double the carbon-fibre grade's 21[3][11]
Young's modulusMPa2275 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638; converted from 330,000 psi)[1]Not documented
Elongation at break%40 at break and 9 at yield (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638)[1]Not documented
Flexural strengthMPa89.6 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D790; converted from 13,000 psi)[1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2758 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D790; converted from 400,000 psi)[1]Not documented
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented7.9 ± 0.4 printed horizontal and 9.9 ± 0.8 printed vertical XZ (ISO 179-1, notched)[3]
Other impact dataIzod 53 J/m on extruded POM-C stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in[1]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking; extruded stock elongates 40 % before failing. No printed figure is published[1]Moderate[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellRockwell 86 (and R120) — the source names only the R scale on extruded POM-C stock (ASTM D785)[1]Rockwell R102 (and M95) on extruded unfilled PP stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a glass-fibre PP filament[16]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Not documentedRigid[3]
Wear resistance & frictionWear 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[1][2]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C158 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 316 °F)[1]138.3 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C110 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D648 at 264 psi; converted from 230 °F)[1]112.6 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[3]
Melting point / Vicat°C165 melting (extruded POM-C stock; converted from 329 °F)[1]Not documented
Continuous service temperature°C91 long term and 141 intermittent (extruded POM-C stock; converted from 195 °F and 285 °F)[1]Not documented
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K84.6 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.7e-5 in/in/°F)[1]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94UL 94 HB on extruded POM-C stock[1]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
Chemical resistanceGood chemical resistance, particularly to bases; Apium lists resistance to bases as a headline property[1][2]Excellent against acids, alkalis and most solvents[13]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Good — minor absorption; 0.80 % water at saturation (ASTM D570, extruded stock)[1]Excellent — essentially unaffected[3]
Electrical & ESD propertiesVolume 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[1][2]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Not documentedLow 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[17]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Not documentedOpen a window / occasional ventilation. Inferred — no polyolefin was measured in the chamber study[17]
Dust & fibre handling hazardNot documentedGlass fibre is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[3]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningEasy to machine — Ensinger lists machinability as a headline property of POM-C stock[1]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inHexafluoroisopropanol dissolves it at room temperature; NMP and DMF only when hot. Laboratory reagents.[18]None at room temperature; chloroform dissolves the matrix at 60 °C and xylene at about 118 °C, leaving the fibre.[19][20]
Softened or crazed byAcids, oxidants, halogens and hot concentrated zinc chloride attack it; alcohols, ketones and esters do not.[18][21]Xylene, decalin, CCl4 and chlorobenzene are heavily absorbed at 20 °C; oleum, chlorosulphonic acid and bromine destroy it.[19]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — no solvent softens POM below its melting point, which is why it is bolted or heat-welded rather than glued.[18]None — nothing softens PP at room temperature, so joints have to be welded thermally rather than chemically.[19]

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. TECAFORM AH natural (POM-C) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  2. POM-C ESD 3D printing — material page Apium 3D Technologies · 2026-08 · doc
  3. Prusament PP Glass Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
  4. Prusament PP Glass Fiber — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  5. BASF Ultrafuse PP GF30 Black 2.85 mm 2.200 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. BCN3D PP GF30 Black 2.85 mm 700 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Prusa Prusament PP Glass Fiber Natural (NFC), 1.75 mm / 850 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. 3DJAKE product catalogue 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. igo3d product sitemap (17452 product URLs) igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
  12. Polypropylene — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  13. PP — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  16. TECAFINE PP natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  17. 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
  18. Resistance of Ultramid, Ultraform and Ultradur to chemicals (TI-KTU/AS-28 e) BASF · 2000-10 · tds
  19. Pro-fax and Moplen polypropylene — Chemical Resistance Guide (20, 60 and 100 °C) LyondellBasell · 2026-08 · tds
  20. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
  21. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds