3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
POM vs PSU
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | POM (acetal)ENGINEERING | PSUHIGHTEMP |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | Not documented | $168.00/kg median; $168.00–$168.00/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Polyoxymethylene, 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] | Polysulfone — the lowest-temperature and cheapest of the sulfone family[3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.41 (extruded POM-C stock)[1] | 1.24 (ISO 1183)[3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | Not documented | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 250[4] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | Not documented | 168-250 across formats; 250 g spool $42 (168/kg), 500 g $125 (250/kg) — 3DXTech is the only filament supplier found[4] |
| Market availability1–5 | 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[2][5][6][7] | Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[4] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | Not documented | 1.75 mm; 250 g and 500 g spools[4] |
| Typical applications | Gears, bushings, bearings, conveyor and food-machinery parts; Apium markets its POM-C ESD grade for semiconductor insulators, aerospace fasteners and sliding parts[1][2] | Transparent high-temperature housings, medical trays and hot-water fittings[3] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 120–140 (3DXTech)[3] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Not documented | Actively heated chamber required[8][9] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Expert / industrial hardware only[8][9] |
| Extruder requirement | 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[2] | Not documented |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Not documented | Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades, but brass softens near these nozzle temperatures — hardened or plated hot ends are the norm[8] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Not documented | Non-abrasive when unfilled[3] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 120 °C pre-dry before every print[10] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Low (0.1-0.3 %) — extruded POM-C stock takes up 0.18 % in 24 h and 0.80 % at saturation (ASTM D570)[1] | Not documented |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | 0.30 in 24 h on extruded stock (ASTM D570)[11] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not documented | No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published; 3DXTech mandates a 120 °C, 4 h pre-dry before every print because trapped water flashes to steam at these nozzle temperatures[10] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 66.9 at break and 64.1 at yield (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638; converted from 9700 and 9300 psi)[1] | 52 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 81 at break on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[3][11] |
| Young's modulusMPa | 2275 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638; converted from 330,000 psi)[1] | 2100 (printed XY, ISO 527)[3] |
| Elongation at break% | 40 at break and 9 at yield (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638)[1] | 8 (printed XY, ISO 527) against 50 on extruded stock — nearly three times PPSU's printed 3 %[3][12][11] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 89.6 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D790; converted from 13,000 psi)[1] | 87 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 2758 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D790; converted from 400,000 psi)[1] | 2050 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3] |
| Other impact data | Izod 53 J/m on extruded POM-C stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in[1] | Izod notched 69 J/m on extruded PSU stock, converted from 1.3 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[11] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Tough — 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 / Rockwell | Rockwell 86 (and R120) — the source names only the R scale on extruded POM-C stock (ASTM D785)[1] | Rockwell M120 on extruded PSU stock (ASTM D785)[11] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Good. Ensinger lists high creep resistance as a headline property of extruded PSU stock, which is rated to 173 °C heat deflection at 1.8 MPa[11] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Rigid[3] |
| Wear resistance & friction | 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[1][2] | Not documented |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 158 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 316 °F)[1] | 172 (printed XY, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, 3DXTech); 181 on extruded stock, converted from 358 °F at 66 psi[3][11] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 110 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D648 at 264 psi; converted from 230 °F)[1] | 174 on extruded PSU stock, converted from 345 °F at 264 psi (ASTM D648)[11] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 187 (DSC, 3DXTech) and 185 on extruded stock (ASTM D3418), against 230 for PPSU[3][12][11] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 165 melting (extruded POM-C stock; converted from 329 °F)[1] | Not documented |
| Continuous service temperature°C | 91 long term and 141 intermittent (extruded POM-C stock; converted from 195 °F and 285 °F)[1] | 141 long-term service on extruded PSU stock, converted from 285 °F[11] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | 84.6 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.7e-5 in/in/°F)[1] | 55.8 (extruded PSU stock, ASTM D696; source states 3.1e-5 in/in/°F)[11] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | UL 94 HB on extruded POM-C stock[1] | UL 94 V-0 on extruded PSU stock[11] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Chemical resistance | Good chemical resistance, particularly to bases; Apium lists resistance to bases as a headline property[1][2] | Not documented |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Good — minor absorption; 0.80 % water at saturation (ASTM D570, extruded stock)[1] | Not documented |
| Electrical & ESD properties | 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[1][2] | Surface resistance above 10¹³ ohm/sq — an insulator (IEC 60093)[3] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Not documented | 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[13] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Not documented | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[13] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Easy to machine — Ensinger lists machinability as a headline property of POM-C stock[1] | Not documented |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Hexafluoroisopropanol dissolves it at room temperature; NMP and DMF only when hot. Laboratory reagents.[14] | Chlorinated hydrocarbons — dichloromethane, chloroform — dissolve polysulfone; ketones and esters attack it as well.[15][16] |
| Softened or crazed by | Acids, oxidants, halogens and hot concentrated zinc chloride attack it; alcohols, ketones and esters do not.[14][16] | Acetone, MEK, ethyl acetate, benzene and toluene craze or stress-crack it; methanol and isopropanol only marginally.[16][15] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — no solvent softens POM below its melting point, which is why it is bolted or heat-welded rather than glued.[14] | Dichloromethane cement welds PSU and NMP softens residual resin. Both are laboratory reagents.[15] |
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
- 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
- ThermaX PSU Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 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 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-09 · tds
- Prusament PEI 1010 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
- THERMAX PSU — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
- TECASON S natural (PSU) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- ThermaX PPSU Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 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
- Resistance of Ultramid, Ultraform and Ultradur to chemicals (TI-KTU/AS-28 e) BASF · 2000-10 · tds
- 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