Filament comparison
PP-GF vs Breakaway
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Glass-fibre PP (PP-GF)POLYOLEFIN | Break-away supportSUPPORT |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $49.09/kg median; $46.27–$86.01/kg across 3 dated product listings | $42.49/kg median; $26.00–$79.98/kg across 4 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Polypropylene reinforced with chopped glass fibre[1][2] | Break-away support compounds matched to a specific model material — Polymaker sells separate grades for PLA and for PA12[3][4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.12 (Prusament PP Glass Fiber, ISO 1183) — the glass lifts it above water[1] | 1.22 (PolySupport for PLA) and 1.29 (PolySupport for PA12), ISO 1183[3][4] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 49[5][6][7] | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 26–80; the middle of the market is about 45[8][9][10] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 46-86 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] | 26–80 across brands and grades; IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE 26, Polymaker PolySupport for PLA 40 at 750 g, YXPOLYER 45, PolySupport for PA12 80 at 500 g[8][9][10] |
| Market availability1–5 | Available from several mainstream brands[5][6][7] | Available from several mainstream brands[8][11] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 700 g, 850 g and 2.2 kg spools[5][6][7] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[8] |
| Typical applications | Stiff, chemically resistant parts where PP-CF's cost or conductivity is unwanted[2] | Support that peels off by hand, avoiding the moisture handling and dissolution time that soluble supports demand[3] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | ±0.04 (Prusament)[1] | Not documented |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 245 ± 10 (Prusament) — 25 °C below the carbon-fibre grade[1][12] | 220–230 (PolySupport for PLA)[3] |
| Bed temperature°C | 95 ± 10 (Prusament)[1] | 25–60 (PolySupport for PLA)[3] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure recommended — Simplify3D lists an enclosure as a hardware requirement and Polymaker advises one below 70 °C ambient to stop warping and cracking[13][14] | Open frame is fine[3] |
| Part cooling fan | Off — Prusa runs 0 % except 100 % on bridges[1] | Not documented |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | 4 at Prusa's 50 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[1][15] | 4–12 at Polymaker's 50–150 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[3] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; Prusa recommends a brim[1] | Not documented |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Very difficult — special plates or slurry required[1] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; hardened nozzle mandatory[1] | Easy — minor profile tuning[3] |
| Extruder requirement | Prusa states a hardened nozzle is necessary and recommends a brim[1] | A second extruder or a tool changer[3] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Hardened steel required[1] | Brass fine indefinitely[3] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Highly abrasive — standard GF composite[1] | Non-abrasive[3] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa lists higher risk of nozzle clogging for glass-filled composites[16] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Polymaker specifies a 55 °C dry for the PLA grade and warns brass nozzle life falls to about 9 h on the PA12 grade[3][4] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | 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[1][12] | Moderate — 0.64 % equilibrium water absorption (PolySupport for PLA)[3] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | 0.11 after 24 h and 0.11 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers)[1] | 0.64 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySupport for PLA)[3] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not applicable in practice at 0.11 % equilibrium uptake[1] | Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[17] |
| Storage requirement | No special storage needed[1] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 46.6 ± 1.3 filament tensile yield (Prusament, ISO 527) — more than double the carbon-fibre grade's 21[1][12] | Not documented |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 7.9 ± 0.4 printed horizontal and 9.9 ± 0.8 printed vertical XZ (ISO 179-1, notched)[1] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Moderate[1] | Not documented |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Rockwell R102 (and M95) on extruded unfilled PP stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a glass-fibre PP filament[18] | Not documented |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Not documented |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 138.3 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[1] | 43 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, PolySupport for PA12). Polymaker's sheet prints a higher figure at the higher load, which is physically inverted; treat both HDT numbers as approximate[4] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 112.6 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1] | 53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, PolySupport for PA12) — printed above the 0.45 MPa figure on Polymaker's own sheet, which cannot be right; treat both as approximate[4] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | Vicat 171 (PolySupport for PA12, ISO 306)[4] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Chemical resistance | Excellent against acids, alkalis and most solvents[14] | Not documented |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Excellent — essentially unaffected[1] | Not documented |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Not documented | Surface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq (ASTM D257, THERMAX HTS2 and MTS1)[19][20] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | 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[21] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[21] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation. Inferred — no polyolefin was measured in the chamber study[21] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[21] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Glass fibre is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1] | Not documented |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Support material pairing | Not documented | This is the support material. Polymaker publishes an adhesion matrix per model material, from very good to unusable, because break-away supports only work against the polymer they were matched to[3][4] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | None at room temperature; chloroform dissolves the matrix at 60 °C and xylene at about 118 °C, leaving the fibre.[22][23] | None — break-away support is removed mechanically; 3DXTech lists no water or solvent route for it.[24] |
| Softened or crazed by | Xylene, decalin, CCl4 and chlorobenzene are heavily absorbed at 20 °C; oleum, chlorosulphonic acid and bromine destroy it.[22] | Not documented |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nothing softens PP at room temperature, so joints have to be welded thermally rather than chemically.[22] | None — there is no solvent to weld or smooth with.[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
- Prusament PP Glass Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
- Prusament PP Glass Fiber — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
- PolySupport Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- PolySupport for PA12 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- BASF Ultrafuse PP GF30 Black 2.85 mm 2.200 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
- BCN3D PP GF30 Black 2.85 mm 700 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa Prusament PP Glass Fiber Natural (NFC), 1.75 mm / 850 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- YXPOLYER Breakaway Support Filament 1 kg Black — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
- IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE breakaway support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
- Polypropylene — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- PP — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- TECAFINE PP natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- THERMAX HTS2 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- THERMAX MTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 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
- Pro-fax and Moplen polypropylene — Chemical Resistance Guide (20, 60 and 100 °C) LyondellBasell · 2026-08 · tds
- US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
- THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor