Filament
PC
The household filament with the most heat and impact resistance, and also the hardest on this list: it asks for 275 ± 10 °C nozzle and 110 ± 10 °C bed, warps if it cools abruptly and picks up moisture easily. Prusa publishes 1.22 g/cm³ density and 113 °C heat deflection at 0.45 MPa for its PC Blend; in unnotched Charpy testing it does not break.
Safety and handling
Nozzle near 275 °C and bed at 110–115 °C: the highest temperatures on this list, and they burn instantly. Ventilate the room; Prusa acknowledges a moderate smell while printing, which signals volatile emissions. Store the spool in an airtight container with desiccant and dry it before printing; damp polycarbonate bubbles at the nozzle and spits molten material. If you apply a glue-stick separation layer, do it with the bed cold.
Technical profile
- Nozzle temperature
- 265–290 °C
- Bed temperature
- 100–120 °C
- Heated bed
- Yes
- Enclosure
- Recommended
- Density
- 1.22 g/cm³
- Absorbs moisture
- Yes
- Drying
- 85 °C · 5 h
- Difficulty
- Advanced
Typical price per kilo in Mexico
Price not verified
Strengths
- The highest heat resistance among common filaments (113 °C deflection at 0.45 MPa on PC Blend)
- Extremely high impact toughness: it does not break in unnotched Charpy
- Good tensile strength (63 MPa on a printed specimen)
- Good electrical insulator
- Pure polycarbonate is transparent
Weaknesses
- Severe warping, especially on large parts: Prusa asks for a 4 mm brim above 5 cm
- Very high nozzle and bed temperatures, out of reach for many machines
- Very hygroscopic: store with desiccant and dry before printing
- Moderate smell while printing
- Expensive, and it needs a separation layer (glue stick) to avoid damaging the sheet
Common uses
- Technical parts that live with heat: fan shrouds, mounts near motors
- Hinges and parts that take impact
- Workshop jigs and fixtures
- 3D printer components exposed to a heated chamber
Related problems
Documented printing defects that show up with this material.
Work out your cost
How much material a part uses and what it costs to print, with the formula in plain sight.
- Quiz: which 3D printer suits me?
- Filament calculator: grams, metres and pesos
- Resin calculator: millilitres, grams and cost
- 3D print cost calculator in Mexican pesos
- 3D printer power consumption calculator
- 3D printing material comparator
- Nozzle and layer height reference
- Diagnostic tree: find your failure by symptom
- STL vs 3MF: which to use and how to convert
- 3D printer comparator
- 3D printing glossary search
Sources
- [1]Polycarbonate (PC) | Prusa Knowledge BasePrusa Research · Manufacturer · accessed July 27, 2026
- [2]Technical datasheet — Prusament PC Blend by Prusa Polymers (v1.1, 16-02-2022)Prusa Polymers · Manufacturer · accessed July 27, 2026
- [3]Bambu Filament Guide (PC: 260–290 °C, secado obligatorio 80 °C/8 h)Bambu Lab · Manufacturer · accessed July 27, 2026