We’ve all heard of Prusa Research. The company started by Josef Prusa creates some of the best desktop 3D printers in the world. Since its beginnings, the Prusa brand has been all about making in-house, high-quality products that deliver phenomenal printing results.

To deliver on such a promise to the customer, a manufacturer needs to control all the variables of a 3D printing experience. These include the 3D printer itself, the software used for slicing the models, and the material used for the printing process.

As years have gone by, Prusa has developed incredible 3D printers like the i3 MK3S and offered its customers a slicer software suited for their machines as well as other brands. The only variable left for Prusa to control was the material – in the case of FDM printing, filament.

All of that meant only one thing: Prusa needed to manufacture its own filament! Thus, Prusa Polymers was born, a division inside Prusa Research dedicated to making high-quality filament marketed as Prusament.

In this article, we’ll be taking a look at Prusament, including the different types of filament available. Let’s get started!

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Prusament Filament (PLA, PETG & More)

Anything but Ordinary

Image of: Anything but Ordinary
Each spool of Prusament can be checked via the QR code on the box (Source: Prusament)

Before Prusa started manufacturing Prusament, the company was already offering filament through its online shop. And it still does. You can choose between PLA, ABS, PET, flexible, and special filaments from a few different brands. Naturally, all of these filaments are outsourced, meaning they’re produced by other manufacturers. For example, one of the non-Prusament PLAs offered by Prusa is manufactured by Plasty Mladeč, a Czech plastic manufacturing company.

Even now, with Prusament available, Prusa still sells these filaments. Why, you ask? Well, naturally they generate some extra revenue for Prusa. On the other hand, this system also offers easy access to customers looking for a variety of printing products. One element of this easy access is the ability to compare.

Under the Microscope

What makes Prusament special among filament brands is the overall quality and attention to detail. Prusament is manufactured in-house by Prusa, on the company’s very own filament production lines. Having all of the production under the same roof means that an extra degree of attention can be devoted to quality control, and that’s exactly what Prusa is so proud of.

Each spool of Prusament comes with a QR code that leads the customer to a webpage where they can view the exact details of their spool. This includes details like the exact time the spool was made, the exact weight and length, and precisely-measured diameter deviation and ovality.

Even the spool that carries the material is impressive. The plastic honeycomb structure saves plastic but also reduces the weight. Furthermore, the central tube is made from cardboard to reduce overall plastic usage.

What’s the Catch?

The reality is that Prusament genuinely is top-class filament. But despite Josef Prusa saying that he wasn’t very satisfied with what was on the market, when you go and compare Prusament PLA with something like Fillamentum PLA, you realize that they both provide incredible results, so there isn’t much advantage for Prusament there. In fact, what Mr. Prusa really meant is that no manufacturer provides such tight diameter tolerances and quality control as Prusa does with Prusament. Fair point.

Overall, Prusament surely does raise the bar in the field, but is it that much better than other premium PLAs? Well, not really. What it’s really good at is providing smooth, beautiful prints, and that’s exactly what was needed for Prusa to deliver the complete 3D printing experience. The 3D printing community generally loves Prusament. On the forums, there are very few complaints and a great deal of positive feedback.

With the big picture in mind, let’s take a closer look at the different kinds of Prusament that are available.

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Prusament Filament (PLA, PETG & More)

PLA

Image of: <span class="link" data-action="modal-open" data-modal-ajax="/en/product-overlay/120518/limit/0/">PLA</span>
A cute PLA octopus; need we say more? (Source: Martin Polák via Printables)

The starting point of Prusament PLA is NatureWorks’s 4043D resin, which is a high-quality raw polymer base.

There are many colors available for this filament, including the special Mystic Green and Mystic Brown, which are marketed as “premium”. What’s unique to these two is the ability to change color depending on the nozzle temperature, and therefore they provide special visual effects. For example, Mystic Green can be either grayish or green, while Mystic Brown changes from brown to purple.

All Prusament PLA filaments have a bit of glitter in them, which helps enhance the visual appearance and hide potential imperfections on the surface.

Prusa claims this filament prints easily, provides reasonable toughness, and has extremely low warping potential. Our review of the Galaxy Black Prusament PLA and community feedback only confirm this.

No doubt, this is a high-end PLA that justifies its slightly higher price. If you’re looking for some extra fun, the premium colors are available at no extra cost.

  • Colors: 20+
  • Size: 1.75 mm, 970-g, or 1-kg spool
  • Recommended settings: Hot end 200-220 °C, heated bed 40-60 °C
  • Price: ~$30
Prusament PLA
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Prusament Filament (PLA, PETG & More)

PETG

Image of: <span class="link" data-action="modal-open" data-modal-ajax="/en/product-overlay/180472/limit/0/">PETG</span>
How dazzling is this Carmine Red PETG Benchy? (Source: stlDenise3D via Twitter)

Prusament PETG is the material from which some parts of the Prusa i3 MK3S+ and Prusa Mini+ are made! It can withstand more flexing than PLA, making it less brittle overall. Thanks to these properties, PETG is a good choice for making mechanical, functional parts.

Layer adhesion is strong, which can lead to difficulty when removing the prints from the print bed (using the textured sheet). However, the positive side of a strong layer adhesion is that there’s minimal chance of warping, and you can produce watertight prints.

The suggested temperatures work well, but Prusament PETG tends to prefer the upper values. Potential problems when printing include stringing, which can usually be solved by bumping up the retraction numbers.

Once you have proper settings in place, you’ll most likely be able to print it nicely. Judging by the forums, a small word of advice from the community is to speed up the cooling fan if you have stringing issues, but also to store the spools in a container with some silica gel because, once it absorbs even a little moisture, you’re looking at poor printing results.

If you’re looking for something more capable than PLA, but still not hard to print with, this filament might be the perfect choice for you.

  • Colors: 15+
  • Size: 1.75 mm, 1-kg spool
  • Recommended settings: Hot end 240-260 °C, heated bed 70-90 °C
  • Price: $27-$40 (depending on color)
Prusament PET
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Prusament Filament (PLA, PETG & More)

PC Blend

Image of: <span class="link" data-action="modal-open" data-modal-ajax="/en/product-overlay/191647/limit/0/">PC Blend</span>
A buckle printed in Jet Black (Source: Prusa Research)

Prusament PC Blend is a polycarbonate filament, meaning it’s rigid and well-suited for making functional, mechanically-stressed parts. Whereas PLA is easy to print with, PC Blend requires more experience and equipment.

Since it’s quite prone to warping when printing larger objects, it’s important to keep the parts heated. To achieve that, you’ll need an enclosure for your 3D printer, which keeps the temperature in the build chamber and helps reduce warping potential. The enclosure will also help keep the sadly-noticeable printing odor from coming out.

A nice touch from Prusa is that they include a Kores glue stick with each spool of PC Blend Prusament. Once you do manage to make some parts with PC Blend, you’ll end up with tough, impact- and heat-resistant parts than can really serve a purpose under mechanical stress.

The most common problem with printing PC Blend is bed adhesion, so make sure to use the included glue stick to prepare the build platform. Also, a brim is recommended for larger prints.

With the correct settings in place, you should get some nice, precise parts. What’s also great about PC Blend is that it can easily be sanded.

Yes, it’s a bit expensive, but considering it’s a high-end, high-performing filament, we can’t complain much. If you want an even stronger material, go with the Carbon Fiber Black option.

  • Colors: Jet Black, Urban Grey, Natural, Prusa Orange, Carbon Fiber Black
  • Size: 1.75 mm, 970-g spool (Carbon Fiber Black 800-g spool)
  • Recommended settings: Hot end 265-285 °C, heated bed 100-120 °C
  • Price: ~$50 (Carbon Fiber Black ~$60)
Prusament PC Blend
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Prusament Filament (PLA, PETG & More)

ASA

Image of: <span class="link" data-action="modal-open" data-modal-ajax="/en/product-overlay/191652/limit/0/">ASA</span>
Treating ASA prints with acetone results in a smoother surface (right), but some detail is lost (Source: Prusa Research)

Prusament ASA is similar to ABS filament, but better. The goal with ASA was to produce a filament that is just like ABS but with enhanced properties. Printing with ABS can get smelly, but with Prusament ASA, the smell is a little less noticeable. Another difference with ABS is ASA’s UV stability (up to about 93 °C), which means it can be used for making outdoor parts that won’t be ruined quickly.

As great as that sounds, ASA still isn’t perfect. Although Prusa did put effort into making this filament easy to print with, warping is still an issue, especially with larger parts. As suggested by the Prusament website, an enclosure or the addition of a brim or skirt can help reduce the warping potential. Also, don’t forget to use a smooth PEI sheet, because once ASA sticks to the textured one, the removal process can be painful.

On a more positive note, what’s really really good about ASA is the layer adhesion and the toughness of the printed models. If you look on popular 3D printing forums, you’ll see many users posting pictures of pure layer perfection achieved with ASA.

With a bit of 3D printing experience and patience, you can create some amazingly smooth prints with ASA.

  • Colors: Prusa Orange, Prusa Galaxy Black, Jet Black, Natural, Signal White, Lipstick Red, Sapphire Blue
  • Size: 1.75 mm, 850-g spool
  • Recommended settings: Hot end 255-265 °C, heated bed 105-115 °C
  • Price: ~$30
Prusament ASA
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Prusament Filament (PLA, PETG & More)

PVB

Image of: <span class="link" data-action="modal-open" data-modal-ajax="/en/product-overlay/229689/limit/0/">PVB</span>
A bit of post-processing and you'll have an incredible bouquet (Source: heartbreakballer via Printables)

PVB, or polyvinyl butyral, is made using PVA (often used in glue sticks) by reaction with butyraldehyde. PVB has its uses mostly in adhesion or binding different materials. But in 3D printing, PVB’s special qualities of solubility shine through in smoothing.

Unlike other materials, such as ABS and ASA, that require acetone, PVB can easily be smoothed using isopropyl alcohol. This makes the material suitable for various applications that require a smooth or translucent surface, like vases, jewelry, and lampshades.

PVB is known to be easy to print and not warp even in larger models. Using larger nozzles in vase mode allows the print to be much better in quality and makes the printing experience even better. When using PVB in vase mode, adjusting settings such as layer height or number of shells would also be helpful.

Due to the smoothing that is difficult to achieve with other filaments, the cost of Prusament PVB is slightly higher than other filaments by weight. However, Prusament PVB spool sizes are smaller than other filaments at 500 g, allowing the cost of one spool of PVB to be even lower than PLA or ASA. Prusa offers a sample pack available for about $13, which includes small 25-g samples of all six colors. This is a great way to try out the filament and test the smoothing process before purchasing an entire spool.

  • Colors: Natural, Bright Green, Light Yellow, Prusa Orange, Smoky Black, Dark Blue
  • Size: 1.75 mm, 500-g spool
  • Recommended settings: Hot end 205-225 °C, heated bed 65-85 °C
  • Price: ~$25
Prusament PVB Filament
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Prusament Filament (PLA, PETG & More)

PA (Nylon)

Image of: <span class="link" data-action="modal-open" data-modal-ajax="/en/product-overlay/337617/limit/0/">PA (Nylon)</span>
PA11 CF gets the job done (Source: InformalAlbatross985 via Reddit)

The latest filament Prusa has to offer is Prusament PA11 – a filament made of polyamide material or more commonly known as nylon. PA11 has many advantages to offer: it’s mechanically strong like PC, durable, resistant to heat up to 190 °C, and resistant to various chemicals such as sodium hydroxide, acetone, and gasoline.

The material also has low friction but is resistant to abrasion, making it highly applicable for moving mechanical parts, such as gears. In addition, unlike its sister material PA12, it doesn’t warp or shrink. However, it does have its downsides.

The material is abrasive and damages brass nozzles, thus hardened steel nozzles or other special nozzles must be used for printing. It also emits fumes and odors, so ventilation is strongly recommended when 3D printing with this filament. In addition to this new material, a new satin spring sheet for PA filament is available to purchase, which is suited for the Prusament PA11 filament.

The suggested spring sheet (although not required), along with the specialized requirements such as nozzle and ventilation, make the material suitable for advanced users who have already experimented with other more common materials. But for those advanced users, the properties of the Prusament PA11 filament give it great potential for various applications.

  • Colors: Carbon Fiber Black
  • Size: 1.75 mm, 800-g spool
  • Recommended settings: Hot end 280-290 °C, heated bed 100-120 °C
  • Price: ~$100
Prusament PA (Nylon)
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Prusament Filament (PLA, PETG & More)

Refill (PLA & PETG)

Image of: Refill (<span class="link" data-action="modal-open" data-modal-ajax="/en/product-overlay/337622/limit/0/">PLA</span> & <span class="link" data-action="modal-open" data-modal-ajax="/en/product-overlay/337629/limit/0/">PETG</span>)
An eco-friendly and easy refill (Source: Prusa 3D by Josef Prusa via YouTube)

Prusament Refill is a new concept by Prusa following the MasterSpool standard, a spool recycling method suggested by Richard Horne. Plastic spools for a typical 1-kg spool of filament typically weigh 250-350 g, which is a significant amount of waste. MasterSpool allows spools to be refilled and used again, eliminating this waste.

Unlike refill packages that are typical of other MasterSpool refills that use zip ties to keep together the filament, Prusa’s refill utilizes their cardboard core and uses Tyvek material to hold the filament together, meaning that only the two plastic discs from both sides need to be taken out of the preexisting spool and used in the refill. In addition, these refills don’t use Prusa’s cardboard boxes as packaging, reducing even more waste.

The refill uses the same quality filament with ±0.02-mm guaranteed precision but is available at a slightly lower price. Although only PLA Galaxy Black and PETG Jet Black are available at the moment, Prusa is looking to expand their refill selection to other colors and types of filament as well.

  • Colors/materials: PLA Galaxy Black, PETG Jet Black
  • Size: 1.75 mm, 500-g spool
  • Recommended settings:
  • Price: ~$27
Prusament PLA Prusa Galaxy Black Refill
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Prusament PETG Jet Black Refill
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License: The text of "Prusament Filament: 2023 Buyer’s Guide" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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