Prusa released its new Prusament PETG ESD on Tuesday: a carbon-fiber and carbon-nanotube (CNT)- filled, electrostatic-dissipative (ESD) PETG filament meant to protect static-sensitive electronics. While it’s great for enclosures for a Raspberry Pi, ESP32, and the like, Prusa is targeting the filament more toward electronics production than hobbyist use; however, it’s cheaper than the non-ESD Prusament PETG Carbon Fiber at only $56.99.
Prusa isn’t the only one selling ESD filament; 3DXTech and Polymaker were first to the scene, but Prusa is the first to include carbon fiber alongside carbon nanotubes to provide the ESD properties, improving dimensional accuracy and minimizing warping. 3DXTech sells its ESD-PETG at $105; Polymaker’s Fiberon PETG-ESD is $65.98, but the Prusament PETG ESD is only $56.99 and is the only one with carbon fiber reinforcement.
Non-ESD filaments are generally safe for electronics enclosures; many hobbyists use regular PLA, PETG, and ABS without any problems. And while the extra protection can be appreciated, Prusa positions this not for hobbyists, but for electronics production — PCB fixtures and holders for soldering, IC trays for handling and transport, holders for testing multiple boards at once, etc., as Prusa shows on the PETG ESD product page. It saves on manufacturing costs, reducing the need for CNC-machined ESD trays and fixtures, and can be quickly printed on-site with very little lead time. It’s not necessarily for big businesses only either, as indie hardware developers and smaller-scale manufacturers could use this filament to improve their production line without buying expensive ESD filament.
Prusa has not yet published the datasheet containing details about the strength of the filament, but Prusa claims that the filament has increased stiffness and reduced toughness, similar to Prusament PETG Carbon Fiber’s properties. However, the amount of carbon fiber in PETG ESD may be different from PETG Carbon Fiber, as the latter’s purpose is more for strength than for electronics manufacturing.
Prusa is known to use its own 3D printers to print its own components and use its own products for the 3D printers it sells, and on the product page, Prusa says it uses PETG ESD in its own production line to prevent overcoating the edges when powder coating its print sheets. While it isn’t the first or only ESD filament on the market, it’s certainly the cheapest, and when its strength profile is released or tested independently, it may potentially be more worth it than Prusa’s own PETG Carbon Fiber in certain cases.
