What Is PCTG Filament? Is It Better Than PETG?

by Mike Brooks | Last Updated: April 15, 2022

As a 3D printing enthusiast, you may constantly require improving the quality of your 3D print. One way of achieving high-quality prints is continually working with improved plastic filaments that may be easily accessible in the market.

Different plastic filaments are suitable for a specific use, and it may be valuable to interrogate the filament types before picking them for use.

Indeed PCTG filament is an improved version of PETG filament, meaning it’s a better 3D printing filament than PETG plastic.

But what is PCTG?, and why is it believed to be a fine filament to most of the famous 3D printing filaments, PETG included?

PCTG is a tough, strong, and chemical resistance plastic material that provides an incredible surface finish.

Its application in 3D technology ranges from manufacturing credit cards, plastic dishes, blister packaging, rapid deployment floodwalls, and bags. PCTG plastic filaments provide a matte or glossy finish depending on print temperature.

Keep reading, as the article provides comprehensive information that serves as a guide to 3D printing hobbyists on PCTG plastic filaments.

What Does PCTG Stand For?

PCTG stands for Polycyclohexylendimethylene Terephthalate Glycol Plastic.

Is PCTG Filament Affordable?

Yes! PCTG is affordable!

PCTG remains a popular material for makers keen on tough, easy to print, and affordable filaments.

Qualities of PCTG

PCTG contains all the qualities inherent in PETG plastic filaments (check at Amazon), such as high chemical hostility, increased toughness, impact strength, and it offers an incredible surface finish that brings print clarity.

Apart from that, PCTG enjoys a more extensive range of print temperatures and increased durability.

These qualities make PCTG a unique and superior plastic filament, an easy-to-use material filament that still provides the same safety and recyclability as the renowned PETG filament.

Essentium PCTG

Essentium PCTG remains a unique plastic filament as it consists of its Izod impact resistance qualities.

It is a rare quality that enables PCTG to withstand more impact than similar filaments, yet still holding on to its high tensile strength and heat resistance.

Therefore, replacing PETG with PCTG as your choice of 3D printing filament is an excellent idea as PCTG remains a tough and incredibly temperatures easy to print and quite affordable material.

Related: PLA vs. PETG. What Is the Best One?

Key Features of PCTG

• A perfect starting point for fixtures

Essentium PCTG is considered a perfect starting point for fixtures that require a higher impact strength. It produces fixtures and products with toughness and of supreme quality.

• Fixtures low cost

Essentium PCTG produces high-quality fixtures that have received rave reviews across the 3Dprinting industry.

A customer enjoys the fixtures -low cost, and thus PCTG filaments help lower production costs that translate to cheaper fixtures of higher quality.

Fixtures low-cost, easy attainment makes PCTG attractive to the majority of 3D users.

• Easy to print machines and finish

PCTG technology provides easy to print machines and finish prints of admirable quality. The incredible surface finish superior toughness is brought about by the superior strength and chemical properties of PCTG plastic.

It brings about a matte finish or glossy finish to the print that remains peculiar to PCTG products.

• Excellent surface finish prints

PCTG plastic filament, being an improvement of polyethylene terephthalate (PETG), is renowned for manufacturing excellent surface finish prints, otherwise known as matte finish prints.

It produces material with incredible surface and similar strength to other popular filaments due to its toughness and chemical resistance.

• Open-air great filament

PCTG plastic, a fantastic open-air filament.

This open-air great filament is designed for outdoor use. It holds over time and is not sensitive to changing print temperature or UV rays.

Unlike other plastics affected by alternating print temperature, PCTG resists outdoor exposure over an extended term.

• Lightly loaded fixtures colors

PCTG plastic filament’s strength level accommodates lightly loaded fixtures colors. Additionally, there exist various colors for color-coding that illuminates a print.

• It’s a great filament for prosthetics and orthotics

Essentium PCTG remains an excellent filament for producing prosthetics and orthotics. As Orthotics unaffected filament, it may be ideal for filling functional parts of these devices whenever the need arises.

• Humidity strong

Essentium PCTG review confirms it boasts of superior toughness and chemical aversion that makes it strong enough to be humidity strong and, therefore, unaffected by humid conditions.

• Offering great impact strength

PETG, which has similar qualities to PCTG, enjoys 70% impact strength compared to polycarbonate.

However, customer reviews show that it’s much more robust than other filaments such as acrylic or glass. Therefore, offering superior impact strength.

Therefore, it’s safe to conclude that PCTG, an improved version of PETG, also offers prints with superior impact strength.

Is PCTG Plastic an Easy to Use Material?

PCTG contains all qualities that makers enjoy in PETG. On its part, PETG became more popular to those who were yearning to improve the PLA.

Easy To Use Material Material Type

PETG, being durable and easy to use a filament, is used to blow moldings such as medical braces signages, bottles, and other durable plastics.

Polyethylene terephthalate glycol helps enhance durability and printability, which are key features of the PETG.

These qualities are also found in PCTG. PCTG enjoys a higher chemical aversion, an extensive melting temperature range, and enhanced durability, making it easy to use.

Can PCTG Filament Be Used to Produce Food Containers?

If you manufacture plastic food containers, you may need to conduct thorough research to ensure you use the right filament.

Not all filaments are suitable for the production of food containers. A review of plastics shows that they enjoy different characteristics that allow them to be ideal in the manufacture of other items.

For instance, a plastic filament could have key features that allow it to produce water bottles. Still, the same elements may be detrimental to the production of dairy product containers.

Certain types of plastic may also be affected significantly by heat and could be hazardous for food containers.

Filament materials recommended for producing plastic cups may be manufactured using PC, PET, or PCTG.

PCTG products are used in sports water plastic bottles and baby feeding plastic bottles because PCTG remains food safe as granted by FDA.

Why Is PCTG Considered Safe For Food Containers?

As a perfect starting point, manufacturers recommend PCTG plastic material to withstand different cleaning agents and high temperatures.

Also, it doesn’t contain BPA hence making it the most suitable option.

A review of products manufactured using PCTG proves that they enjoy superior toughness and may be suitable in most food containers meant not to melt under high temperatures.

Other Safe Plastic For Use In Food Containers

PET, PC, PP, LDPE, HDPE, PET are plastic materials that remain safe for food contact. These filaments don’t consist of hazardous chemicals that emit BPA; hence they are safe to consumers when ingested.

Applications Of PCTG Filaments

Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG) is a 3D plastic filament from the more famous PLA filament. It contains qualities that improve on those of the PLA.

However, PCTG hugely improves PETG and may be considered a step over PETG.

It is a transparent material with a wide range of applications cutting across various industries and home use.

PCTG provides excellently transparent, very high impact strength and chemical aversion. Also, It complies with EU directives, and FDA has permitted it to be used for various types of food contact.

Customers find a variety of uses for PCTG products.

Applications

• Transparent container articles
• Extrusion sheets
• Food packagings like drinking bottles and food containers
• Toys
• Manifold blocks for life science and analytical equipment
• Single-use mechanical components for biopharma processing
• Dental appliances such as aligners
• Various single-use medical device components such as respirators.
• Cosmetic packaging

Benefits

• Transparency
• Offering Superior Impact Strength
• Hostile to Chemicals
• Humidity Strong

Conclusion

PCTG filament material is among the best 3D plastic filament materials in use at present. However, it remains relatively unknown to most 3D printmakers.

PCTG has all the qualities of its more famous cousin, the PETG filament. Additionally, it boasts different attributes that make it surpass the PETG.

3D enthusiasts who have experienced using PCTG filaments have gone along to replace PETG (Polyethylene terephthalate glycol) with it.

PCTG enjoys a high level of transparency, a higher impact strength, and an absolute chemical resistance, making it a top plastic market.

Michael Brooks is the founder of M3DZone.com. He sees a very bright future for 3D printing that's why his mission is to try and make this easy for everyone. Discover your hidden talent and creativity. You can follow here: Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest.