PP (Polypropylene)
✓ Food Safe
⬡ Chemical Resistant
220–250
°C
Print Temp
85–100
°C
Bed Temp
100
°C
Max Service
Overview
Polypropylene - found in yogurt cups, living hinges, storage containers. Chemically resistant, food-safe, living hinge champion. Extremely difficult to print due to warping. Print 220-250C nozzle, 85-100C bed.
Properties
Difficulty
expert
Flexibility
semi-flex
Layer Adhesion
poor
Enclosure
recommended
Heated Bed
required
Dry Storage
no
Pros
- FDA food safe
- Excellent chemical resistance
- Very flexible
- Lightweight
- Good fatigue resistance
- Low friction surface
- Recyclable (symbol 5)
- One of the safer filaments to print
- Good for living hinges
Cons
- Poor layer adhesion
- Difficult to print
- Warping issues
- Bed adhesion challenges
- Limited color options
- Not as strong as PETG/ABS
- Enclosure recommended
- Slow print speeds
Best For
- Chemical containers
- living hinge designs
- food-contact items (food-safe pigments required)
- lab equipment
Avoid For
- Beginners
- aesthetic prints
- anything needing simple bed adhesion
- large flat prints
Storage
Low moisture absorption vs other filaments - one of the few that stores well without desiccant. Still recommended sealed.
Laser Compatibility
LASER INTERACTION
Safety: CAUTION — polypropylene melts at low temperatures and is highly reflective to CO2 laser.
Fumes: Propylene combustion products — less toxic than chlorine or nitrogen-containing polymers but still irritating.
Result: Very poor. PP has extremely low CO2 laser absorption and melts readily. Diode lasers (450nm) also poorly absorbed. Essentially impossible to engrave cleanly.
Warning: PP can ignite and drip burning material — fire hazard if power is too high.
Brands
Polymaker PolyPropyleneVerbatim PPFiberlogy PP3DXTECH PPColorfabb PP