Prusament PETG Tungsten 1.75mm Filament (100g)

Prusament PETG Tungsten 75% is highly specialized filament designed mainly for radiation shielding purposes. Tungsten powder inside the PETG filament is a heavy metal that does not react with water, oxygen, or with room temperature air. Unlike lead, tungsten is hypoallergenic and non-toxic, which makes it perfectly suitable for medical applications.

Because of its atomic number, tungsten can be used in various applications as x-rays and gamma-ray radiation-shielding material.

Materials with such high density are generally very difficult to machine, can be very expensive, or even toxic. These materials' inherent properties make the classic manufacturing methods undesirable. However, bonding the metal powder with polymers suitable for 3D printing provides the potential to create complex/individualised shielding components more easily and sometimes at a reduced cost.

There are a number of areas where radiation shielding filaments may be used. This includes for example the aerospace, nuclear energy industry, non-destructive testing, x-ray imaging devices, etc.

Find out more about Prusament PETG Tungsten 75% and its uses in the announcement article.

Print preparation

It is necessary to use a hardened steel nozzle. Tungsten powder is a highly abrasive material and may damage a brass nozzle.

Powder-coated Satin or TXT sheet provides good adhesion. Clean it with IPA (available in drugstores, for example) which works great not only with Prusament PETG Tungsten 75% but with other materials too.

Pour a small amount of IPA on a paper towel and use it for cleaning the surface. To achieve the best results, clean the surface while it’s cold. Keep in mind that higher temperatures will evaporate the alcohol before cleaning the surface. Also, don’t forget that the heatbed preheated for printing Prusament PETG Tungsten 75% has a high temperature (80 °C) and may burn you if you touch it! Another possibility is cleaning the surface with warm water and a few drops of dish cleaner on a paper towel. You can also use denatured alcohol.

Prusa don’t recommend printing with Prusament PETG Tungsten 75% on a smooth PEI sheet. This material adheres greatly to the PEI surface and may cause damage to it. This type of damage is not covered by the warranty. If you need to print on a smooth surface, spread a thin layer of paper glue stick on it.

You can find more in-depth printing tips in Prusa's article at blog.prusa3d.com and in Prusa's Material table.