Prusament PC Space Grade – ESD safe material suitable for space applications

Prusament is aiming for the final frontier! We’re launching PC Space Grade Black – a material developed for the space industry and particle physics applications. Its main advantages are its ESD-safe properties and very low outgassing. Plus, its affordable price and ease of printing on common desktop printers make it something unique in this industry. Due to its excellent ESD properties and compatibility with desktop 3D printers, it’s suitable not only for parts exposed to outer space but also for advanced personal projects, such as housings for electronic devices and more. Let’s have a closer look at the properties of this revolutionary material.

High-end material accessible to everyone

Our goal was to create a professional, yet affordable material that would make prototyping and manufacturing space components easier. Until now, only costly materials like PEEK, PEKK and PEI with ESD-safe properties were suitable in this field. All of these materials require highly expensive industrial printers. Prusament PC Space Grade Black can be printed on most Prusa 3D printers, which significantly reduces the final price of manufactured components and greatly increases accessibility for everyone.

Prusa CORE One with Prusament PC Space Grade Black

Space applications requirements

To be usable in space, material must have a set of specific properties to survive the harsh environment. Some of these are relatively easy to achieve (thermal and mechanical resistance), while others are more difficult (outgassing and ESD-safe properties). Such properties are tested in certified labs (ESA, CERN…), and the material is then classified for more specific application fields based on the results.

For Prusament PC Space Grade Black, we aim to achieve the highest classification for polymers, which would allow the material to be used for structural components, such as CubeSat frames. A few steps remain before we reach this point, as we are still waiting for several test results. However, we have already passed the most difficult milestones, and now we can say that our material is already suitable for less-demanding space-related applications. This includes components under lower stress levels, such as electronics housings, wire holders, and more. Let’s have a look at the results we can already provide.

One of the less-demanding space-related applications: Prusament PC Space Grade Black was used as an endstop of a cubesat deployer designed by TRL Space.

Outgassing

By far, the greatest achievement is the outgassing level. In general, various residual monomers or products of polymer degradation are released from the polymers under vacuum. This can affect, or even damage, the electronics used on the satellite (or any other precise machinery). Released gases can contaminate optical devices or cause inaccurate measurements of precise sensors. And finally, the gas release itself can decrease the material’s physical and mechanical properties.

Manufacturing thermoplastic polymers with low outgassing levels is a great challenge, and it is usually achieved in expensive industrial-grade materials, such as PEKK and PEEK. We were able to fulfil strict requirements defined by the European Space Agency using PC (polycarbonate), which is a relatively cheap, common, and easy-to-print material.

The outgassing test was conducted on 3D-printed samples at an ESA-affiliated laboratory. Below we pinpoint the results, but you can download the full report here.

Measured outgassing values and used methods:

TML (Total Mass Loss): A specimen is weighed, exposed to a specific temperature under a high vacuum, and then weighed again. The mass loss is represented as a percentage. The ESA limit is 1%; Prusament PC Space Grade Black achieved 0.25%.

CVCM (Collected Volatile Condensable Material): The amount of organic compounds released from the material under a specific constant temperature under vacuum, which gets collected by the measuring device. The limit stated by ESA is less than 0.1%; the Prusament PC Space Grade Black reached a perfect 0.00%.

RML (Recovered Mass Loss): The total mass loss without absorbed water. First, the specimen is weighed, then exposed to a specific temperature in a vacuum for a specific time. Then, it is exposed to a room temperature (22 ± 3 °C) and 65% relative humidity. Finally, it is weighed again, and the final mass loss in % is calculated. The maximum limit stated by ESA is 1.0%; the Prusament PC Space Grade Black reached 0.12%.

CubeSat structures prototypes designed and 3D-printed by TRL Space

Electrostatic dissipation properties (ESD)

Another characteristic necessary for use in space components is electrostatic dissipation. This quality is important not only for space engineers but also for anyone who works with electronic devices.

The commonly used polymers can be divided into 3 groups according to conductivity: insulants, dissipative materials, and conductive materials. Most materials used in FFF/FDM 3D printing have insulating properties. Such materials are not suitable for printing parts that come in direct contact with electronics, as they are unable to dissipate an electrostatic discharge.

However, the material’s resistivity can be lowered with various additives. Such altered filaments then become dissipative and can be found on the market labeled as „ESD-safe“. The measured resistance of dissipative materials ranges between 10⁴ and 10¹¹ Ohms. Anything with higher resistance is considered insulating and anything with lower values is considered conductive material.

We have measured both the volume and surface resistivity of 3D printed samples from Prusament PC Space Grade Black, and the results confirmed the highly dissipative nature of the material. The volume resistivity was measured at 2.2×10⁴ Ω⋅m, while the surface resistivity was 6×10⁷ Ω/sq. These exceptional values were obtained directly from the 3D printed samples, without any post-processing, such as annealing or sanding, which is a testament to the filament’s inherent and consistent ESD performance. This demonstrates that parts can be printed and immediately put into use for a wide range of applications requiring reliable electrostatic dissipation.

CubeSat deployer prototype made by TRL Space with Prusament PC Space Grade components

Mechanical properties

At the beginning of our joint project with TRL Space, we conducted a Finite Element Method simulation for a single-unit CubeSat design and established the minimal required values for mechanical properties that 3D printed parts should exceed. These minimal values were 70 MPa for tensile strength, 2 GPa for tensile modulus, 10 MPa for interlayer adhesion and 100 °C for heat deflection temperature (HDT).

We are pleased to report that Prusament PC Space Grade Black successfully surpassed these criteria as we reached:

• Tensile strength: 75 MPa
• Tensile modulus: 3.7 GPa
• Interlayer adhesion: 18 MPa
• HDT: 137.6 °C at 0.45 MPa load

Exceeding these values (together with outgassing and ESD properties) makes the filament a strong candidate as an affordable material suitable for future CubeSat production. More details about mechanical properties can be found in the Technical Datasheet.

Price, weight and color

The carbon additives inside the filament give it a specific black color with a satin finish. The surface structure of the printed object may slightly resemble other carbon-filled filaments, such as Prusament PC Blend Carbon Fiber.

You can get the 850 g spool for 229 USD / 249 € (VAT incl.)

Print properties

Prusament PC Space Grade Black can be printed on common desktop 3D printers, just like regular polycarbonates. The filament shows little to no warping. Models as large as 200x200mm can be safely printed on Prusa 3D printers without any issues.

• Supported 3D printer profiles: Prusa CORE One, MK4S, XL, Prusa Pro HT90 (3rd party 3D printers may be used as well)
• Nozzle/bed temperature: 290 / 120 °C
• Nozzle: Hardened 0.4 mm or larger
• Recommended print sheets: Satin, TXT, PP
• Enclosure: Not necessary

We recommend drying the filament before printing (6 h at 60 °C) and keeping it in a drybox during the print for the best results. Dry Prusament PC Space Grade Black offers exceptional dimension accuracy and the best mechanical and outgassing properties.

Example prints

Trackable process

We offer one more significant advantage: The entire manufacturing process of the component is traceable from start to finish. First, we provide filament manufacturing data for all Prusament spools, including diameter consistency, weight, length, ovality, and standard deviation. Second, you can track the progress of your 3D print, including telemetry, through Prusa Connect.

But that’s not all. With a little bit of luck, we will get results good enough to qualify Prusament PC Space Grade Black for the highest category of polymers used in space applications. Finally, it is worth mentioning that we believe in this Prusament so much that it’s our first filament for which we have filed a patent application.

Also, if you have any ideas for cooperation regarding Prusament PC Space Grade Black, contact us at [email protected]. We’ll be happy to participate in any space-related project.

Do you like our new Prusament? Let us know in the comments.

Happy printing!