FDM · Heat-Resistant Composite

FDM PET-CF Heat Resistant Carbon Fibre

Name: FDM PET-CF Carbon Fibre 3D Printing
Brand: RYSE 3D

The fixture material that holds tolerance in heat and humidity — carbon-fibre-reinforced PET with a 205 °C heat deflection temperature, 182 °C still standing under a 1.8 MPa load, and just 0.37% saturated water absorption. RYSE 3D prints PET-CF in a dedicated high-temperature chamber in the UK. Where nylon would soften, creep or drift with the weather, PET-CF stays where you put it.

Quote in PET-CF → All FDM materials

Also known as carbon fibre PET · CF-PET · PET carbon · heat resistant carbon fibre

Priced instantly online — no quote request, no sales call. Express turnaround from 1–3 days, no minimum order, and volume pricing to 100,000 parts.

Overview

Heat and humidity, handled together

A weld fixture has a hard brief. It sits next to hot work all day, it gets clamped and loaded while it’s hot, and it has to give the same answer in a damp January workshop as it did in August. Most engineering polymers manage one of those. Carbon-fibre-reinforced PET manages all three: a 205 °C heat deflection temperature, and 0.37% saturated water absorption — the lowest of any material we print.

The number that matters most here is the one most datasheets bury. PET-CF holds 182 °C at a 1.8 MPa load, against 119 °C for our high-temperature nylon. The 0.45 MPa figure tells you when a part sags under its own weight; the 1.8 MPa figure tells you when it sags under yours. For anything clamped, bolted or loaded while hot, that second number is the one to design to — and it is where PET-CF pulls clear.

Technical data

PET-CF material properties

Headline properties for our FDM PET-CF heat resistant carbon fibre composite.

Reviewed by the RYSE 3D engineering team · July 2026 Download the full datasheet below, or have it confirmed with your instant quote. Values vary with geometry and orientation.

Property	Value
Heat deflection temperature (0.45 MPa)	205 °C
Heat deflection temperature (1.8 MPa)	182 °C
Ultimate tensile strength	74 MPa
Elongation at break	4.5%
Impact, notched	8.6 kJ/m²
Saturated water absorption	0.37%
Character	Heat resistant, moisture-stable

Download PET-CF datasheet (PDF) ↓

Applications

What PET-CF is used for

Weld fixtures and jigs that hold tolerance in heat and humidity — and any part that has to stay dimensionally honest while hot, loaded, or both. The same stiffness and moisture stability also suit lightweight structural parts working outdoors, well away from heat.

RYSE 3D printed PET-CF carbon fibre action camera grip in wet poolside use

Action camera grip — textured finish, in and out of the water

RYSE 3D printed PET-CF carbon fibre drone payload body in flight

Drone payload body — airborne and in service

RYSE 3D printed PET-CF carbon fibre aero winglet fitted to a racing car

Aero winglet — fitted on a race car

RYSE 3D printed PET-CF carbon fibre vacuum duct with a fine textured finish

Vacuum duct — textured finish, ribbed for stiffness

Weld fixtures Assembly & inspection jigs Manufacturing tooling Composite layup tooling Heat-exposed brackets Under-bonnet components Load-bearing structures Humid-environment parts Handheld equipment Ducting & airflow parts Drone & UAV components Motorsport aero Functional prototypes

Price & lead time

PET-CF, priced in seconds

Heat-resistant FDM is usually a send-an-enquiry-and-wait job. It isn’t here — upload your CAD and the price for PET-CF comes back on screen, whether that’s a single weld fixture or a production set of jigs.

Instant online pricing

Upload a STEP or STL and see the PET-CF price immediately — no quote request, no obligation, no sales call. Volume pricing runs to 100,000 parts.

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1–3 day express

Express turnaround available, printed, finished and inspected under one roof in Warwickshire — no outsourcing and no waiting on a third party’s queue.

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No minimum order

One fixture or ten thousand parts. No tooling, no setup charge and no minimum quantity.

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Free grade selection

Tell us the job, the temperature and the load and we’ll spec the right material free with your quote — even if that turns out not to be PET-CF.

Price my PET-CF parts → Talk to our engineers

Why PET-CF

Why choose FDM PET-CF

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182 °C under real load

The figure that decides fixture jobs. At a 1.8 MPa load PET-CF holds 182 °C, against 119 °C for our high-temperature nylon — so clamped and bolted parts keep their shape while hot.

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205 °C heat deflection

At 0.45 MPa, backed by a 226 °C Vicat softening point and a 250 °C melting point. Nearly 3× the heat resistance of PETG-CF, one letter away in the catalogue.

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0.37% water absorption

The lowest of any material we print — a quarter of our high-temperature nylon and a tenth of glass-filled PA6. Dimensions that don’t drift with the weather.

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Tougher than most heat grades

4.5% elongation, 8.6 kJ/m² notched and 36 kJ/m² un-notched. High-temperature materials are usually brittle; this one has some give in it.

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Stable and low-warp

Carbon fibre reinforcement keeps the low warping and shrinkage of ordinary PET while adding stiffness — accuracy that holds across big, flat fixture plates.

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Finished in-house

Bead blasted, smoothed, primed or A-class painted — one team prints, finishes and inspects it, with 1–3 day express available.

Design guidance

Designing for PET-CF

Typical guidelines for FDM PET-CF heat resistant carbon fibre. We’ll confirm the specifics for your part with a free design-for-additive review at quote.

Design feature	Typical guideline
Build envelope	340 × 320 × 340 mm — dedicated high-temperature chamber
Larger parts	Split, print, bond & inspect — or step to a large-format grade at up to 900 mm
Turnaround	1–3 days express available
Load orientation	Strongly directional — 74 MPa in-plane against 35 MPa through-layer, about 2.1×. Fixture load paths are oriented at quote
Designing to temperature	Use the 1.8 MPa figure (182 °C) for clamped or loaded parts and the 0.45 MPa figure (205 °C) for unloaded ones
Moisture	0.37% saturated — no conditioning, no drift between a damp workshop and a dry one
Annealing	Published figures are measured on annealed and dried specimens (80 °C / 12 h); the manufacturer suggests 80–140 °C for 6–12 h. We confirm the schedule for your part at quote
Chemical exposure	Resists most oils and greases; not resistant to acids, alkalis or some organic solvents — tell us the fluid and we’ll spec it
Finish	Bead blasted, smoothed, primed or A-class painted in-house

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Full specification

Every number an engineer needs

ISO-referenced values from the manufacturer’s technical data sheet (V3.0), measured on specimens annealed and dried at 80 °C for 12 h. X-Y is in-plane, Z is through-layer. Reference only; confirmed at quote.

Property	X-Y	Z	Method
Mechanical (dry state)
Tensile strength	74 ± 6 MPa	35 ± 5 MPa	ISO 527
Young’s modulus	4,730 ± 260 MPa	2,160 ± 170 MPa	ISO 527
Elongation at break	4.5 ± 1.2%	2.4 ± 0.8%	ISO 527
Bending strength	131 ± 6 MPa	49 ± 5 MPa	ISO 178
Bending modulus	5,320 ± 270 MPa	2,210 ± 180 MPa	ISO 178
Impact strength, notched	8.6 ± 0.5 kJ/m²	—	ISO 179
Impact strength, un-notched	36.0 ± 2.7 kJ/m²	4.5 ± 0.6 kJ/m²	ISO 179
Thermal
Heat deflection, 0.45 MPa	205 °C		ISO 75
Heat deflection, 1.8 MPa	182 °C		ISO 75
Vicat softening temperature	226 °C		ISO 306
Melting temperature	250 °C		DSC, 10 °C/min
Glass transition (Tg)	75 °C		DSC, 10 °C/min
Physical
Density	1.29 g/cm³		ISO 1183
Saturated water absorption	0.37% (25 °C, 55% RH)		Manufacturer method

Anisotropy note: PET-CF is strongly directional — 74 MPa in-plane against 35 MPa through-layer, roughly 2.1×. On fixtures this matters more than on brackets, because clamping loads rarely run in one axis. We orient your part at quote.

Honest limits

Where PET-CF is the wrong call

Engineering materials are picked on what they can’t do as much as what they can. If any of these apply, we’ll spec you a better grade — free, with your quote.

Peak strength & stiffness

At 74 MPa, PET-CF trades outright strength for heat and stability. Where the brief is load capacity, PPA-CF reaches 98 MPa with an 8,700 MPa modulus, and PA6-CF reaches 109 MPa.

Parts bigger than 340 mm

PET-CF runs in the high-temperature chamber, capped at 340 × 320 × 340 mm. For one-piece parts up to 900 mm, PA6-CF and PA6-GF run on the large-format platform.

Impact-driven parts

8.6 kJ/m² notched is respectable for a heat grade but not an impact spec. Where taking hits is the job, PA12-CF gives 22.8 kJ/m² and 8.4% elongation; snap-fits and living hinges route to MJF PA 11 Gen2.

Acids, alkalis & some solvents

PET-CF resists most oils and greases but is not resistant to acids, alkalis or certain organic solvents, and carries no flame rating. For ignition-critical parts specify PC-FR or our UL94 V-0 SLA resin; for chemical exposure, tell us the fluid.

Compare

PET-CF vs PPA-CF vs PETG-CF

One letter separates PET-CF from PETG-CF in the catalogue, and nearly 3× the heat resistance separates them in service — the single most common mix-up in this range. Against PPA-CF, the other high-temperature chamber grade, PET-CF trades outright stiffness for load-bearing heat performance and far lower moisture pickup. For peak strength in a large-format part see PA6-CF; for impact toughness, PA12-CF; for production nylon at volume, powder-bed MJF.

Property	PET-CF (this page)	PPA-CF	PETG-CF
Heat deflection (0.45 MPa)	205 °C	192 °C	74 °C
Heat deflection (1.8 MPa)	182 °C	119 °C	—
Tensile strength	74 MPa	98 MPa	35 MPa
Elongation at break	4.5%	1.6%	10.4%
Impact, notched	8.6 kJ/m²	6.3 kJ/m²	15.7 kJ/m²
Water absorption	0.37%	1.37%	—
Best for	Tolerance in heat & humidity	Rigidity in heat	Stiff brackets at ambient

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FAQ

FDM PET-CF FAQ

What is PET-CF carbon fibre?

PET-CF is polyethylene terephthalate reinforced with chopped carbon fibre, printed on FDM in our high-temperature chamber. The carbon fibre adds stiffness and dimensional accuracy while keeping the low warp and shrinkage of ordinary PET. It combines a 205 °C heat deflection temperature with 0.37% water absorption, which is what makes it the fixture and tooling material in our range.

How much heat can PET-CF take?

205 °C heat deflection at 0.45 MPa and 182 °C at 1.8 MPa, with a 226 °C Vicat softening point and a 250 °C melting point. The 1.8 MPa figure is the one to design to for clamped or loaded parts, and it is where PET-CF pulls clear of high-temperature nylon, which manages 119 °C under the same load.

How strong is PET-CF?

74 ± 6 MPa tensile in-plane with a 4,730 MPa Young’s modulus and 131 MPa in bending. It is strongly directional — 35 MPa through-layer, roughly 2.1× — so orientation matters, and we set it for your part at quote.

Does PET-CF absorb moisture?

Barely. 0.37% saturated water absorption is the lowest of any material we print — around a quarter of our high-temperature nylon and a tenth of glass-filled PA6. For fixtures and gauges that means dimensions stay put between a damp workshop in winter and a dry one in summer, with no conditioning needed — and it holds up in genuinely wet service, not just humid air.

What is the difference between PET-CF and PETG-CF?

One letter in the name and nearly 3× the heat resistance in service. PETG-CF softens from around 74 °C and suits stiff brackets at ambient temperature; PET-CF holds 205 °C and is the one to specify the moment heat enters the brief. PETG-CF is more ductile at 10.4% elongation and costs less, so it is the better buy when parts stay cool.

What is PET-CF used for?

Weld fixtures, assembly and inspection jigs, manufacturing and composite layup tooling, heat-exposed brackets and under-bonnet components — anything that has to hold tolerance while hot, loaded, or sitting in a humid workshop. Parts print up to 340 × 320 × 340 mm.

How much does PET-CF 3D printing cost in the UK?

It depends on part size, geometry and quantity, so we price it on screen in seconds rather than quote a misleading headline figure. Upload a STEP or STL to our instant online quote, select FDM PET-CF and the price comes back immediately, with volume pricing to 100,000 parts. No minimum order, no tooling cost and no setup charge.

How fast can I get PET-CF parts?

Express turnaround is available from 1–3 days. We print, finish and inspect PET-CF in-house in Shipston-on-Stour, so nothing is subcontracted and no part of the job waits in another supplier’s queue. Tell us the deadline with your quote and we’ll confirm what is achievable.

How do I order heat resistant 3D printed parts in the UK?

Upload your CAD to our instant online quote and select FDM PET-CF, or download the full PET-CF datasheet (PDF) first. As a UK 3D printing service bureau we print, finish and inspect in-house in Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire, and ship UK-wide — from prototyping to production.

Get your PET-CF parts priced in seconds.

Upload your CAD for an instant online quote in FDM PET-CF heat resistant carbon fibre — from a single weld fixture to a production set of jigs. Printed and finished in the UK.

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Printed and finished at our own ISO 9001 facility in Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire. Call us on 024 7736 0144.