PPSU (polyphenylsulfone): density, print temperature and when to choose it
PPSU (polyphenylsulfone) is an amorphous high-temperature plastic, known mainly from medical instruments and parts that survive hundreds of autoclave cycles without losing strength. Unlike crystalline PPS and PEEK, PPSU stays impact-resistant and slightly flexible even after repeated heating and cooling, but printing still requires an industrial-class printer.
Key properties
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Density | ≈1.29 g/cm³ |
| Nozzle temperature | 360–390°C |
| Bed temperature | 100–130°C |
| Part cooling | off |
| Shrinkage | moderate, lower than crystalline counterparts |
| Enclosure required | yes |
When to use it
- Reusable medical instruments and housings requiring regular autoclave sterilization.
- Parts subject to impact loads at elevated temperature — PPSU stays tough where PPS and PEEK crack.
- Components for food and medical equipment where resistance to hot water and steam matters.
- Replacing polycarbonate in tasks needing higher heat resistance while keeping impact toughness.
When to pick something else
- You need maximum chemical resistance to solvents and fuel — PPS scores higher there.
- You need extreme heat resistance and stiffness — PEEK and PEKK outperform PPSU mechanically at extreme temperatures.
- Autoclaving isn't required and you just need impact resistance and transparency more cheaply — plain PC handles that for less money.
Pros and cons
Pros: high impact toughness even at elevated temperature, withstands hundreds of sterilization cycles without degrading, good transparency in its base form, stable dielectric properties.
Cons: requires a printer with a 360°C+ nozzle and a hot chamber — unavailable on consumer equipment; high filament price; prone to interlayer delamination without precise print temperature control; prints slower than standard engineering plastics.
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PPSU belongs to the same "industrial" category as PEEK and PEKK — printing requires depreciating a specialized printer with a hot chamber, not just paying for pricier filament. The material itself is expensive, and the risk of interlayer delamination on long prints means a higher defect rate than standard plastics, which should be budgeted separately. This expense is usually justified only where the customer genuinely needs repeated sterilization or impact resistance under heat — cheaper alternatives exist for other tasks.