Public engineering report
Polymaker PolyMax PLA Black
Public-data contract: This static report contains only allowlisted material identity, public links, canonical MSRP and existing Verified Material Summary / governed score outputs. It excludes raw specimen rows and non-public operational data.
Test coverage
Complete
Engineering axes
6/6
Public MSRP
$52.12 USD/kg
Material identity
| MaterialID | MAT0109 |
|---|---|
| Material | Polymaker PolyMax PLA Black |
| Manufacturer | Polymaker |
| Product line | PolyMax |
| Base material | PLA |
| Category | Standard |
| Variant / finish | — |
| Reinforcement | — |
| Color | Black |
Governed engineering profile
| Overall | 64/100 |
|---|---|
| Tensile | 32/100 |
| Impact | 62/100 |
| Stiffness | 68/100 |
| Consistency | 90/100 |
| Layer adhesion | 70/100 |
| Thermal | 26/100 |
| Best available axis | consistency |
Engineering score profile
Engineering radar
Selected material
Material average - PLA
Manufacturer average - Polymaker
All axes use existing governed 0–100 engineering scores. Missing axes are shown at zero and remain listed as n/a elsewhere in the report.
Fixture thermal result
51 °C · score 26/100 · method 3dp-thermal-deflection-fixture-v1
Nearby BlueDOT probe-indicated fixture temperature from a non-standard comparative 3DPIceland method; not ASTM D648, ISO 75, specimen temperature, certified HDT or a manufacturer limit.
Nearby BlueDOT probe-indicated fixture temperature from a non-standard comparative 3DPIceland method; not ASTM D648, ISO 75, specimen temperature, certified HDT or a manufacturer limit.
Material and manufacturer context
| Metric | Selected material | Material average | Manufacturer average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 64/100 | 50/100 | 54/100 |
| Tensile | 32/100 | 29/100 | 27/100 |
| Impact | 62/100 | 24/100 | 32/100 |
| Stiffness | 68/100 | 87/100 | 76/100 |
| Consistency | 90/100 | 79/100 | 84/100 |
| Layer adhesion | 70/100 | 30/100 | 52/100 |
| Thermal | 26/100 | — | — |
Verified measurement results
Existing Verified Material Summary outputs. The public renderer does not read raw specimen rows or recalculate these values.
| Measurement | Average | Std. deviation | CV | Samples | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tensile upright | 20.964 MPa | 3.725 MPa | 17.8% | 10 | 10/10 |
| Tensile flat | 30.1 MPa | 1.725 MPa | 5.7% | 10 | 10/10 |
| Impact upright | 188.753 kJ/m² | 17.659 kJ/m² | 9.4% | 10 | 10/10 |
| Impact flat | 1041.591 kJ/m² | 73.193 kJ/m² | 7% | 10 | 10/10 |
| Stiffness modulus | 2027.607 MPa | — | — | — | — |
| Stiffness deflection | 2.676 mm | — | — | — | — |
Measurement provenance
Canonical per-module measured dates from SQLite, shown in unambiguous ISO format. Missing dates are not inferred.
| Module | Measured date |
|---|---|
| Tensile | Not recorded |
| Impact | Not recorded |
| Stiffness | Not recorded |
| Thermal | Not recorded |
Engineering interpretation
Summary: Polymaker PolyMax PLA Black has a balanced mid-range engineering profile. It is above its material-family average by 14 points and above its manufacturer average by 10 points. Its strongest measured axis is Consistency, while the weakest axis is Tensile.
Data-driven review: Polymaker PolyMax PLA Black is best understood as a balanced material for general functional prototypes. Compared with the current verified dataset, it ranks better than 99% overall, is above the material-family average by 14 points, and is above the manufacturer average by 10 points. Its strongest engineering signal is Consistency, while Tensile is the main limitation to consider before using it for demanding applications.
Best feature
Consistency
Main limitation
Tensile
Dataset position
Better than 99%
4 / 234
Strengths
- Layer adhesion: 70/100. Z-axis bonding is better than the material-family context.
- Consistency: 90/100. Repeatability is one of the stronger signals in this material profile.
- Impact: 62/100. Impact behavior is competitive against the material-family context.
Limitations
- Tensile: 32/100. Avoid using this as the primary choice for tensile-loaded parts.
- Stiffness: 68/100. Expect less shape stability than the stronger materials in the same family.
Engineering trade-offs
- Good repeatability does not compensate for low tensile capability in load-bearing designs.
Recommended applications
- Impact-aware parts where toughness matters
- Parts where Z-axis bonding is important
- Repeatable print jobs and production-style batches
- Cosmetic parts, concept models or low-load prototypes
- Avoid high tensile load applications
Metric rankings and percentiles
| Metric | Score | Rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 64/100 | 4 / 234 | Better than 99% |
| Tensile | 32/100 | 77 / 226 | Better than 66% |
| Impact | 62/100 | 4 / 226 | Better than 99% |
| Stiffness | 68/100 | 157 / 223 | Better than 30% |
| Consistency | 90/100 | 3 / 231 | Better than 99% |
| Layer adhesion | 70/100 | 4 / 226 | Better than 99% |
| Thermal | 26/100 | 176 / 209 | Better than 16% |
Decision guidance
- Use this material for moderate requirements after checking the weakest axis.
- Review the listed alternatives if the application needs stronger overall performance.
- Do not choose it as a tensile-strength benchmark material.
Better alternatives
| MaterialID | Material | Manufacturer | Overall | Tensile | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAT0069 | ProtoPasta HTPLA Blood of My Enemies PLA Red | ProtoPasta | 100/100 | — | — |
Peer context
Highest-scoring same-base-material peers from the current governed dataset. This context is descriptive and is not recalculated by the public renderer.
| MaterialID | Material | Manufacturer | Overall | Tensile | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAT0069 | ProtoPasta HTPLA Blood of My Enemies PLA Red | ProtoPasta | 100/100 | — | — |
| MAT0079 | Polymaker PolyLight PLA Pro Black | Polymaker | 65/100 | 35/100 | 52/100 |
| MAT0080 | Polymaker PolySonic PLA Pro Blue | Polymaker | 64/100 | 30/100 | 58/100 |
| MAT0076 | BambuLab Tough+ PLA Tough+ Black | BambuLab | 63/100 | 26/100 | 59/100 |
| MAT0108 | Polymaker PolyLight PLA Black | Polymaker | 61/100 | 33/100 | 14/100 |
| MAT0074 | Winkle Matte PLA Matte Red | Winkle | 60/100 | 34/100 | — |
| MAT0122 | Add:North Enhanced PLA Clear | Add:North | 59/100 | 40/100 | 10/100 |
| MAT0096 | Prima Creator PrimaValue Light Gray PLA Plus Gray | Prima Creator | 58/100 | 33/100 | 58/100 |
Public links
Methodology and limitations
Results are comparative 3DPIceland measurements from home-built test equipment. Thermal is a nearby BlueDOT probe-indicated fixture temperature, not ASTM D648, ISO 75 or specimen temperature. Missing evidence remains n/a. Scores and test results are not recalculated by this publishing layer and do not replace certified manufacturer datasheets or accredited laboratory testing.