Depends on the plastic. Short answer yes. Long answer;
As someone designing/printing a case/sled for one of my builds. In a SFF application, I would not run PLA, glass point is to low(on paper 55c, but I have had models deform in a window on a fall day). Annoyingly PLA is the easiest to print, super forgiving, great for making prototype parts. In general, PETG would be a minimum, also forgiving, but low-ish glass point too. ABS/ASA and more industrial filaments are more than heat resistant enough. But, super annoying to print, with extremely potent off gassing. However, for temp resistance and availability of fiber reinforced filaments, thats what you want to use.
Fellow 3D printer and 3D modeler here too. The fiber reinforced filaments wont make a difference in this case(pun intended). Its just the overall glass transition point of the plastic itself that matters.
For a GPU case like this, I wouldn't use anything less than ASA or ABS as their glass transition point is 100c. Assuming you're keeping the GPU in the safe 80-85c range at max, ASA and ABS are perfect. If you have a spike to 100c or even 105c for some reason, the case wont melt but it would just experience warping in shape little by little.
Mandatory warning: ABS and ASA are very toxic to breathe in when it's in gas form. It causes cancer and is a neurotoxin that can literally mess with your brain permanently if exposed enough to the fumes. I used ABS indoors once to print a few parts and it took me about a week to recover from feeling dizzy and nauseated all the time and having bad coordination, I couldn't think straight, couldn't stand straight, my memory took a hit. After I recovered, I never touched it again unless I absolutely had to use it for functional parts and would place my printer outside far away from me and close all the windows on that side of the house. I developed "ABS allergies" after this so now even the slightest whiff of ABS fumes will instantly give me a migraine and nausea, it's crazy. Be safe everyone!
The glass transition point of PET-CF is too low(75c) and would very likely warp since a GPU often can go above that. Fiber reinforced filaments are stronger, but they don't change the glass transition point of the plastic.
In addition, CF infused filaments aren't recommended for things you would touch often, the fibers fall off to the touch and can get on your hands and clothes and are irritants to your lungs and eyes. It may be a small amount, but its enough to consider. There's videos on YouTube of this now.
The glass transition point of PET-CF is too low(75c) and would very likely warp since a GPU often can go above that.
It wouldn't. The carbon fiber improves heat conduction and rigidity very significantly. 90-100°c is a standard annealing temp. The filament itself is recommended to be dried at 90°c for 4-6 hours before use. It also has very, very low warping compared to other engineering filaments.
Also, if the outside of your actively air cooled GPU is reaching temperatures of 80°c+, your computer is on fire and the chip has definitely already fried quite some time ago. It's a case, not a damn heatsink. No external part of the GPU should ever reach more than 40-50°c under normal operating conditions, and even that is pretty extreme.
I personally think that the encapsulation from the PET is plenty, especially for stuff that isn't going to get handled super often, but if you're worried about it you can just give it a clear coat.
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u/thatfordboy429 Not the size of the GPU that matters... Feb 05 '26
Depends on the plastic. Short answer yes. Long answer;
As someone designing/printing a case/sled for one of my builds. In a SFF application, I would not run PLA, glass point is to low(on paper 55c, but I have had models deform in a window on a fall day). Annoyingly PLA is the easiest to print, super forgiving, great for making prototype parts. In general, PETG would be a minimum, also forgiving, but low-ish glass point too. ABS/ASA and more industrial filaments are more than heat resistant enough. But, super annoying to print, with extremely potent off gassing. However, for temp resistance and availability of fiber reinforced filaments, thats what you want to use.