Pellet 3D Printers

A pellet 3D printer melts 2–5 mm plastic granules in a heated screw extruder instead of feeding a filament. The process is called FGF, fused granular fabrication. Pellets cost less per kilo than filament and a screw moves far more plastic per hour, which makes large parts practical. Eolas Prints sells PioCreat's G5 Ultra, MS01 and G12 and supplies the PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU and rPET pellets they print: pellets and filament from one supplier, shipped worldwide.

All three machines are made by PioCreat (Shenzhen PioCreat 3D Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China), founded in 2015 and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Creality. Eolas Prints, a 3D printing supplier in Reocín, Cantabria, Spain, supplies both the printers and the pellets they run on, the same pellets we use to manufacture our own filament.

What is a pellet 3D printer?

Pellets drop from a hopper into a heated barrel, where a rotating screw melts, compresses and meters the plastic through the nozzle, much like a small injection-moulding machine. A filament printer (FFF) instead pulls a pre-made 1.75 or 2.85 mm strand into a hot end. Skipping the filament-making step is what lowers the material cost, and the screw is what lifts output: up to 0.8 kg/h on the G5 Ultra and up to 3 kg/h on the MS01 and G12.

Nozzles are larger (0.4 mm on the G5 Ultra up to 4 mm on the G12) and layers are thicker, so surfaces are coarser than on a filament printer. Pellet printing pays off when parts are big, material use is high, or you want to print recycled plastic. It suits:

Large parts and full-size prototypes that would take days, or several sections, on a filament printer.
Moulds, jigs and fixtures for workshops and production lines.
Furniture, décor and signage, where size matters more than fine surface detail.
R&D labs and universities testing materials, blends and masterbatch colours.
Recyclers and circular-economy projects turning plastic scrap into parts.

Pellet vs filament: cost per kg

Same materials, same seller: this is what a kilo costs at Eolas in pellet and in filament form. Prices in EUR including Spanish VAT, as of 10 November 2026.

Material	Eolas filament	Pellets at Eolas	Pellets cost less by
PLA	€19.90/kg (1 kg spool)	€10.99/kg	45%
ABS	€22.11/kg (€19.90 per 900 g spool)	€10.99/kg	50%
TPU 93A	€39.99/kg (1 kg spool)	€18.90/kg	53%
PETG	€25.50/kg (1 kg spool)	€18.90/kg	26%
rPET (recycled)	—	€15.99/kg	15% below virgin PETG pellets

Example: 100 kg of PLA a month costs €1,099 in pellets against €1,990 in filament, €891 less every month. Bulk spools narrow the gap slightly (PETG on a 2.5 kg spool works out at €24.90/kg, so pellets are 24% cheaper). Prices change, so check each product page.

What you trade for the lower cost: pellets must be kept dry (PETG, TPU and ABS absorb moisture), layers are coarser, and changing material or colour means purging the screw. For small, highly detailed parts a filament printer is still the better tool.

How to choose: G5 Ultra, MS01 or G12

Choose on part size first, then on temperature.

PioCreat G5 Ultra — the entry point to FGF. Open frame, 500 × 500 × 400 mm build volume, 420 °C screw extruder, up to 0.8 kg/h and a 3 L hopper, in a 765 × 890 × 1040 mm footprint. Buy online.
PioCreat MS01 — the high-temperature machine. Fully enclosed chamber up to 100 °C, 400 °C nozzle, 110 °C bed, 500 × 500 × 650 mm and up to 3 kg/h. For engineering materials and, in PioCreat's own lead application, polypropylene orthotic braces. Sold by quote.
PioCreat G12 — large format. 1200 × 1000 × 1000 mm (1,200 L), 450 °C screw extruder, 130 °C zoned bed, 25 L hopper and up to 3 kg/h. For full-size parts, moulds and furniture. Sold by quote.

If your largest part fits in 500 × 500 × 400 mm and you print PLA, PETG, ABS or TPU, the G5 Ultra covers it. Move to the MS01 when the material needs a hot chamber, and to the G12 when the part will not fit anywhere else.

Compare the PioCreat pellet printers

	G5 Ultra	MS01	G12
Build volume	500 × 500 × 400 mm (100 L)	500 × 500 × 650 mm (≈162 L)	1200 × 1000 × 1000 mm (1,200 L)
Max nozzle temperature	420 °C	400 °C	450 °C
Max bed temperature	120 °C	110 °C	130 °C (zoned)
Chamber	Open frame	Enclosed, up to 100 °C	Enclosed cabinet
Max output	0.8 kg/h	3 kg/h	3 kg/h
Max speed	220 mm/s	220 mm/s	90 mm/s
Pellet size	2–5 mm	2–5 mm	2–5 mm
Nozzle diameter	0.4–2.0 mm (3.0 optional)	1.0 mm (2.0 / 3.0 / 4.0 optional)	1.2–4.0 mm
Layer height	0.2–1.0 mm	0.5–1.5 mm	0.6–2.0 mm
Hopper	3 L	—	25 L
Rated power	1450 W; 100–110 / 220–240 V	4200 W; 100–120 / 200–240 V	7000 W; single-phase 220 V (110 V US version)
Machine size	765 × 890 × 1040 mm	870 × 1015 × 1995 mm	2135 × 1775 × 2305 mm
Net / gross weight	42 / 70 kg	274 / 425 kg	750 / 1285 kg
Price	Price shown on product page	Price shown on product page; request a quote	Price shown on product page; request a quote

Source: manufacturer specifications (PioCreat product pages and user manuals). Where PioCreat's web page and manual differ, the manual value is shown.

Materials and pellets

PioCreat lists PLA, PETG, ABS and TPU for the G5 Ultra and G12, along with PC, PP, PETG-GF and carbon-fibre-filled grades. For the MS01 it specifies high-temperature composite materials without naming a list, so ask us before you order for a specific polymer. The pellets we supply come in 1 kg bags:

PLA pellets — €10.99/kg. Virgin PLA, the easiest pellet to start with.
PETG pellets — €18.90/kg. Virgin PETG, tougher and more heat-resistant than PLA. Dry before printing.
ABS pellets — €10.99/kg. Virgin ABS for impact-resistant parts that sand and finish well. Print in a ventilated room.
TPU pellets — €18.90/kg. Virgin TPU, Shore 93A, for flexible parts.
rPET pellets — €15.99/kg. Recycled PET in 2–3.5 mm spherical pellets. PioCreat does not name PET in its material lists, so treat it as a PETG-class material and run a test print first.

All the pellets we sell are virgin material except rPET, which is recycled. PioCreat machines take 2–5 mm pellets: ask us to confirm the pellet size of a grade before a large order. See the full range in Pellets.

Recycled plastic and circular printing

PioCreat states that the G5 Ultra prints recycled pellets, flakes and regrind as well as virgin pellets, and can blend pellets with colour masterbatch. That makes FGF a practical way to turn production scrap or post-consumer plastic into parts. Results depend on the feedstock: clean, dry, evenly sized material prints best. The rPET pellets we supply are a ready-made starting point, and our guide to recycled rPET pellets for 3D printing explains what to look for.

Shipping, installation and support

We ship worldwide, including the UK, the Middle East and Latin America. All three printers travel as pallet freight. Outside the EU the Incoterm is DAP: we deliver to your address and you pay import duties, taxes and customs clearance.

The MS01 and G12 are sold by quote. The price is shown on each product page; freight, installation and training are quoted per project, depending on your site and country. Contact us with your location and application and we will prepare a quote.

Warranty is provided by the manufacturer: PioCreat gives a 1-year limited warranty from the date of purchase, excluding nozzles, toolbox items and pellets.

Before you buy: site, power and ventilation

Check your site before ordering. The G12 weighs 750 kg net, stands 2305 mm tall and needs a 7 kW single-phase 220 V supply. The MS01 weighs 274 kg net, is 1995 mm tall and is rated at 4.2 kW. Plan door widths, floor load and pallet access for delivery. Melting plastic releases fumes and fine particles, so print in a ventilated space (the MS01 has a HEPA filter). Store pellets sealed and dry them before printing: moisture causes bubbles, stringing and weak layers.

Frequently asked questions

What is a pellet 3D printer and how is it different from a filament printer?

A pellet 3D printer feeds plastic granules from a hopper into a heated screw extruder, which melts the plastic and pushes it through the nozzle. A filament printer pulls a pre-made 1.75 or 2.85 mm strand through a hot end. Pellets skip the filament-making step, so they cost less per kg, and the screw delivers far more material per hour, which suits large parts. The trade-offs are larger nozzles, coarser layers and the need to keep pellets dry.

What does FGF (fused granular fabrication) mean?

FGF, fused granular fabrication (also written fused granulate fabrication), is extrusion 3D printing from pellets or granules instead of filament. It builds parts layer by layer like FFF filament printing; the difference is the feedstock and the screw extruder. It is also called pellet extrusion, and at industrial scale it is part of LFAM, large-format additive manufacturing.

How much cheaper are pellets than filament per kg?

At Eolas prices on 10 November 2026, pellets cost 45% less than our filament for PLA, 50% less for ABS, 53% less for TPU 93A and 26% less for PETG. The recycled rPET pellets we sell are 15% cheaper than virgin PETG pellets. Prices change, so check the product pages for current figures.

Which pellet 3D printer should I choose: G5 Ultra, MS01 or G12?

Choose the G5 Ultra if your parts fit in 500 × 500 × 400 mm and you print PLA, PETG, ABS or TPU; it is the entry-level FGF machine and you can buy it online. Choose the MS01 for materials that need an enclosed chamber up to 100 °C and a 400 °C nozzle. Choose the G12 for parts up to 1200 × 1000 × 1000 mm. The MS01 and G12 are sold by quote, with freight, installation and training quoted per project.

What pellet size do PioCreat printers accept?

PioCreat specifies 2–5 mm pellets for the G5 Ultra, MS01 and G12. The rPET pellets we sell are 2–3.5 mm spheres. For other grades, ask us to confirm the pellet size before you order in volume.

Can I use the PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU or rPET pellets sold by Eolas in a PioCreat printer?

PioCreat lists PLA, PETG, ABS and TPU among the compatible materials for the G5 Ultra and G12, so the virgin PLA, PETG, ABS and TPU pellets we sell match those machines' material lists. PET is not named by PioCreat, so treat rPET as a PETG-class material and run a test print first. For the MS01, PioCreat specifies high-temperature composites without a named list, so ask us about your material. Dry the pellets and use the print settings given on each pellet page.

Can a pellet 3D printer print recycled plastic?

Yes, within limits. PioCreat states that the G5 Ultra can print recycled pellets, flakes and regrind as well as virgin pellets. Clean, dry and evenly sized feedstock gives the best results; contamination and moisture cause voids, stringing and blocked nozzles. The rPET pellets we sell are made from recycled PET and are a convenient starting point.

Do you ship pellet 3D printers to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the UK and Latin America, and who pays import duties?

Yes. We ship worldwide, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Brazil. The printers travel as pallet freight. Outside the EU the Incoterm is DAP: we deliver to your address and you pay import duties, taxes and customs clearance. For the MS01 and G12, freight, installation and training are quoted per project.

Planning a pellet printing project? Tell us your part size, material and country and we will recommend a machine and quote freight, installation and training. Request a quote →