3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

ABS-ESD vs PA11

Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.

ESD-safe ABS guidePA11 (Nylon 11) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ABS-ESD comparisonsMore PA11 comparisons
ABS-ESD vs PA11 — documented properties and sources
PropertyESD-safe ABSABSPA11 (Nylon 11)PA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$102.50/kg median; $47.00–$166.67/kg across 4 dated product listings$194.98/kg median; $194.98–$194.98/kg across 1 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryABS compounded with a conductive carbon filler for static-dissipative parts[1]Polyamide 11, polymerised from castor-oil-derived aminoundecanoic acid — a bio-based nylon[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.09 (ISO 1183)[1]1.02 (ISO 1183)[2]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 47–167; the middle of the market is about 103[4][5][6]Not documented
Price range across brandsUSD/kg47–167 across brands; IEMAI 47, YXPOLYER 65, 3DXTech 140 at 750 g pricing; the EMI-shielding ABS grade runs 167[4][5][6]Not documented
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[4]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[3]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g spools[4]1.75 mm; 1 kg spools[3]
Typical applicationsElectronics handling fixtures, trays and jigs used around static-sensitive parts[1]Tough, chemically resistant functional parts; Prusa targets it at impact-loaded and vibration-loaded components[3]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.02 (Prusament)[2]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented275 ± 10 (Prusament)[2]
Bed temperature°CNot documented100 ± 10 (Prusament)[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended[7]Enclosure required (passive) — Prusament specifies a 55 ± 5 °C chamber[2]
Recommended chamber temperature°CNot documented55 ± 5 (Prusament)[2]
Bed surface & adhesion aidClean the plate and apply glue; Simplify3D also lists Kapton tape and ABS slurry[7][8]PA nylon sheet (Prusament)[2]
Warping tendency1–5High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts[7]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[7]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Slight — Polymaker advises 1–2 mm retraction at 20–30 mm/s[9]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[7]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[2][10]
Extruder requirementNot documentedPrusa printed its test specimens with a high-flow CHT nozzle[2]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required[1]Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades[10]
Abrasiveness1–5Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[1]Non-abrasive when unfilled[10]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns and no minimum layer height for its ESD-ABS, only an 80 °C pre-dry[11]High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[12]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[8]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[8]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — the ABS matrix takes up 0.51–0.65 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH and 3DXTech specifies a 80 °C, 4 h pre-dry[13][14][11]High (0.8–2 %) — Prusa measures 0.46 % after 7 days at 22 % RH, but PA11 sits between PA12 and PA6 in the family[2][12]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.26 after 24 h and 0.46 after 7 days (Prusa Polymers method)[2]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[12]Popping and cracking during extrusion, then hard-to-diagnose defects[15]
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; absorbed water flashes to steam in the hotend and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[12]Prusa publishes no dry-versus-conditioned columns; the CoPA reference shows the PA-family response — stiffness and strength fall sharply, impact and elongation rise[15][16]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; Polymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity[12]Sealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[12]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa58 at break (printed XY, ISO 527) — the conductive filler raises strength above the unfilled grade's 42[1][17]38.3 ± 0.8 printed horizontal and 39.5 ± 0.5 printed vertical at yield, ISO 527-1[2]
Young's modulusMPa2130 (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]1200 printed, both orientations, ISO 527-1[2]
Elongation at break%4 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]5.6 ± 0.1 at yield, printed, ISO 527-1[2]
Flexural strengthMPa80 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2275 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]1100 printed horizontal and 1000 printed vertical, ISO 178[2]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented12.9 ± 2.1 printed horizontal and 11.7 ± 1.2 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched[2]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented32 ± 1 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test) — the highest interlayer figure Prusa publishes for any of its filaments[2]
Brittleness1–5Moderate[1]Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[2]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documented70 Shore D (Prusa Polymers method)[2]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no creep test found; Tg of 105 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Below average — no S-N curve found; elongation at break 4 %, well below unfilled ABS[1][17]Excellent — living hinges viable[10]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Semi-flexible[2]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented84 — Prusa publishes a tensile anisotropy coefficient of 0.84, the ratio of Z to XY tensile strength[2]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented58.7 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[2]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented49.9 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[2]
Glass transition (Tg)°C105 (DSC)[1]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
Chemical resistanceGood against weak acids, weak alkalis, oils and grease; dissolved by acetone[18]Not documented
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedAbsorbs water, properties shift[15]
Food contactNot food safe — Polymaker cites potential chemical leaching[9]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[9]Bio-based — the monomer comes from castor oil[3]
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[9]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistance 10⁷–10⁹ ohm/sq, the static-dissipative band (ASTM D257), against above 10¹³ for unfilled ABS[1][17]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[19][7]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[19]
VOC emission rateµg/min12–113 styrene, the dominant VOC from every ABS and HIPS combination tested[19]Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon; total VOC reached nearly 200 µg/min, the highest of the nine filaments tested[19]
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min2 × 10¹⁰ to 9 × 10¹⁰ median across all ABS printers, two orders of magnitude above PLA's ≈1 × 10⁸[19]≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[19]
Hazardous species emittedStyrene dominates. Bambu Lab states ABS and ASA release harmful gases such as styrene at printing temperature, which can be toxic and cause dizziness or nausea[19][7]Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[19]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration — an enclosure alone cut measured UFP by only about 35 %[19][7]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[19]
Dust & fibre handling hazardConductive carbon filler is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands well and takes filler before painting[9]Not documented
Painting & finishingPaints readily after light abrasion[9]Not documented
Support material pairingHIPS breaks away or dissolves in d-limonene; Bambu Lab sells a dedicated Support for ABS[20][7]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inAcetone dissolves it — the basis of ABS slurry; so do MEK, THF, ethyl acetate, chloroform, dichloromethane and toluene.[21][18]Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — all laboratory reagents.[22][21]
Softened or crazed byPetrol and perchloroethylene soften it and benzene attacks it; d-limonene disrupts layer adhesion in some ABS and ASA grades.[21][23]Mineral acids, oxidants, halogens and zinc chloride solutions attack the amide bond; ordinary solvents do not (BASF, PA6/66).[22]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentAcetone: about 20 min of vapour at 80 °C over 5 mm of liquid. Prusa measured layer adhesion more than doubled.[24]None — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[22]

Material entries describe families or representative grades, not an interchangeable specification for every spool. Test methods, orientations and conditions may differ. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.

Sources for this comparison

  1. 3DXSTAT ESD-ABS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  2. Prusament PA11 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2026-07 · tds
  3. Prusament PA11 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  4. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. IEMAI ESD-ABS 3D Printing Filament product page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. YXPOLYER ABS ESD product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  8. ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  9. ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  10. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  11. 3DXSTAT ESD-ABS — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — ABS Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  14. Polymaker ABS Pro Technical Data Sheet V1 (2026-05-29) Polymaker · 2026-05 · tds
  15. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  17. 3DXMAX ABS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  18. PolyLite ABS Technical Data Sheet (V5.5 served at this URL) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  19. Emissions of Ultrafine Particles and Volatile Organic Compounds from Commercially Available Desktop Three-Dimensional Printers with Multiple Filaments (Azimi et al.) Environmental Science & Technology 50(3) 1260-1268 · 2016-01 · paper
  20. HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  21. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  22. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  23. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  24. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc